PHOTO TOUR: inside Qatar Airways' Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Qatar Airways' Boeing 787 Dreamliner's new business and economy seats are generating a lot of comment.

Qatar is the first airline to use this fully flat business class seat with direct aisle access, so join us for a photo tour of the new beds -- plus the new economy seats down the back of the Dreamliner.

AusBT contributor David Parker Brown (who also runs AirlineReporter.com) got up close and personal with the seats at the 2012 Farnborough Airshow, and shared these photos with us.

Turning towards the pointy end of the plane you'll find business class. It's set up in a 1-2-1 layout with direct aisle access for everyone on board.

Like just about every modern airliner, Boeing's 787 has LED overhead lighting that's a big improvement on the fluorescent tubes used in older planes.

And it's not just about the accent lighting: waking up gently with a slowly brightening, sunrise-hued cabin is much more pleasant than the single flick-to-glaring lights we remember from older jets. 

Angling towards the windows (or centre dividers, which you can raise or lower depending on whether you want to interact with the person next to you), each seat is private and spacious, with cleverly designed multi-level storage and work surfaces.

The 22-inch (56 cm) seat reclines to a fully flat 80 inches (203 cm), with your feet sliding underneath the monitor. The armrest also slides down so you have a wider sleeping area.

With the centre divider down, you can share ideas with colleagues or spend some quality time with a +1 over dinner, or use the large work table to put the final touches to a slide deck on your laptop.

Naturally, there's a full power point for keeping your electronics charged so you can hit the ground running.

Qatar's elegant place setting certainly seems more first class than business class, and so does the extra-large inflight entertainment monitor.

Further back in the economy, Qatar has gone for the narrower option of a nine-across 3-3-3 layout, which means that each seat is narrower than Boeing's other option, an eight-across 2-4-2 configuration.

These seats are narrow, even for economy. On the plus side, there's lots of overhead space with Boeing's Sky Interior retractable bins.

The front rows are obviously ones seats to pick with their generous legroom.

A massive entertainment screen -- with its own Android phone-sized touchscreen controller -- might take your mind off the tight elbow-room.

Boeing's extra-large 787 Dreamliner windows are a benefit for the window seat seat passenger (and anyone trying to peer past them for a glimpse of what's outside).

Like all 787s, Qatar's also has the electronically dimming controls that black out just about all the light from outside.

Also in AusBT's Boeing 787 Dreamliner coverage:

• Photos and flight report: ANA’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner
• Photos: inside the Boeing 787's funky crew rest 'loft'
• Fan pays $32,700 for seat on first ANA Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight
• Exclusive photo tour: inside ANA's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner
• Why business travellers will love the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
• Boeing’s 787 nixes first class for business, premium economy
• Boeing chooses Android for 787 Dreamliner's entertainment system

John Walton

Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.