The Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger experience has gotten complicated with all the airline-specific configurations flying around. As someone who’s flown multiple 787 variants across different carriers, I learned everything there is to know about what this aircraft actually feels like from a passenger seat. Here’s the reality.
The Cabin — What You Actually Notice
The windows are huge. Biggest in commercial aviation, and it makes a real difference in how the cabin feels. Electronic dimming replaces traditional window shades — no more arguments with your seatmate about closing the shade. You control the tint level. It’s one of those features that sounds gimmicky until you use it.
Humidity runs around 25% versus 10% on older widebodies. Your skin doesn’t dry out as badly. Your eyes don’t feel like sandpaper after hour eight. On a 14-hour flight, this matters enormously.
Cabin altitude equivalent is 6,000 feet instead of 8,000 on older jets. That’s what makes the 787 endearing to us frequent long-haul travelers — you genuinely arrive feeling less wrecked. I can’t prove it scientifically, but I consistently feel better landing from a 787 flight versus a comparable 777 route.
What’s Different Underneath
Composite fuselage. Carbon fiber instead of aluminum. Lighter, which means more fuel efficient — Boeing’s main pitch to airlines. But the passenger benefit is real too: composites allow bigger window cutouts than metal fuselage could handle. Form follows engineering, and in this case, passengers win.
The Configuration Lottery
Probably should have led with this section, honestly. The aircraft type tells you almost nothing about seat comfort. Standard economy is 9-abreast (3-3-3), which is comfortable. But some airlines squeeze in 3-2-4 or other weird configurations. Same plane, wildly different experience.
Check seatmaps before booking. Always. SeatGuru and similar tools exist for a reason.
Noise Levels
Quieter than older 777s. The engine placement, nacelle design, and cabin insulation all help. It’s not silent — it’s still a jet airplane — but the difference is noticeable, especially if you’re trying to sleep.
Where It Flies
The 787 opened up “long thin routes” — city pairs with enough demand for direct service but not enough to fill an A380 or 747. Flights that literally didn’t exist before the 787 made them economical. Medium-demand long-haul is this airplane’s sweet spot.
The Problems (Being Honest)
Battery fires grounded the entire fleet in 2013. That was genuinely scary. The fix has held — no recurrence. But production quality issues have been a different story, fitting into Boeing’s broader quality challenges across all models.
Should You Seek It Out?
Yes. The passenger experience improvements are tangible and meaningful. If you’re choosing between a 787 and a 777 on the same route, pick the 787 every time. Better air, bigger windows, less fatigue. It’s the widebody I’d choose for any flight over 8 hours.
