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Powered by cooking oil, Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner crosses Pacific

By | April 17, 2012, 8:29 AM PDT

We’ve always coveted All Nippon Airways‘ business class seats — lay-flat seats? USB ports? local cuisine? sign us up! — but now all that luxury comes at a slightly better price.

No, a flight to Tokyo Haneda airport will still cost as much as a small car. But the environment (and ANA’s CFO) can breathe a bit easier now that Boeing has successfully completed its first-ever transpacific flight running on biofuels with its flagship 787 Dreamliner.

The flight between Boeing’s Delivery Center in Everett, Wash. and Tokyo is a win for both companies. Boeing gets some positive press for its long-delayed flagship aircraft and a bit more for its commitment to using biofuels; meanwhile, ANA shows that it’s at the forefront of aviation technology while saving on fuel costs, too.

The biofuel used by the aircraft was derived mainly from used cooking oil and emitted about 30 percent fewer carbon emissions compared to conventional airplanes. (Boeing will have you know that two-thirds of that reduction was the Dreamliner’s efficient technology at work.)

The flight certainly plays into airlines’ goal to manage carbon-neutral growth by 2020, but the greater attraction is the ability to cut down on fuel costs, which now represent the lion’s share of ticket prices.

Less fuel to get from Point A to Point B? That’s good news for everybody.

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Andrew Nusca

About Andrew Nusca

Andrew Nusca is the editor of SmartPlanet.

Andrew Nusca

Andrew Nusca

Editor

Andrew Nusca is editor of SmartPlanet and an associate editor for ZDNet. Previously, he worked at Money, Men's Vogue and Popular Mechanics magazines. He holds degrees from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and New York University. He based in New York but resides in Philadelphia.

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Andrew Nusca

Andrew Nusca
Andrew Nusca does not hold any investments in the companies he covers.
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+3 Votes
+ -
News Flash!!! Boeing 787 new cause for obesity across the world!
While the cost of fuel and carbon emissions are down, the new plane now carries the scent of french fries and fishsticks to people who live along the flight paths and those who live near the airports. Researchers have determined that potato demands will soar and chicken nugget sales will skyrocket.

"All part of our master plan" was the statement made by the spokes person for FAT (Fast And Tasty) group that represents the big 10 in fast food. "We'll keep frying and they'll keep flying is our new motto. Our new global campaign is to get people to buy more of our fried food so that we may produce more used cooking oil. It's all for the good of the planet. Mu hahahahahaha... Is this thing still on?".
Posted by scottbeauregard@...
18th Apr 2012
+1 Vote
+ -
RE: News Flash
AND....more eats.....we all know that will end up producing more methane, which is of course a greenhouse gas. Flatulence will end the world.
Posted by GregGold
18th Apr 2012
0 Votes
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Did seagulls chase the plane?
The french fries smell must have caused a bird stirke hazard.
Posted by Hates Idiots
20th Apr 2012
+2 Votes
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Nippon Airways to trade credits.....
Gone are the days of carbon credits, now Nippon Airways will trade potato credits. 100k-FF (100,000 gallons of French Fry oil) will be traded for emission credits.

The French government is protesting their country's signature food be associated with pollution credits.
Posted by SmartPlanetORelse
18th Apr 2012
0 Votes
+ -
less fuel?


Fuel COSTS down but not fuel. Just because one fuel is used in place of another does not mean less fuel.
Posted by llandau@...
18th Apr 2012
+1 Vote
+ -
Less fuel?
Maybe the airplane is more efficient in design.
Posted by juu@...
18th Apr 2012
0 Votes
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How much
How much did the biofuel cost as compared with regular jet fuel? Twice as much? Three times as much? More?
Posted by jimofil
18th Apr 2012
0 Votes
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There is...
certainly an excess of cooking oil, that can be used. With all the fast-food restaurants, and people with deep fryers. Especially people who deep fry turkeys, during the Thanksgiving holiday. I may even contribute, by going back to deep frying my seafood. If my dog keep giving me a hard time, i may batter him up. Oops, he's showing me his teeth, and looking at me, as to say"Come and Get Some!!
Posted by blackjack861@...
Updated - 20th Apr 2012
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