Cinderella Emerges

The new Boeing 787 certainly had its share of teething problems, particularly battery fires from its new lithium ion battery. The press was all over Boeing for its troubles, but guess what? Any new aircraft, especially something as exotic as the 787 with its lightweight carbon fiber fuselage, has teething issues but those are now rapidly receding and the 787 is the new Cinderella of the airlines: 

"After a disappointing start with systems and software-related issues, most airlines are now approaching 777-like reliability levels with their 787 fleets. Many are also using the 787 to open up new point-to-point, long-haul routes that cannot be economically flown by any other aircraft, in most cases. Most significantly, and the raison d’etre for the 787, operators are also reporting significantly lower fuel burn per seat compared with older models such as the 767-300ER—20-22%, depending on the length of the flight."

A 20-22% fuel savings is HUGE in today's environment and should help exert downward pressure on international airline fares. Hopefully, Boeing will have learned its lesson and manufacture critical components of the 787 and other new aircraft in the U.S., but it is good news that they still know how to build good airplanes. 

aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/airlines-singing-praises-787