Boeing really wants you to squeeze into the bathrooms on its planes

By: Benjammin Zhang

Boeing is going to update its popular 777-300ER wide-body airliners with even smaller bathrooms.

You read that right. Smaller. Bathrooms.

The bathrooms on a modern airliner are already not exactly models of roominess. The tiny 3X3 compartments are barely large enough for a normal-sized human being to move around.

And now that's all about the change- for the worse, in Boeing's case.

Why?

According to Bloomberg's Julie Johnsson, Boeing is desperately trying to fill out the remaining production slots for its current generation 777 models - before the company switches over to produce the next-gen 777X.

In an attempt to make the 300ER more financially attractive to buyers, the Chicago-based plane maker will squeeze in another 14 seats into the cabin.

The traditional three-class cabin layout for the 777-300ER seats around 386 passengers.

In addition to the smaller bathrooms, the updated 777-300ER will also feature updated overhead compartments, which are expected to reduce weight by 1,200 lbs.

Furthermore, the updated jet will feature redesigned wings and control surfaces that the company expects to cut fuel consumption by 5%.

According to Boeing executives, the market reaction to the enhanced airliner - debuting next year - has been "really positive," Bloomberg reported.

The Boeing 777-300ER is one of the most popular long-haul wide-body airliners in the world. It's the latest evolution of the original Boeing 777 that pioneered the "mini-jumbo" airliner that all but put the four-engined flying behemoths out of business.

The Boeing 777-300Er is priced at $330 million.