Japan Airlines has unveiled the new cabin interior to soon feature on its B787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.
The design — branded as JAL Sky Suite 787 — will first be available on the airline's Tokyo Narita to Frankfurt route from December, followed by its Tokyo Narita to New York service from January.
The JAL Sky Suite 787 layout will be configured onto all subsequent deliveries of the B787-8 as well as the upcoming stretched variant, the B787-9.
Upcoming B787-8 business seat: JAL Sky Suite
Existing B787-8 business seat: JAL Shell Flat Neo
Perhaps the biggest change from JAL's existing B787-8 layout is the addition of a premium economy cabin, with a new seatmap provided by the airline indicating there will be 35 premium economy seats.
Overall seat capacity will fall from 186 to 161. There will be 38 business class seats, as opposed to the existing 42, but it is in economy where JAL will be cutting the most number of seats — from 144 to 88.
Revision to business class is significant, as JAL will be installing its fully-flat beds (JAL Sky Suite) onto the Dreamliner, the same as those currently on its Boeing 777. Although configured in a 2-2-2 layout, all seats have direct aisle access.
Other amenities include ample storage space, a large swivel table, and a 23-inch personal TV attached to each seat.
Premium economy – JAL Sky Premium
Economy class – JAL Sky Wider
One of the major complaints by premium passengers was that the B787-8 currently features the JAL Shell Flat Neo seats, which are angled lie-flat. Considering that the Dreamliner is deployed on long-haul services, the fully-flat JAL Sky Suite will be a major improvement.
Premium economy will be configured in a 2-3-2 layout, with the same seat design as that on JAL's B777 aircraft.
The fixed back allows for reclining without affecting the passenger behind you. A centre divider at head level provides added privacy, while a new 12.1-inch touch-panel monitor is also available.
Seatmap: How JAL's new B787-8 cabin will look
Finally, the reduction in economy class means that the seats will no longer be positioned in a 3-3-3 layout but in a more comfortable 2-4-2 set-up. Passengers will receive an extra five centimetres of legroom over the existing product.
Clement Huang