Had my first Dreamliner flight yesterday, EWR-IAH in E+ (17L). Some thoughts:
- She is noticably quieter, as has been previously mentioned.
- I didn't notice the altitude difference, but such things generally don't bother me one way or the other, so I wasn't necessarily expecting to.
- The dimmable windows are a really nice feature. I have heard people talk about how they don't feel like they are dark enough. I disagree. They are certainly not for the instant gratification crowd; I would guess it took 2-3 minutes my window to reach "full dark" after I turned it all the way down. When it did get there, however, very little light was entering the cabin and I was able to look directly into the sun through the filter.
- I didn't think I would notice the narrower seats in economy, but I did. I wasn't uncomfortable, but it felt a little tighter than usual.
- The AVOD interface is much improved; I hope they roll this out fleet-wide.
- As I passed through the BF cabin, I noticed how far the B and K seats jutted out into the aisle on the bulkhead rows. I don't think I would particularly enjoy sitting in those, as they don't look like they would feel as private as the other BF seats in the cabin.
- I didn't have any trouble locating the headphone jack; it is in the same place as it is in economy on the international 752's (your left armrest).
- The wing flex is fun to watch, but a little creepy. Row 17 is just aft of the engine spar, so you have a great view down the wing.
- The bin space is supreme. The inboard bins (over the middle section) cannot hold roll-aboards standing up on their narrow end, but the outboard ones certainly can.
- I think this has also been mentioned, but if you have broad shoulders, A and L seats might not be for you. I'm used to getting a couple extra inches when sitting up against the curve of the fuselage, but that doesn't necessarily happen here. If you manage to find a window to line up with your row just right you will have that extra space, otherwise you won't.
All-in-all a good ride. Long-haul economy is never an enjoyable experience, but once these things start doing international runs, there are still worse experiences in the fleet (the 744s, for example).