Business travelers love saving two or three hours of flying time. They'll surely love United's new nonstop. But for everyone else, 18 hours is a long time to spend on an airplane. Even a 787.
With the secrecy surrounding this new First cabin, and British Airways' history of fast-forward design, we expect to be wowed when it finally leaves the hangar in September.
If Virgin Atlantic takes delivery of the 21 Dreamliners it has lined up, they will make up a majority of its fleet. With the airline's growth limited by Heathrow capacity constraints, taking advantage of the economic benefits of the new planes is of paramount importance.
Virgin Atlantic is making a big bet on these Dreamliners. The airline's entire fleet currently stands at around 40, and within four years as it takes delivery of these new 787s, the Dreamliner will constitute more than half of Virgin Altantic's fleet.