It seems only like yesterday that we had the first flight of Boeing 787 Dreamliner. An aircraft that promises longer range flights, better fuel efficiency, and more friendly to long-haul passengers, making it the perfect point-to-point long-haul workhorse of any airline. Almost a decade after its first flight, there are almost 250 airframes flying around, and the 787 is launching its latest variant, the dash 10.
Looking identical with the other Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" types, the B787-10 spans at 68.3 metres, longer than any other B787 variants. This means extra cargo and passenger capacity, despite it has a shorter flying range of 11,910 km, around 3,000 less than the previous variant, the Boeing 787-8.
As a proud launch customer, Singapore Airlines took the first ever Boeing 787-10 from the Boeing facility in Charleston, United States in a largely celebrated delivery flight. The airline has ordered 49 of these aircraft, which is intended to use for flights within 6-hours flight time. A little less than a week after this brand new aircraft is delivered, Singapore Airlines is flying it for passenger flight for the first time, on a flight between Singapore to Bangkok vv (Flight SQ 970 / SQ 973). Surely, it is a chance too good to miss for myself.
FLIGHT DETAILS
Singapore Airlines, SQ 973
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) – Singapore Changi (SIN)
Boeing 787-10, 9V-SCA
Actual Departure: 10:12 (GMT +7)
Actual Arrival 13:05 (GMT +8)
Seat 62A, Economy Class
Pre-Departure
Arriving at the check-in counter for our flight to Singapore.
There were groups of passenger queuing for check-in, but no signs of any decoration or anything that indicates they are celebrating an inaugural flight. Most of the passengers seems to be returning from their holiday in Thailand and were unaware of the equipment flying today.
Following the routine security screening and passport control, we have arrived in Gate D2, which was assigned for our departure today.
We were one of the first few passengers to arrive at Gate D2. The gate will soon be filled with other passengers headed for Singapore.
Despite the lack of enthusiasm of this brand new aircraft that was displayed on our boarding gates. Local ground staff are probably just as excited to welcome the first flight of the B787-10, and have been standing ready at least 20 minutes before the scheduled arrival of incoming flight SQ 970 from Singapore.
Welcoming the brand new Boeing 787-10 from Singapore. Pardon for the glass reflection from Bangkok airport windows.
Our aircraft, 9V-SCA docking in to the gate D2, welcomed by an army of enthusiastic ground crew members, who had prepared their mobile phones to capture this historic moment.
There was another hour for ground crew to prepare the aircraft for our flight SQ973, while allowing incoming passengers to Bangkok to disembark.
Boarding Moments
Finally, we are boarding our aircraft at around 09:40 hours. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the ground crew to manage the boarding process by zones, they were still slightly unorganised with a number of passengers trying to bypass the existing queue line.
It appeared that the aircraft only used one (instead of two) aerobridges that day, therefore everyone entered through door 1L. The Chief Stewardess in Red Kebaya welcomed us cheerfully greeted everyone as they entered inside this aircraft with the 'factory smell'.
First impression, the new slimline seats does make the cabin look a bit spacious, despite configured in a 3-3-3 arrangement. Probably, having the mood lighting and the larger windows do play a role, too.
Settling into my seat 62A. Luckily the load on board today was not entirely full, which means we had an empty seat right in between, as my brother and I occupied 62A and 62C respectively.
Pushing back for departure, slowly moving towards the queue for take-off in Bangkok.
The new 'destinations-themed' safety video, which was basically a journey around Singapore, while showing safety features of the aircraft. Quite a welcome gesture that they have finally move on from their classic 90-ish safety video.
Nope, no water cannon salute on our flight.
Finally on take-off roll, powering our engines for a take-off run out of Bangkok. While it was notably powered at a higher thrust, personally feel that the engine sound was still gentler than a few other types.
Singapore Airlines B787-10 Economy Class
With a seat pitch of 32" and width of 19", this is the new design of the Economy Class seats – what do you think?
Despite the seat in a slimline design, does not mean it has less perks than it's predecessors. The economy class seat is still equipped with the mini 'coat-hanger' for you to put your sweaters, cup-holder, and vanity mirror as part of the tray table.
While the legroom is reasonable for the average Economy Class standards, it does slightly feel narrower compared to the existing products found on B772/B773s.
In-flight Entertainment
Each seat is fitted with the latest version of Krisworld Entertainment system, which has a wide range of movie, TV series, and music selection to keep everyone occupied. Their latest blockbuster collection was quite updated, even they had Coco on board.
In Economy Class, each passenger gets to enjoy the 10.6" screen, while navigating through the Krisworld system with the touch-screen function. This is different than the A350 or B77Ws which passenger had a remote control to select their favourite function.
Also, the economy seats features a USB port and 110V AC power supply should you need to recharge your electronic devices while flying. What was interesting that they finally brought the lights and call FA button to the seat-back, lowering the probability of accidental pushing.
Previously, Singapore Airlines' subsidiary Scoot had their buttons on the armrest on all their B787-8 fleet, prompting a number of unintended call FA buttons throughout flights – as I observed on my last flight with them .
Finally, it is lunch time aboard our flight. The selection was a steamed rice with chicken in Thai sauce or a frittata with sausages. My tastebuds immediately selected for the first option, which was a pretty decent option in my opinion.
Seat pocket contents: KrisShop, SilverKris, KrisWorld IFE Guide, B787 Safety Card, and also the In-flight Wifi guide. There are WiFi connections available at a price.
Lavatory visit – which was similar as other B787 variants. Always interesting to see that Singapore Airlines keep a well-stocked amenities in their lavatory on all flights.
Situation of the cabin, in which economy class are approximately 60% full, with large groups of tourists from Singapore and Indonesia returning home after a fulfilling holiday in Thailand. Only a few of us were here for the inaugural flight, sadly.
Boeing 787 Windows
You're not officially flying in a Dreamliner, if you haven't played around with the window tints. Definitely made up that expression above.
In all seriousness, the B787 Dreamliner's large windows no longer uses a window-shade, but using the button right below the window, you can adjust the darkness of the window. On take-off and landings, crew members can reset these windows to a default setting, according to safety requirements.
Arrival into Singapore Changi Airport
After a flight time of around 1 hour and 45 minutes, an announcement from the flight deck came to inform that we were on descent into Singapore. It took around 20 minutes for us to descent from 41,000 feet to our final approach altitude.
On final approach to Singapore's Changi Airport – the aircraft's first landing as commercial flight into its home base. We had a quick taxi towards our assigned gate E12, under the sunny, 33 degrees weather in the city-state.
Being the aviation enthusiast I am, I did wait to be the last few to disembark from this brand-new beauty, while taking a few more cabin shots. On my way to door 1L, I passed through the Business Class section which consist of 36 flat-bed seats, configured 1-2-1.
Say goodbye to that 2-2-2 regional Business Class seats, with these new seats that allow all-aisle access. With a seat pitch of 60" and width of 30", this gem can turn fully-flat if you need some sleep, particularly on overnight journeys.
Post-Arrival Photos with the Crew
Grateful for the opportunity to have a photo with the entire set of crew who operates the world's first Boeing 787-10 passenger flight.
Photo with the Captain, and the two of the cabin crew who were assigned to our aisle. You can tell that they are proud and really thrilled to be part of the Inaugural flight, and have gone above and beyond to ensure that even us can share that joyful moments with them. Both the Captain and the cabin crew member were part of the delivery flight from Charleston the week before.
The crew members were highly confident that with the aircraft's specification and its efficiency, the B787 is really the aircraft they need. Later that evening, the same B787 is flying on its second inaugural to Kuala Lumpur, before taking on longer hops to Osaka, Japan and Perth, Australia in May 3rd.
Final Thoughts
Despite the lack of fanfare on this inaugural flight, which was slightly a let down, but it was a totally exciting experience thanks to the crew, who were excited and proud to be part of this flight and making it special for everyone – they were happy to accommodate questions and requests from some of the Aviation Enthusiasts who were onboard, including myself.
The Boeing 787 itself was a comfortable and modern aircraft, with a refreshed version of Economy Class seats, and a modernised IFE system – which was welcomed. That being said, for some reason it feels slightly narrower than the B777s, despite sharing the same 32" seat pitch. Meal service was fairly standard for the 2 hours hop, and the crew executed it just at the right pace.
Without a doubt, it was a proud moment to be part of the milestone, as part of the world's first passenger Boeing 787-10 flight. Thank you to team aboard SQ 973 for making our Boeing 787 inaugural a memorable adventure!
Thank you for reading. What do you think of the new B787-10?
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