The venerable Boeing 747 gets a '8' makeover
24 Jan 2007
Drawing on existing features of the 787 Dreamliner, as well as that of the 777, the 747-8's two-story sales fixture displays a new curved, staircase at the welcoming entryway of Door two, where passengers of the 747 normally enter. The dramatic, sweeping staircase, certainly imparts an enhanced feeling of space and comfort, even as it provides more room for the personal belongings of passengers.
According to Doug Ackerman, engineering interior team leader for the 747-8, "…the entryway provides more than just aesthetic appeal. It also was designed to facilitate improved passenger flow during boarding and deplaning." The entryway also acts as a functional divider to the business-class section forward of the entryway and the economy class aft of the entryway.
The redesigned architecture is accentuated through intelligent LED lighting that creates a perception of airy brightness apart from providing smooth lighting transitions to different areas. Overall, an impression is created of a more restful environment for passengers.
Even as LED lighting is expected to help mitigate jet lag, natural light will be provided from 777 style windows - 15 inches high and 11 inches wide - which are larger in size than those on the 747-400. As an airplane, the 747-8 itself is a stretched (5.6 meters or 18.3 ft) version of the 747-400, and will provide 467 seats in a typical three-class configuration.
As compared to the 747-400, the Intercontinental will provide operators a 14,815-km (8,000-nm) range, 28 per cent greater cargo volume and 10 per cent lower seat-mile costs.
The Intercontinental is part of a family of airplanes that includes the 747-8 Freighter. The freighter will fly 8,275 km (4,475 nm) with a maximum structural payload capacity of 140 metric tonnes (154 tons), offering 16 per cent more revenue cargo volume than the 747-400F with slightly greater range. The 747-8 Freighter will enjoy the lowest ton-mile costs of any freighter - 15 per cent lower than the 747-400F.
The first 747-8 Intercontinental will be delivered to launch customer Lufthansa in 2010, while the first 747-8 Freighter will be delivered to launch customer Cargolux in late 2009. According to Boeing, nine customers have so far ordered a total of 78 747-8 Intercontinentals and freighters, since its launch in November, 2005.
