Hawaiian Airlines Offers First Look Inside New Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners With Business Class Suites

Hawaiian Airlines has offered to first glimpse inside its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, the first of which is set to join the Aloha State airline’s fleet in late 2023 before beginning scheduled passenger operations early next year.

The carrier has configured its 787-9s with 300 seats, including 34 Business Class suites and 266 main cabin Aspire seats manufactured by Collins Aerospace. Seventy-nine of Main Cabin seats will be dubbed Extra Comfort seats with more legroom than standard Economy seats and access to AC outlets.

The star of the show, however, is Hawaiian’s brand new Leihōkū Business Class Suite which is based on the Ascent Suite by Adient Aerospace. Leihōkū translates to a garland of stars or lei of stars.

The 34 suites, the first time that Hawaiian Airlines has offered direct aisle access from every seat in Business Class, will stretch all the way between doors 1 and 2 of the 787-9 Dreamliner.

Hawaiian was the first airline to start working with Adient on the Ascent platform, although Qatar Airways pipped Hawaiian as the launch customer after launching a customized version of the seat on its fleet of 787-9s.

In fact, the high degree of customization is one of the reasons why the Ascent suite has piqued the interest of a number of airlines (American Airlines is also set to launch a version of the Ascent seat).

Hawaiian has opted for a configuration in which center seats face away from one another, but that means that the heads of passengers are positioned close to one another. This set-up could prove particularly popular with couples who can easily talk to one another and even feel like they are sleeping together when the seats are positioned in bed mode.

After all, Hawaiian is predominantly targeting premium leisure passengers, and the whole cabin has been thoughtfully designed to get passengers in the vacation mood as soon as they step foot on the plane.

“It was evident from the beginning that Hawaiian Airlines is very passionate about its culture and branding, and making sure that this came through in the design language and in the passenger experience,” commented Tony Guy, the chief executive of Adient Aerospace, following the cabin reveal on Monday.

Hawaiian says passengers should expect to be “immersed in cabin design elements that evoke Hawaiʻi’s rich natural world through bold textures, island-inspired sunrise and sunset lighting and sinuous ocean and wind patterns.”

“The combination of our evocative cabin design and unparalleled service will make our 787 the most relaxing and enjoyable choice for travel to and from Hawaiʻi,” added Avi Mannis, chief marketing and communications officer at Hawaiian Airlines.

As is almost standard nowadays, Leihōkū Business Class suites come with privacy doors, as well as wireless charging for personal devices, power outlets and an 18-inch entertainment monitor.

All the seats in the Main Cabin feature 12-inch seatback monitors with USB-A and USB-C charging ports. Hawaiian hasn’t yet revealed how much seat pitch customers can expect from the 787-9 but the carrier promises a “modern design that maximizes seat space, offers more shoulder and hip room”.

Elements of Hawaiian culture and design have been artfully incorporated throughout the cabin, including accents of deep aqua that adorn seat cushions and carpets, LED lighting that has been designed to mimic Hawaii’s soothing sunrises and sunsets, or a star-like ceiling effect in the Business Class cabin.

Hawaiian has ordered a total of 12 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and deliveries are expected through the end of 2027.