Boeing just got a much-needed win for its long-overdue 777X.
UAE-based Emirates placed an order for 65 additional 777X widebody planes in a deal worth $38 billion at list prices during the Dubai Airshow in November.
That brings its order total to 270 for both variants, including the 777-9 and the smaller but longer-ranged 777-8. It also ups Boeing’s 777X total order book to over 600 units.
The 777X is the largest passenger jet in production, featuring revolutionary folding wingtips and improved range, capacity, and efficiency compared to its predecessors.
The order comes despite Emirates’ President Tim Clark having long criticized Boeing’s ability to deliver the jets after years of waiting.
Clark told Business Insider in February that Emirates has spent $4.5 billion “gutting all the old 777s and retrofitting them” while waiting for the 777Xs. He said in October 2024 that it’s also expensive to continue flying old, less fuel-efficient airplanes.
Still, he said at an industry conference in June that he was happy with the new Boeing CEO, Kelly Ortberg, and was “cautiously optimistic” about the plane’s updated delivery timeline.
The 777X, initially expected to enter service in 2020, has been delayed until at least 2027 due to mechanical, certification, and pandemic-related setbacks. The delays have already cost Boeing at least $4.9 billion in charges.
But the fresh vote of confidence from Emirates gives Boeing’s most important jet some much-needed runway. And what will ultimately matter to passengers is what’s inside.
The 777X’s immense size — particularly its wider frame — is one of its most notable characteristics, providing operators with flexibility regarding the cabin layout and travelers with a lot more space.
In July 2024 at the Farnborough Airshow outside London, Boeing showed what passengers could expect on board — including mood lighting that resembles the northern lights.
The 777X can accommodate up to 10 seats per row in economy.
Airlines favor the 777-9 for its huge capacity. The aircraft can carry up to 426 people, with a majority spread across 10-abreast rows in the economy section.
This isn’t new to the 777 family. Previous models offer the same feature. The A350’s build was modified in late 2022 to also offer 10-abreast seats.
But the 777X’s larger cabin, which is 4 inches wider than the 777-300ER, the plane it is derived from, means those seats can offer more width than its predecessors and its competition.
The customizable economy cabin mockup on display featured 18-inch seats.
The 777X’s 18-inch-wide seats improve on the 17.2 inches of seat width previously achievable, Boeing’s regional director of cabin marketing, Stephanie Werner, told media at the airshow near London.
The customizable seats also offer more seat width than the up to 17-inch seats Airbus can provide on its 10-abreast A350.
“Airlines have total flexibility and choice in how to configure the planes, so they can do anything in between,” she said. “So if they want to get more aisle width or seat width, that’s up to them.”
Up front, airlines can install their unique business- and first-class seats.
Qatar Airways, for example, has said its future 777X planes will have a new first-class cabin, though details are still limited.
Emirates, for its part, plans to install its new “Game Changer” first class on its 777X fleet. The cabin, which features a floor-to-ceiling door and “virtual windows” in the center seats that replicate the view outside the plane, is already operational on Emirates’ 777-300ERs.
Coach can include regular and premium economy.
The 777X launch customer, Lufthansa, will feature its new Allegris cabin on its future 777Xs.
Cathay Pacific is expected to equip its 777X fleet with the upgraded premium economy and business-class seats already featured on its 777-300ER fleet.
The airline also plans to introduce a new first-class cabin, exclusive to the 777X.
Beyond seating, Werner said the 777X’s design also includes two ceiling options for operators.
These can exist on the same plane but differ in curvature, providing operators with “architectural flexibility.”
The “A” option removes the overhead bins in the center section to increase the cabin’s height. Werner said this would benefit premium cabins where less luggage storage is needed and seat space is highly valued.
The “B” option flips that 180 degrees to create a downward arch with overhead bins. Werner mentioned this would probably be preferred in coach, as it creates a greater sense of width.
The ceiling complements the 777X’s interior lines with curves that Boeing has added to create a sense of spaciousness.
Werner pointed to the entry arch that opens into the cabin.
“We do that intentionally so that passengers, as they enter the space, can begin to mentally reset and reframe and start to relax a little bit as they get to their seats,” she said.
Boeing has created bigger windows that are higher on the fuselage.
BI has toured the experimental 777X at several airshows. Boeing consistently includes a side-by-side comparison with the A350’s windows to show Boeing’s higher placement and 29% larger size.
“Whether you’re seated at a window seat or seated in the center of economy, your line of sight will see the sky from your seat,” Werner said.
The windows can be dimmable.
Boeing has added the 787 Dreamliner’s staple dimmable windows as an option on the 777X. The 777X’s dimmer is turned on with a switch above the window that changes how much light passes through the window.
“This is something that gives passengers more autonomy on how much light they want,” Werner said.
Travelers shouldn’t have an issue finding overhead bin space, even if they are last to board.
Werner said the 777X’s overhead bins can hold up to four bags each, and added that Boeing has reduced the closing force by 40% to make them easier for passengers and crew.
“If anyone has ever had anxiety before, hoping you don’t have to gate check your bag, this can help relieve some of that bin anxiety,” she said.
Considering the 777X is set to be a long-haul workhorse, mood lighting was a point of focus.
Mood lighting serves several purposes, including calming travelers and combating jet lag. The 777X offers new customizable color hues and scenes to amplify that effect.
“Instead of having the pressure on the cabin crew to select the custom lighting scenes, we want to make it easier for them overall to select ones that are predetermined by the airline brand,” she said.
We saw several different scenes, including a starry night sky, a sunset, and the northern lights.
Werner said airlines can choose lighting schemes that change over the course of the flight, from boarding to food to sleep.
“It gives a little bit more comfort for passengers as you have this dynamic lighting instead of switching from one light to another,” she said. “We want them to have a gradual change of light.”
Several passenger enhancements on the 777X aren’t visible to the human eye.
Improvements include better cabin humidity and altitude, with the latter at 6,000 feet on the 777X. Werner said these conditions would help passengers feel refreshed upon landing.
Thanks to the plane’s enhanced engines and aerodynamics, there’s also less noise on board. Werner also said passengers would experience less turbulence because of the jet’s “lateral and vertical gust suppression.”
“When there is more turbulence, which we are seeing more of these days, and passengers are white-knuckling in their seat because they’re nervous, the [system] can smooth it out,” she said.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in July 2024 and has been updated.
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