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Boeing 787 Dreamliner Makes First Passenger Flight
After years of delays in production, technical worries, and technical advances, Zothecula writes with this excerpt that says "The 787 Dreamliner has entered commercial service. The mid-size airliner's first passenger-carrying outing took place earlier today when Boeing's launch customer All Nippon Airways flew 240 passengers on a four and a half hour charter flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong. Two hour-long 'domestic excursion flights' out of Tokyo are planned for October 28 and 29 before regular domestic flights commence on November 1."
Customers only have so much flexibility with the 787. No passenger 787 can be bought that does not include the cool lights and darkening windows. They can add more seats, but nothing close to 500 of course. The 787 that could carry the most is the 787-9, at nearly 300.
The 787 is designed as a replacement to the old 767 and carries roughly the same number of passengers. It has a slightly longer range with the main improvements being passenger comfort (lights, windows, reduced cabin noise) and greater efficiency (uses about 20% less fuel than the 767).
Based on the segment on the TV news last night, it doesn't appear that the lights are intended to be used as in the photo in the article. I'd guess that display and photo are to showcase the range of colors that can be displayed. The TV news segment alluded to the lighting colors being used to make the passengers calm and comfortable especially on long flights. The lighting would be changed gradually during the course of the flight. The psychological effects of color have been researched for sometime, it's interesting to seem that research put to another practical use.