The world’s largest operator of the 787, All Nippon Airways (ANA), has today revealed an upgraded cabin for its domestic 787-9s, ready to take flight on December 9th. The cabin features an increased number of premium seats, which themselves have been upgraded in line with ANA’s domestic 777s. Passengers can also enjoy larger seatback screens and an improved product in economy too.
ANA’s 787-9 gets a makeover
As the launch customer and largest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, ANA has been keenly celebrating 10 years of operating the type. Although the first to arrive at the airline was the 787-8, ANA has today revealed that it is upgrading the experience for domestic flyers on its larger 787-9.
Junko Yazawa, Senior Vice President, Customer Experience Management & Planning of ANA commented,
“The Boeing 787 has served ANA with distinction for a decade now, and we are excited to add more comfort and functionality to our fleet of incredibly capable aircraft. The new features on the Boeing 787-9 strengthen an already great aircraft and will improve the passenger experience on domestic flights. ANA has always put passengers first and will continue to take all necessary steps to enhance comfort and convenience for everyone who chooses to fly with us.”
ANA’s reconfigured 787 will operate its first commercial service on December 9th out of Tokyo Haneda. The service will run under flight number NH477, departing for Okinawa Naha at 15:25.
What’s inside the 787-9?
ANA’s domestic 787-9 has been configured with a total of 375 seats. 28 of those are premium class, akin to US domestic first or international premium economy, while the remaining 347 are economy seats. That’s an uptick of 10 seats in premium over the previous configuration, the largest premium allocation for any domestic aircraft.
For the premium class seats, ANA has made some significant upgrades. The seats have been swapped out for Safran’s Z600 seating, a product ANA has been flying on its domestic 777-200s since 2019. Putting its own spin on the seats, ANA has taken inspiration from its international first, the Acumen-designed ‘THE Room’.
While not as wide as the ultra-wide Fusio business suites on international first, ANA has brought in much of the color and finish of the international product for this domestic premium cabin. As well as this, ANA has considered its post-pandemic passenger needs, installing large, fixed dividers between the seats for privacy.
Seats are 22 inches wide (56 cm) and have a 15.6-inch IFE screen, the largest on any domestic flight. Recline is facilitated by electric seat controls, and all seats have a power plug and USB ports available.
Economy class has had a makeover too, with the same seats installed as the 777-200 domestic aircraft. These are Toyota Boshoku designed products, with ergonomic construction and pressure point alleviation technology built in. the seats have varying fabric designs, adding interest to the economy cabin.
Passengers in economy will also find a larger monitor, at 13.3 inches, and power supply plus USB ports. The airline has also adopted a cloverleaf shape for its cup holders, a touch that apparently makes it easier to remove paper cups inflight.