Hainan Airlines, which five years ago became the first Chinese carrier to launch direct flights between Beijing and Seattle, on Friday began nonstop service between the two cities with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

Banners festooned the airlines' departure gate at Sea-Tac international airport, where the first Boeing 787 arrived at 11:30 am. Passengers took photos and enjoyed a cake decorated with a Hainan Airlines logo and the number of 787. Executives from Hainan Airlines' Seattle office and Boeing were present at the ceremony.

"Hainan Airlines has strong ties to Seattle, operating 110 Boeing aircraft out of a fleet of 128," said Joel Chusid, Seattle-based executive director for the US. "We have been looking forward to this for a long time."

The carrier has been operating the Seattle-Beijing route since inaugurating the service on June 9, 2008, with Airbus 330 aircraft. The use of the 787 Dreamliner gives Hainan the longest nonstop flight with the aircraft between the US and China.

Scheduled departure and arrival times at Seattle's SeaTac International Airport will not change. The airline has ordered 10 Dreamliners, and six are already in service. In addition to Seattle, the aircraft is used domestically and was recently introduced on its trans-Pacific route to Chicago. Plans are to have all its North American routes flown with Dreamliners, including Toronto and its most recently announced destination, Boston, which will begin in June.

"We think the passengers are going to love the airplane," said Rob Pollack, vice-president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The airlines will benefit from the improvements of the aircraft. One of the things that I hope the passengers notice is that they will feel better after the long flight from China to the US and the US back."

The Dreamliner carries 213 passengers, 36 in business class and 177 in economy. Cargo service is also offered. The jetliner features larger windows with a special dimming feature, mood lighting, and it has a higher cabin humidity than other airliners, which helps moderate jetleg so passengers arrive refreshed. Every seat has an individual power outlet and USB port, and a state of the art entertainment system offers over 100 movies, audio selections and games on demand.

Broadly recognized as craft of the 21st century, 787 Dreamliner has a cabin designed to be maintained at higherpressureand humidity. Rob believes new features of the craft like this will make jetleg and airsickness a thing of the past.

With its international hub in Beijing, Hainan Airlines offers connections to cities throughout China and beyond, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xi'an and Haikou. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, through service is offered between Xi'an and Seattle.

Seattle travelers may stop over in Beijing in either direction and connect with numerous additional Chinese cities and Asian destinations across the Hainan network such as Bangkok, Phuket, Male and the newest destination, Bali. Recent changes to visa regulations permit US citizens to stay in Beijing for as long as 72 hours visa-free when traveling to points beyond China.

Founded in 1993, Hainan Airlines has a fleet of nearly 130 Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com