Scoot to fly first Dreamliner in November 2014

Singapore-based low-cost long-haul airline Scoot will start flying Boeing 787 Dreamliner in November 2014 and CEO Campbell Wilson promises that the cost savings will be passed to customers:

"It's a game changer for us, not only in terms of fuel savings and price savings we can offer, but also the flexibility it gives us to fly to different places," said Campbell in a CNBC interview. "We have seen very clearly that lower airfares stimulate more demand and that fills our aircrafts and help us to earn money. So we will remain price competitive, but we may not pass all of it," he added.

Scoot is currently using Boeing 777 aircraft obtained from its parent company, Singapore Airlines. Scoot is planning to retire all six of its Boeing 777-200ERs by the middle of 2015 and move to an 'all-Boeing 787' fleet, following the delivery of the first of ten Boeing 787-9s in November 2014 and the first of ten Boeing 787-8s in mid-2015.

Scoot currently operates medium and long haul no-frills flights between Singapore and Sydney, Gold Coast, Bangkok, Taipei, Tokyo, Tianjin, Shenyang, Nanjing, Qingdao, Seoul and Hong Kong.

Jetstar Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Budget airline JetStar will have 3 Boeing 787 Dreamliners by the end of 2013 and by 2015, it will use only 787 on its long-haul flights. Airline is planning to fly the Boeing 787 within selected domestic routes within Australia from November, before moving onto international services in December. Jetstar will be the first airline in Australia and New Zealand to fly the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

These three Boeing 787-8s due for Jetstar out of a total order of 14 for Qantas. 787's will eventually replace all Airbus A330s used on international routes of JetStar. JetStar is offering long-haul budget flights in Asia-Pacific region.

The 787 Dreamliner offers an new flying experience. The airctraft is roomier, with higher ceilings and easy-to-reach overhead lockers that are designed to slope upwards and out of the way. the noise footprint is 60% lower than similarly sized aircraft, so it’s quieter for both passengers and those on the ground. Quieter airconditioning and carefully selected interior materials reduce vibrations and cabin noise. Cabin windows are 30% larger than on similarly sized letting in more light and giving everyone a view outside. Windows can be dimmed or darkened with the push of a button.

Every seat in JetStar Boeing 787 Dreamliners will be equipped with a touch-screen inflight entertainment system, which provides movies on demand, games and seat-to-seat chat. Every seat will have a USB and power socket for charging personal electronic devices.

A Jetstar Boeing 787 Dreamliner seen here in paintshop in Seattle. This plane
will be Australia's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Also expect smoother rides with the Dreamliner because the aircraft employs a new system that senses turbulence as it comes and counters it using wing-control surfaces.

You can subscribe to Jetmail and JetStar will email you about special exclusive offers, sales fares and very latest news on Dreamliner. Visit jetstar.com/dreamliner.

Japan Airlines (JAL) postpones launch of nonstop Tokyo (Narita) and Helsinki service

Japan Airlines (JAL) has postponed the launch of its planned nonstop service between Tokyo (Narita) and Helsinki. The launch was originally scheduled on February 25, 2013. The change was due to the grounding of Boeing 787 aircraft since 16 January 2013. In a press release, JAL said the change was "in view of necessary adjustments to JAL’s international routes utilizing the Boeing 787 aircraft since January 16, 2013."


The rescheduled date of opening of JAL’s Narita=Helsinki service will be announced at a later time and customers with confirmed reservations on concerned flights will be informed about alternative options.

Last January, 3 incidents caused both major Japanese airlines ANA and JAL to announce voluntarily grounding or suspending flights for their fleets of 787s on January 16, 2013.  On January 7, 2013, a battery overheated and started a fire in an empty 787 operated by Japan Airlines (JAL) at Boston's Logan International Airport. On January 13, 2013, a Japan Airlines 787 at Narita International Airport outside of Tokyo, was found to have a fuel leak of 100 liters (26.5 U.S. gallons) during an inspection. On January 16, 2013, an All Nippon Airways (ANA) 787 made an emergency landing at Takamatsu Airport on Shikoku Island after the flight crew received a computer warning that there was smoke inside one of the electrical compartments.

The grounded Japan Airlines Boeing 787 in Boston Airport

ANA and JAL operate 24 of the 50 Dreamliners delivered to date.The grounding could cost ANA over $1.1 million a day. All Nippon Airways said that the grounding of Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner jet has affected more than 100,000 passengers and resulted in the cancellation of more than 1,200 flights.