Boeing's Dreamliner gets more cupholders

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has been getting attention for years for its extensive use of lightweight composite plastics. But last week, when the company unveiled the first 787 ready for delivery, it was a pair of "simpler plastic innovations" that caught the eye of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Aubrey Cohen. Cohen, writing in the SeattlePI's aerospace blog, mentioned the improved cupholders in the Dreamliner. They include a fold-down cup holder above the tray table, plus another fold-down cup holder on the underside of the tray table. "One down side of these kinds of cup holders is that they don't do a great job holding larger cups. But the lousy little cups that airlines hand out should fit just fine," Cohen wrote. In the comments section, readers point out that the cupholders aren't brand-new features. Seat suppliers have offered the improved drink accessories for a while, and Boeing seems to have picked up the option on the 787. So if you haven't seen an improved cupholder on a flight yet, don't worry, you probably won't have to wait until you're on a Dreamliner. Will it be long before airlines learn a lesson from automakers and really start to go overboard with multiple cupholders?