Darker Windows Coming Soon to the Dreamliner
If you've ever flown on the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner," you probably noticed one common airline feature is missing: the window shade. Instead, the Dreamliner's windows are designed to tint at the push of a button — either by the passenger sitting in the window seat or the flight attendant's control panel.
Also, you'll notice that the windows would never go completely black. Instead, the darkest window setting has more of a dark blue color to it.
I noticed this during my daytime Air Canada flight from Zurich to Toronto this past summer. The flight attendants used the central control panel to set all windows to their darkest setting in order to create an "artificial night." But, the cabin was nowhere near dark, thanks to the midday sun pouring through the tinted windows.
This issue hasn't gone unnoticed by airlines. As far back as 2012, the Dreamliner's launch customer, All Nippon Airways, actually looked at installing "pull down blinds on 787s already delivered," as the windows weren't dark enough for its preferences.
If this bothered you too, good news! The Dreamliner window manufacturer Gentex Corporation is rolling out newer, much-darker versions.
Gentex representatives at this year's Consumer Electronics Show confirmed with Runway Girl Network that its second-generation windows are "now being shipped to 787 customers." These "Gen 2" windows are designed to be 10x darker than the original version of the Dreamliner windows.
But, Gentex isn't stopping there! An even-darker "Gen 3" window is in development and is expected "in the next two years." This version is supposed to be 10x darker than Gen 2 windows, which would indicate that they'd be around 100x darker than the current Dreamliner windows.
Once these darker versions roll out, hopefully this — along with the Dreamliner's better-quality air and higher pressurization — will lead to an even more comfortable ride on the Dreamliner.
If you've flown on the Dreamliner before, did the blueish windows bother you?
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month