RENTON – “It absolutely rocks.”
That’s how airline customers are describing the redesigned interior of the Boeing Co.’s 747-8 passenger plane, according to Klaus Brauer, Boeing’s director of passenger satisfaction and revenue.
Skeptics dismiss Boeing’s Intercontinental as simply an upgrade on 40-year-old plane. But those who have glimpsed the jet’s bright and airy interior at Boeing’s life-size display in Renton have a different impression, Brauer said.
“We chose to continue to call this a 747 because, frankly, people love the 747,” he said. “(But) this is a new airplane.”
The 747-8 Intercontinental is 18 feet longer than its predecessor, the 747-400. The stretch allows for an additional 51 passengers, up to 467, in a three-class seating arrangement. The 747-8 borrows some of the technology and interior design of Boeing’s latest plane, the fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliner.
In creating the look of the Intercontinental’s interior, Brauer did hope to capture something from the 747 of old: the joy of air travel.
In the nearly four decades since the original 747 took flight, passengers have lost the excitement of flying, Brauer said. For most people, the hours leading up to getting on an airplane are filed with hassle -fighting traffic to get to the airport, lugging around heavy bags, waiting in lines to clear airport security.
“By the time the passengers get to the boarding door, they’re already having the worst day they’ve had that year,” Brauer said.
Therefore, plane makers such as Boeing face a difficult challenge: find a way to make people forget all of that.
Interiors people such as Brauer believe the best way to wipe away the bad that goes along with air travel is to make people feel welcome on the airplane. On Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner, the interiors group emphasized lighting and vertical space – making the space above passengers’ heads seem as spacious as possible.
They put that same concept to work on the 747-8 Intercontinental.
Throughout the main floor, overhead bins slant at an angle that allows most everyone to stand, except for passengers seated next to the windows. The upper deck’s bins, while larger than the 747-400’s lengthwise, still cause problems for passengers of average height.
However, “I can tell you from history that people prefer being up here,’ ” Brauer said.
Boeing has not finalized the design of the Intercontinental but it is expected to do so later this year.
As designed, the Intercontinental seats about 48 people in the upper deck. The plane also has a space that Boeing officials call the “SkyLoft” situated over the rear half of the plane. Airlines could use the area – which Brauer described as a 737-sized space – for personal suites, a lounge or a business area.
Since finishing the Intercontinental display in December, Boeing has opened it to customers. They’re hoping that the enthusiasm they’re hearing from customers for Boeing’s revamped “Queen of the Skies” translates to orders.
Boeing launched both a freighter and passenger version of its 747-8 in November 2005. While customers rushed to put in requests for the freighter, they reserved judgment – and – orders on the Intercontinental. Last December, however, German carrier Lufthansa officially kicked off the Intercontinental’s launch with an order for 20 jets.
“The 747 family’s unique interior and structural design have provided passengers with memorable flying experiences for decades,” said Dan Mooney, vice president of the 747 program. “Passengers will know they are on a brand new airplane the moment they step onboard the 747-8 and will experience a whole new way to fly.”
More online
Click here to visit Herald writer Michelle Dunlop’s new blog on Boeing and the aerospace industry.
See a gallery of photos of the interior of the Boeing Co.’s new 747-8 aircraft – and how it compares with older 747 models.
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