SEMM

...boy I better lay off those mix nuts and order the fruit instead of the chocolate brownie cake.

Binflyin

The Dreamliner service from YYZ to ZRH has been postponed.... again. Was to start service on May 18th and now slated to start on May 25th. I'm booked to fly this route on the 25th so fingers crossed this will be the last change. I chose this routing as it would mean the 787 to ZRH on AC followed by another 787 flight to DOH on QR. Would be great to compare the hard products back to back.

SEMM

Looks like #416 YYZ-YUL and #437 YUL-YYZ are still showing as scheduled as B-788....fingers crossed!

PLeblond

Of the 3 AC 787s built so far, NONE of them have even flown a B flight (Boeing's check flights) usually there are 3-5 depending on how many tweaks the planes need. Then AC perform C flights to make sure the planes are to their standards (usually 1 or 2). That is at the very least 2 weeks from the time they start the B flights. Then AC will fly them on domestic routes for crew training and ground handling de-bugging. I doubt very highly international service will start in May.

The Lev

Can anybody who is "in the know" provide feedback on legroom of the bulkhead Premium Economy seats on the 787 versus the other two rows?

Looking to pull the trigger on a flight to HND in PE, but not sure whether to reserve the bulkhead or regular row.

Nitehawk

Does anyone know what's going on with the first AC 787, C-GHPQ (LN-160). At this point it's the oldest production 787-8 to have not flown, with many of the airframes started after it now ready to be delivered.

gglave

Agree it's the 'way of the future' - But always have to roll my eyes at the people on Facebook who are so excited about the Dreamliner.

Terrible pitch / width, and FAs who will darken your windows at their whim.

I would pick a (non-Rouge) 767 over these birds any day of the week.

[I amused myself on AC's Facebook page a few weeks ago. They polled asking what our 'favourite' AC planes were. I replied the E90 and 767 - Great, comfortable aircraft that I specifically sought out. Not what AC wants to hear, but it's the truth...]

TemboOne

I'm in the same position as you.

YYZ-HND-YYZ in the fall in PE.

Do we go for row 12 or regular rows 13 or 14?

Hopefully ACYYZ/SD will be able to help with an opinion on this after fin 801 is delivered and flight staff have a chance to familiarise themselves with the new bird.

Right now it looks like row 12 AC and HK could be quite cosy!

However, while there appears to be a window immediately beside 12A & 12K headrests there is a blank in front of this. For anyone used to the option of looking out of two adjacent windows row 12 appears to be a no-no! Just my impression - which can often be wrong!

yqtyyz

The other concern is that row 12 is right by the lavs on either side.

Depending on how the door opens, there might be lots of light and/or noise as well. I've got some Bose headphones, so the noise isn't an issue, but I guess I may have to wear an eyeshade if napping.

A galley is also there, so I'm guessing a curtain will be present, and that could help a lot.

yvr76

PE is a new cabin, and great for pax who can't afford J. It's also much better than PE on the 77P due to aircraft width.

J is an improvement over the classic pods on the 767, 333 and 77W/L.

Y pitch is the same when you factor in slimline seats. But yes, the seats won't be as comfortable sitting for 10 hours and you lose 0.5" width from the 767.

Windows are a personal preference. There are plenty of other improvements in the aircraft to make up for that.

I would have preferred a 2-4-3 config in Y. I'm not sure if any carriers are doing this or not.

SEMM

Found this posting on All Things B-787:

The production of 787s continue as the final assembly lines are humming away more or less). We are seeing aircraft load into the final assembly positions at a rate of 9 to 11 aircraft per month between both lines. While it is too early to tell, the delivery rate for April may look to be around 10 which is what Boeing needs to average over the next nine months to meet its guidance. There are 4 787s that appear to be ready to be delivered now that they have had their first customer test flights. There are 5 more that need to have their customer acceptance flights but with 13 days left in the month this can be done easily. Boeing has been flying a bit more so it seems that the y are starting to over come the traveled work and wing issues that have hung over the program for the last few months. One surprise is the seemingly lack of any progress to get the 3 787s for Air Canada ready for delivery. Two are on the flight line at Everett and a third is at the EMC. I'm not sure but they may be looking for a triple delivery of 787s but as of today not one AC 787 has even performed a first flight despite being painted and ready to fly. Boeing will need to conduct a few more B-1 flights in order to prepare the aircraft slated to deliver in May.

Stranger

Perhaps they are waiting for new wings from Mitsubishi?



Or at least for the crack repairs. I don't really like this.

PLeblond

Since 2 of the LN610 & LN612 went/are in the EMC, one could guess that they had shear tire crack issues. Still odd that none have flown.

PLeblond

From Matt Cawby's twitter at Paine Airport:

ZA610 Air Canada 787 C-GHPQ is returning to Paine Field 7 minutes into B1 flight

Not a good sign for the first flight of an AC 787.

PLeblond

Follow along the (shortened) flight:

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE610