By Brook Sabin
The holy grail of aviation landed in Auckland this afternoon – a plane that promises to leave passengers feeling less jetlagged.
The new 787 Dreamliner is on the last leg of a world tour.
The plane is the future of air travel, dubbed the plastic plane, with its psychedelic colours and windows that dim with the flick of a switch, all made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic.
The 787 Dreamliner promises to land airlines a 20 percent fuel saving.
“It brings a sense of new future that we haven't seen in past aircraft before, and technology we can adapt to improve the customer proposition,” says Kerry Reeves of Air New Zealand.
The plane is also equipped with special technology to help reduce turbulence.
But one of the features Boeing is most excited about you can't see. The cabin is pressurised to a lower level, which means your body absorbs more oxygen and you feel less jetlagged.
The Dreamliner is on the last leg of a global tour.
Air New Zealand will be the first in the world to receive the next, bigger version, known as the 787 Dash 9.
But it has been a nightmare. The plane is four years late, and the national carrier won't take delivery until 2014.
Around 100 gathered to watch the 787 touch down in Auckland this afternoon.
But the dream is still a distant reality, with no guarantee Boeing will meet the 2014 deadline.
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