Photos: inside JAL's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner

By David Flynn, March 22 2012

JAL joins the Boeing 787 club this week when the Japanese flag-carrier takes delivery of its first Dreamliner, following in the footsteps on competitor ANA which in October 2011 became the prestigious launch customer for the next-gen jetliner.

Flight will debut on April 22 when JAL begins a nonstop services between Tokyo and Boston, to be followed later in the year by a nonstop Tokyo-San Diego service.

Other cities will follow, with a JAL spokesperson advising Australian Business Traveller that "we intend to use the 787 on long-haul international routes with mid-sized demand, placing the first few aircraft on routes to Beijing, New Delhi (and) Moscow."

Asked if JAL's Sydney-Tokyo route might also see a Boeing 787, the spokesperson replied "I can't say we are considering but I also won't dismiss the possibility... as the delivery of all 45 aircraft will span over a few years, it will be hard to say now beyond the first few routes decided upon."

Inside JAL's Boeing 787 Dreamliner

JAL's Boeing 787 is fitted with 44 seats in 'executive class' (in a 2-2-2 configuration) and 144 in economy (arranged 2-4-2).

The pointy end of the plane gets JAL's new 'Shell Flat Neo' seats, with a 60 inch pitch and 21 inches width and 171 degree recline – so it's not a true lie-flat product.

Each seat has a 15.4 inch touchscreen panel hooked up to an in-flight entertainment system running on Google's Android platform.

JAL is also playing up the inclusion of a warm-water Toto Washlet toilet in the Executive Class loo.

(If you've visited Japan you'll appreciate the importance they place on toilets.)

The economy class seats have a 31 inch pitch and are 18.5 inches wide, and fitted with a 10.6 inch touchscreen video display.

Every seat from tip to tail on JAL's Boeing 787 also gets an AC power outlet and a USB socket.

JAL has also invoked its own twist on the 787's LED lighting "to create a soothing in-flight atmosphere that would evoke a sense of the four seasons in Japan, such as pink hues of cherry blossoms in spring."

Another nod to local culture are the digital editions of over 30 Japanese comic titles on the in-flight entertainment system's SKY MANGA channel.

For more on JAL's 787 Dreamliner, visit http://www.jal.co.jp/en/787.

Also in AusBT's Boeing 787 Dreamliner coverage...

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