He says the results were interesting. “Often people can’t
articulate why they like something, or why it’s pleasurable – but
the questions were tailored so we got results.”
The changes on the Dreamliner are subtle but revolutionary in
their way. Because people reported feeling cramped as they walked
into a plane, the electronic, tinted windows are 67 per cent bigger
than on the earlier Boeing 777, and even in sleepmode you can still
see out. Blue lighting when you enter the plane makes it look more
spacious, though the light warms up as you get higher (culminating
in that rainbow at peak altitude), and subtly changes at meal times so
the food looks more appealing. Because of the carbon-fibre fuselage,
the cabin’s air pressure can be reduced to a more comfortable 6,000
feet from the usual 8,000 feet, while the humidity can reach up to 15
per cent compared to the usual 4 per cent. As Emery says: “You’ll feel
better at the end of a long flight – less dry, less fatigued. You won’t
necessarily knowwhy, but you don’t need to.”
Early evidence shows I’m not alone in my response to flying
on the Dreamliner. A poll of 800 passengers by Japanese airline
ANA found that 90 per cent said the experience surpassed
their expectations and 92 per cent preferred the cabin interior.
Passengers even reported increased satisfaction with things that
hadn’t changed, like the service and food.
While this was all going on inside the plane, there was also a
change in the way they build the Dreamliner. Based on the lean
manufacturing model pioneered by Toyota, Boeing had already
restructured its factory line to cut the time needed to build planes.
As guide Eileen says, some of the solutions were simple: “They
thought we spent too much time leaving the plane to get parts.
We’ve now got systems so the right parts are by the plane at all
times, and we’ve got 1,300 bicycles and tricycles in the factory.”
»
CORBIS
Below left
⁄
“Anything
in the cabin, I’ve fixed,”
says Brian Lind, who leads
a 10-strong interiors
completion team on
the Dreamliner
Below right
⁄
Stretching
on the Everett factory
floor. There are also ping
pong tables and a massage
therapist who comes to
the factory twice a week
The tester
Shane Decker is the 787’s
production test manager.
His team of 21 tests
everything passengers
touch – including toilets,
window lights and inflight
entertainment – and
deals with things like
water and waste. He says
of working at Boeing:
“Once you’re in, you
stay. For mechanics
and engineers, it’s a
dream having all these
experts right here and
the benefits at Boeing
are amazing, whether
it’s insurance or funds
for education. We have
a mentor project where
you can go to someone
more senior and there’s
a lot of movement up. I
started as a cargo build
mechanic three years
ago and have worked up
to leading a team. Now
I’m working on the most
advanced plane ever and
it amazes me every day.”
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