Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran inside the newly-renovated Dreamliner cabin this morning. Photo / Michael Craig
Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran inside the newly-renovated Dreamliner cabin this morning. Photo / Michael Craig
Some big sources of in-flight aggravation are out and the world’s biggest economy class entertainment screen is in on Air New Zealand’s Boeing Dreamliner retrofit.
The airline’s chief executive, Greg Foran, showed off the new cabin this morning.
He said every class had tailor-made features after the years-long retrofit project.
Each aircraft cost $35 million to retrofit and it’s the airline’s first new on-board product in almost 15 years.
Premium economy seats have a hard shell, allowing passengers to move their chair back without impacting people behind them.
And the economy class has 13.3-inch screens, 50% larger than the current offering.
Up front in Business Premier Luxe, four all-new seats in the front row have a retractable screen.
Foran in the 787-9 cockpit. Photo / Michael Craig
Foran said there’d been a focus on more comfort to better encourage sleep, not just with mattresses or seats but with attention to lighting and cabin sound.
“We focused on sleep and we’ll back ourselves to provide the best sleep you’ll get anywhere on a plane,” Foran told the Herald.
Inside the newly-renovated cabin. Photo / Michael Craig
But the airline hopes the new Dreamliner features will entertain people too.
“It’s got a sensational on-board entertainment system,” Foran said.
The Dreamliner's Business Premier Luxe section, just behind the cockpit. Photo / Michael Craig
Foran said nearly all the international fleet was Wi-Fi enabled now, free for passengers.
“A really interesting development just literally weeks away is we’ll be trialling Starlink on an Airbus, a mid-range jet, and also on an ATR turboprop plane.
