JAL Dreamliner, bound for Tokyo, returns to Boston

@globalwatcher: and what would that be? What particular brand of scaremongering is that?

I wonder what we (passengers) are supposed to do when the 787 starts having a problem over the Pacific ocean? You guess....

I never saw an airplane with the amount of defects that it has. Does it have cheap parts made in China?

At least we know this plane is involving several dozen of Japanese manufacturers :

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stephenharner/2011/09/26/the-boeing-787-dreamliner-to-lift-japanese-aeronautics-companies/

LOL. The Japanese friend booking the flight for me looked astonished when I asked him what kind of plane it would be. When I explained, he said he had never heard of the 787 Dreamliner. End of conversation. So it shows that there are people out there knowing nothing and happy to get on any make of plane.

Short flight so I think I'll risk it as I'm curious and we should be able to come down quickly in any incident.

Ummm... You might want to rephrase that... ;)

",,,,,your destination choices are going to become very limited!"

That's why I love oligopolies.

@some14some: 'What kind of people' Haha. I actually paid a premium to take the ANA flight on the 787 to Frankfurt last week, as its the only decent overnight flight to Europe from Japan. The plane was completely full, in both classes.

I never saw an airplane with the amount of defects that it has. Does it have cheap parts made in China?

Perhaps over sensitive but I'm shocked the FAA let this one fly without determining the cause of the battery problems.

exactly, also wonder what kind of people are taking Dreamliner flight? are these airlines offering huge discount or they have handsome travel insurance?

Booked on a domestic 787 flight to Tokyo in the fall/autumn. Short flight so I think I'll risk it as I'm curious and we should be able to come down quickly in any incident. Would not like to fly long-haul on one of these just yet.

Looking at the string of incidents since ANA started flying these birds in November 2011 and there is one other thing that many have in common. A fault is indicated, and just to be on the safe side they swap out the part. So the question remains for me: Are there gremlins in the warning system, or are actual parts failing like this?

@Thunderbird: Well, KLM have 23 of the yet to fly 787-9's on order. Deliveries start next year.

I have deliberately avoided flying any carrier with 787s. I fly every month. Am taking an extra 4 hour diversion thru HK to Europe this summer for my penance. Perhaps over sensitive but I'm shocked the FAA let this one fly without determining the cause of the battery problems.

I was scheduled to fly one from Denver to Tokyo next month with my kids. My wife begged me to change. She said its just not worth the risk. She's probably right. If I were alone I probably would not have switched. But with the kids, nah.

So I called the airline and I gather that I am not the first. When I said that I did not want to fly a 787, they rerouted me through San Fran and waived the change fees of $150 per ticket. No questions asked.

You who say that this is routine shakeout stuff may be right, but I think I'll let it be shaken out with someone else's butt in the seat. Come on back when you have a full years ops with none of these issues.

Flew on one long haul last week. Flying on one short haul next week. Not worried at all. My friend boarded a 777-300 yesterday afternoon in Singapore - about to depart and then returned to the terminal with hydraulic problems. That didn't make the news...and in 2 years time nor would have this article. The 787 is under the spotlight, problems ARE going to happen. Get over it people, and in any case if you are all frightened to go on one, over the next few years your destination choices are going to become very limited!

The one with the fire at Healthrow... it seems to have been the batteries in the locating beacon in front of the tail fin. So a battery issue again...

I hope KLM don't buy any of these... I have a nightmare of flying on a 787 next year O.o

Boeing made a mistake of getting too much media publicity about the Dreamliner before having good results. Now the Dreamliner becomes the Nightmareliner for the passengers.

WoW what a flight number. "I am boarding 007"

When I saw that flight 007 I smirked a little and then remember KAL 007.

Not a lucky flight number as Korean Airlines 007 was shot down by the Russians for spying.

WoW what a flight number. "I am boarding 007"

Seems like this is the kind of non-event that happens all the time with other planes

Other planes have long track records. This plane does not.

They are not going to be happy until a fatal accident.

I don't think people are trying to "defend" the 787. They're just trying to keep things in perspective and not get carried away with the media.

All the people defending this lemon treat it like it is some minor thing that occurred, when it was major enough to turn the flight around. Whenever other planes are turned around because of burning smells or what have you it also makes the news -- but you're not hearing it for a reason: it's not happening with any single type of plane as the same frequency as the 787. And even IF the 787 is merely getting more press due to it being the newest type of plane, it makes PERFECT sense it would be scrutinized more than planes that have already been tried and true. Unlike Boeing, most people don't want to wait until there's a major accident to know there are a whole lot of problems with the plane.

So... was it a fuel pump problem, or a false signal?

I remember when the Boeing 747 first came out and had a variety of technical issues. Forty-five years later the plane is still flying, with a relatively safe record.

lemon liner?

Maybe it was an 'electrical glitch' that gave the false alarm warning? Luckily they only had to waste 5.5 hours flying around "burning off fuel" so it couldn't have been a real alarm warning.

Boeing dug their own grave with the 787.

Change it to Nightmareliner?

Seems like this is the kind of non-event that happens all the time with other planes, and it's only getting attention - indeed, a top headline - because it's the 787.

in this way, I'm predicting it turns deadly before the end of the year

Well, many planes return to the airport after minor problems for safety. Even minor problems give too much attention to the Dreamliner. Let it fly. (from an Airbus fanboy)

Aaaaaaand another one.