JAL008 took off from Tokyo, Narita and landed at Boston Logan over the weekend where passengers were welcomed by JAL Chairman, Masaru Onishi, JAL Senior Vice President for the Americas, Hiroyuki Hioka, and Massport Director of Aviation, Ed Freni. Lexington Minutemen in traditional uniform were drumming up excitement as customers began arriving for the first flight to Japan accomplishing JAL’s maiden revenue round-trip flights of the super-efficient, GEnx-powered Dreamliner. This was at the same time, the debut of the world’s newest aircraft type in the United States.

 ”By deploying the 787 Dreamliner on long-haul routes to markets that can garner substantial travel demand such as Boston, JAL is making best use of the aircraft’s long-range capability, appropriate capacity, and its economic performance,” said JAL President Yoshiharu Ueki at the departure gate ceremony of JAL008 in Narita yesterday to celebrate this landmark event for JAL, Boeing, and Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). “We are very happy to have such strong support from the Boston community, Massport, Boeing, and joint business partner American Airlines, to establish this direct link between Boston and Tokyo never-before available.”

 ”We are honored to see the 787 Dreamliner begin its first commercial service to the U.S. with the launch of JAL’s Tokyo to Boston route,” said Boeing Japan president Mike Denton, who was on the flight. “The 787 brings new levels of flexibility to airlines in their network development, and this is exactly the kind of long-haul point-to-point route the 787 was designed to fly. Congratulations to JAL and all their passengers participating in this exciting, pioneering flight.” 

JAL’s 787 Dreamliner is currently fitted with 42 seats in business, featuring the Executive Class JAL SHELL FLAT NEO seats that are 5 cm (2 inches) wider (than the seats now fitted on JAL’s Boeing 777s) in a 2-2-2 configuration, and 144 in Economy Class with 2 cm (0.8 inches) wider space than current seats and arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration. JAL has on order a total of 45 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. 

Some highlights of the revolutionary aircraft include larger windows with electronically dimmable shades, as well as higher ceilings, lower cabin pressure and better humidity for a noticeably more comfortable in-flight experience. JAL’s hospitality is reflected in customer-contact points throughout the cabin and even in the work space for cabin attendants such as the kitchen equipment in the galley. Utilizing the LED lights in the Dreamliner, JAL created an original cabin lighting design to enhance the ambience onboard with a sense of the four seasons in Japan, such as pink hues of cherry blossoms in spring, or sky blue in the summer months of July and August. The lighting also adapts at various timings during the flight, to make the environment more conducive during meal service and for resting or waking up.

The new route is a logical step in the implementation of Finnair’s Asian strategy. The airline’s goal is to benefit from the market growth in Asia and open new routes to markets where growth is strongest. Finnair is the first airline to open a direct flight route from Europe to Chongqing.

Situated on the edge of the Tibetan plateau, Greater Chongqing has a population of 32 million. In addition, Chongqing’s urban population is expected to double over the next five years.

“China is a key part of our Europe-Asia strategy. Western China is an important growth area, and the new route will strengthen our market share in the growing Asian markets. In addition to Chongqing, Finnair flies to Beijing, Shanghai and to Hong Kong with a total of 26 weekly flights,” Mika Vehviläinen, President and CEO of Finnair told TravelPlus In addition to Chinese companies many Western companies, especially in the electronics, automotive and chemical industries, are currently expanding their operations in the city, so business travel is booming.

Chongqing Airport’s growth potential is huge. The airport has already opened 140 routes to more than 80 cities in China and Asia, and the airport is undergoing expansion. When the expansion is complete in 2015, the airport will be capable of receiving 45 million passengers a year.

Although in the early stages of marketing the focus will be in particular on business travellers, Chongqing also offers much to see for tourists interested in China’s history and nature. Visitors can enjoy the historical buildings, temples and natural beauty, as well as the Dazu Rock Carvings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and hot springs. Chongqing also provides convenient access to river cruises on the Jialing and Yangtze rivers, and the city is well connected to Lhasa, Xian and Kunming.

Flights to Chongqing begin on 9th May 2012 and operate 4 times a week with Finnair’s Airbus A340 aircraft on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays & Saturdays.  The flight time from Helsinki to Chongqing will be eight and a half hours.

The liveries of nine British Airways jets have been reworked by Pascal Anson, 39, to look like doves. The first “Dove” – an Airbus A319 – has gold feathers along its fuselage, while the cockpit resembles a beak.

His ideas for the planes were chosen from hundreds of designs that were submitted to the British Airways’ Great Britons competition last summer. Part of his prize included mentoring by artist Tracey Emin who, this week, unveiled the first repainted aeroplane at London’s Heathrow Airport. A team of 24 people took eight days to spray paint the aircraft.

Mr Anson, who teaches students on several courses at Kingston including graphic design, interior design and the University’s art and design foundation course, has a history of redesigning vehicles. Two years ago, he livened up his car by covering it in stick-on wood-effect floor laminate – and doubtless drew surprised glances from fellow drivers on his commute to Kingston from his home in Brighton. Doves are an Olympic emblem having featured regularly at opening ceremonies, including the last time the Games came to London, in 1948.

“I never wavered on the concept – I knew how I wanted the dove to look. But we did have to adapt our ideas a bit to address the technical difficulties,” Mr Anson told Travelplus. “I hope that’s something I can pass on to my students. The idea always has to come first. The realisation and the practicalities come second.”