Page 7 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2018 Online Magazine

(transport) would have a six push by passengers to bring all Head of the 7J7 programme was
across twin-aisle configuration their luggage into the cabin the Alan Mulally, who would later
offering a new dimension in pas- boarding of single aisle aircraft rise to be President and CEO of
senger comfort with 2-2-2 seating has become a major headache Boeing Commercial Airplanes
in economy. But then in January with airlines forced to allow up to and later President of Ford Motor
1980, stopped work on the ATMR 30 minutes just for the boarding Company. Like MDC, Boeing
as it shifted resources to the mil- process in the US and Canada. polled over 2,500 frequent flyers

itary CX transport programme, And that trend is spreading. after they toured the 7J7 mock-up
which became the C-17. Those boarding times erode the and the layout received an over-
However, MDC was forced to low-cost airline models 30-minute whelming thumbs up. And then
resume the twin-aisle ATMR effort turnaround. Chairman of SAS Jan Carlson
because Delta said it wanted Boeing also toyed with the wanted to be the launch customer.
the aircraft. Delta was the key twin-aisle concept in the late
customer and the airline really 1980s with its 7J7 and a full cabin “If Boeing provides more
wanted what had then become mock-up was shown at the at passenger pleasing features
known as the DC-XX and final the the 1987 Paris Air Show. It took in the 7J7, we’d like to be the
DC-11. It was prepared to order the twin-aisle concept further launch customer”
60 but MDC wanted another with a 188-in. (4.8m) cabin width SAS Chairman Jan Carlson (1986)
airline on board and larger prog- that would permit 2-3-2 seating,
ress payments to help its cash 17-inch (43.2cm) wide seats and “Nobody wants to sit in the middle
flow. Then-SVP of Delta Robert 18-inch (45.7cm) aisles in econ- seat,” Carlson said in a 1986 inter-
Oppenlander summed up the sit- omy. It was to be powered by rear view and nothing has changed
uation in the 1 December 1980 mounted un-ducted fans but later since then. Referring to the stan-
edition of Business Week: “They Boeing looked at a wing-mounted dard 3-3 configuration Carlson
(MDC) wanted to launch a new International Aero Engines Super added that “it’s a shame for the
plane without taking any risk. That Fan configuration and engine that industry that there have been so
ain’t the way it works.” was originally to be fitted to the few changes inside new planes.”
The passenger appeal of a A340 but dropped due to tech- Despite strong interest, the rela-
twin-aisle 2-2-2 or 2-3-2 aircraft nology issues. tively low price of fuel at the time
needs no explanation. Aside Boeing assembled an inter- did not justify the investment and
from the basic comfort there is national team to build the 7J7 the project was slowed in 1987,
the speed of boarding or deplan- including the Japanese heavies although it did have a brief resur-
ing not to mention the additional Short Brothers, SAAB Scania and rection in 1991.
overhead luggage space. With the Australia’s Hawker de Havilland.

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