Tagged With "Airbus A380"
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Re: Airbus celebrates 10,000 planes
That's quite a landmark! Congratulations to Airbus for contributing to our collective travel experiences.
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
If this standard were adopted, it might be the single greatest improvement in quality of travel in economy class. 17 inches is alright if no one is beside you, a rarity today. On an Transocean flight, it make sleeping very difficult indeed. I'm glad to see Airbus take this proconsumer stand.
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
Airbus has taken a major step in passenger comfort with the introduction of the new Airbus 380, their new double-deck airliner. Just as a large cruise ship will sail choppy seas in much greater comfort due to its size and sophistication, the new 380 is so much more smooth, quiet and comfortable up in the skies. Sure seat sizes and configuration will vary between operators but certainly the overall 'environment experience' is so much nicer
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
Interesting point, Mac. Large planes with bright decor somehow seem to me roomier, even if the seat is the same size. I think there's a balance between physical comfort and "feel" that airlines may not always recognize. On the other hand, I've been on 777s that had so little division of space that my mental image was sitting in a huge concert hall...and felt a bit uncomfortable from that!
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
I've never flown an A380, Mac. They still haven't caught on in North America, where Boeing clearly dominates the market. One thing that I've wonder about is with all those people to board (somewhere over 500), is the process of getting on and off the plane very slow or have they figured out how to make this move along with reasonable efficiency?
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Re: Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
It seems as if the terminals that they use have many more access ramps (fingers) to spread the loading and unloading, plus, of course, the terminal also needs to have sufficient immigration desks and baggage facilities. So far our experiences have been good but I can imagine just how it could foul up!
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Re: Is JetBlue thinking of Europe?
As cross Atlantic fares remain excessive then there's still plenty of room for the new kid on the block to make a good living.
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Re: Allegiant takes off in new directions
Reading the revues on Airline Quality - it appears this airline suffers from delays and cancellations due to technical problems. Hopefully with recently made aircraft - their unreliable older planes will cease to be.
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Re: The search for the right-sized airplane
I believe that's the best summary of modern jet development I've ever read. Interesting and fun, thanks!
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Re: Airbus patents a new Monster Airplane
It will be interesting to see if this goes anywhere, and what airlines are telling Airbus about it! As mentioned in a post here earlier this month, Airbus has barely broken even on the A380 program, has sold less than 25% of what they thought they could, and has had no new orders for 2 years. While there's a big demand for air-freighters (it's what's keeping the 747 in production), I doubt there's a big market for a freighter that also carries 6-800 passengers, since there are few routes...
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Re: It's a loooong way to the tip of the wing!
The A380 is just SO nice to fly in!! Welcome home Paul
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Re: It's a loooong way to the tip of the wing!
Thanks for the welcome! As for the A380, well, it was a comfortable enough seat...but sharing the baggage carousel with 600 passengers meant it took us an hour waiting after the first bags started down the belt...I think the sheer scale of loading and unloading adds to my doubts about the future of super-jumbos...
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Re: Airbus opens new Factory in the USA
On my frequent visits to Philadelphia from England I always fly with US Airways. Not an exciting experience - just a reliable journey with convenient times. But my last round trip was an amazing transformation. AMERICAN AIRLINES and US Airways have merged and the staff were amazing. The plane was a new Airbus 330 both times. The legroom was more than enough. I usually purchase extra legroom and this time I'm glad I didn't. The food was good and served hot. Free cans of Cola and orange etc.
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Re: Airbus opens new Factory in the USA
There's a lot of competition on the TransAtlantic routes, so airlines need to put their best effort into drawing in customers. Just so you know, that's not usually what American is like when you fly it domestically. But I'm glad you had a great experience with them.
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Re: Airbus opens new Factory in the USA
Really happy that Mobile, Alabama got that as it's bringing in a lot of jobs to the area.
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Re: With no Emirates order, A380 production may end
The A380 varies in size and passenger numbers. Not every A380 has 800 seats. Some have 500 seats while some have 723 seats.But the overall cost of a A380 is $317.2 - 337.5 million (American).
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Re: What if the exit row weren't a row?
Maybe the overhead bins have, as they say, been binned. Back to the days when it was considered a luxury to let someone else handle one's luggage. I still think it is.
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Re: What if the exit row weren't a row?
I think that seating arrangement would work well in zero gravity. Think of the PanAm space cruises in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Unless planes will be designed in a flying saucer shape, I can't envision what the Europeans are planning.
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Re: Airbus logs #9000, an A321 for VietJetAir
Ever wondered how Airbus bring together all the parts of an Airplane for assembly ? This is a frequent sighting in the skies above Liverpool. It takes the wings that are made in Wales UK to Germany. The body of an Airbus fits inside this huge Aircraft too. So big when it passes it doesn't appear to be moving at all !
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Re: Airbus logs #9000, an A321 for VietJetAir
Interesting GarryRF! Surprised the Beluga only has two jet engines.
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Re: Airbus logs #9000, an A321 for VietJetAir
Only two, but they're as big as whales! Boeing has a similar strange craft that moves its stuff around...I'd love to be somewhere I could see either!
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Re: Airbus logs #9000, an A321 for VietJetAir
I guess I'm a cup is half empty kind of guy. Two engines are great if they both work. If one fails things must get interesting in the cockpit. (I am aware most planned only have 2 engines).
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Re: Airbus logs #9000, an A321 for VietJetAir
Here's what it looks like head-on, going into its hangar. A little like the Pillsbury Doughboy, no? More pictures of the Beluga, including one with all 6 of them at once, and some flying in formation with French Air Force aerobatics team... CLICK
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Re: Airbus logs #9000, an A321 for VietJetAir
DrF, I admit that I used to worry about too few engines...but of course, the plane is designed so it can fly safely with one. Or so they tell us. That reassures me a little...almost enough to overcome my belief (which I only believe while waiting for takeoff) that flight of such a huge and heavy thing is totally impossible and I'm going nowhere but the end of the runway. Every take-off and landing seems a miracle, although I'm not among those who clap on landing.
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
I flew on Spanish budget carrier, Vueling, this past spring. It was a pleasant enough flight, but the aircraft had the tightest pitch of any airline I've ever been on. The pocket in the seat in front of you, where magazines and the air sickness bag are stored, was removed to allow for crowding of rows and even my knees were wedged in tightly to the seat back in front of me (seats couldn't be reclined, for obvious reason). I'm not sure how a seriously tall person could ever fit in.
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
I'm flying on an Airbus 330 next month. 4,414 miles non-stop on each leg. So I've booked extra legroom near the exit. Wise investment for 9 hours 21mins. If only I could get those aerobics fans to stop tripping over my feet when I'm asleep.
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Which airline, Garry? I'll be interested to compare in a couple of months; in July we'll be on AirBerlin's A330 NYC to Berlin...and I'm hoping for comfort. My wife's cousin, who's logged more passenger miles than most pilots have flight miles, has advised us to give up our window preference for aisle-and-aisle, across from each other...
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Thomas Cook charter flight Paul. I think they give 31" per seat. (Says on my ticket) So I've gone for the extra space.
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Was just reading in the Telegraph this week that Thomas Cook is the most-complained-about airline in the UK...hope they give YOU no reason!
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Thomas Cook do charter flights - they sell you a complete vacation. Hotel, food, car rental, adventure tours from your hotel and flights. Probably find something in there that's not up to scratch. But complain ? No... not I. I'm looking forward to your report from Berlin. Maybe we'll do a long weekend from Liverpool to Schoenefeld (nr. Berlin) Easy Jet do it for £25 - £45 each way. And for that price I'll sit on the wing for 2 hours !! Would TravelGumbo sponsor you to write a report on this...
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Originally Posted by PHeymont: Was just reading in the Telegraph this week that Thomas Cook is the most-complained-about airline in the UK...hope they give YOU no reason! What struck me when I saw that article is that Ryanair was the least complained about airline of the 37 listed.
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Perhaps it has to do with expectations. There has been so much negative buzz about Ryanair for years that perhaps passengers simply know they won't be happy about anything but the price and getting there!
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Besides being happy with the low price I got, I thought their service was good the last time I flew them. And, as they let you know about, they have a great on time rate.
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Re: Budget airlines pushing seat squeeze on new planes
Ryanair has also been using a "softer" sell which seems to be working. An article recently in the Guardian points out a 28% growth rate (comparing March 2015 to 2014), a truly impressive gain! I've never flown Ryanair and before I would I would need to talk with someone like Rob and Garry to make sure some of the perceptions I've got about them aren't fact-based anymore.
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Re: Why your airline chose your plane
I rode a 747 to and from China a few months ago. It was the first time in years that I had been on one, and it reminded me that not all coach flights have to be like a sardine can. The wide body had room to walk and stretch on the 13 hour flight, and toilets were actually comfortable. I wish they were still using them on cross country flights.
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Re: Why your airline chose your plane
Thanks for the bit of history, Pheymont. Nicely written and I, for one, found it very interesting. Looking forward to part II.
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Re: Airbus designs a seat with storage but with less legroom
I love the idea of better storage space, but I'm not ready to put my legs in the overhead! I'm sure this design would work well with 40" pitch, but not with 30-32" as we mostly get. But perhaps if they made the bins about half the depth shown in the design, there might be footroom and storage.
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Re: Airbus designs a seat with storage but with less legroom
As Paul says, without adequate pitch between the rows, this would be painful. Might be useful on planes that only fly one or two hours, but it would kill you on a long haul.
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Re: Airbus designs a seat with storage but with less legroom
People forget things on planes now. Imagine if their bags were truly out of sight.
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Re: "Prius of the Air?" Airbus shows battery-powered plane
Always favor new technologies being developed, but I would think the weight of the battery packs would be prohibitive. Time will tell.
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Re: "Prius of the Air?" Airbus shows battery-powered plane
Well, the target date for the big one is 35 years in the future...in 1980 would you have believed how practical electric and hybrid cars have become? Given who's doing the research, I think there's a good chance...
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Re: Ever wonder what the inside of the A380 looks like
I'd like to try the A380 someday...but only in economy. It's not that much wider than many other wide-bodies (3-4-3 seating compared to 2-5-2 or 3-4-3 on others) and it's divided into sections that keep the perspective comfortable. But it appears that the big trend these days in first-class and business is seats that are practically cocoons, and separate the adjoining passengers with consoles, tables and who-knows-what-else. What happened to sitting companionably with your spouse, maybe even...
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What if the exit row weren't a row?
That's the kind of question that comes to mind at first glance at an idea Airbus has asked a patent for...a circular seating arrangement, in tiers. OK, that's a little hard to grasp, so here's a drawing submitted with the patent application. ...
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Qatar to get world's first A350 next month
Qatar Airways will be taking delivery in mid-December as the "launch customer" for Airbus's newest plan, the A350, designed to be a rival for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Like the 787, its fuselage is largely made of carbon-composite fibers and is aimed...
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Delta joins the mixed fleets with big Airbus order
The days of all-Boeing domestic fleets seem over as Delta joins American and United in mixing Airbus into its fleet. In Delta's case, this is reflected in a new nearly $15 billion order for 50 A350 and A330neo widebody planes. The A350 is Airbus's...
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World's First A350 flies next week
The Airbus A350, the European company's competitor for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, goes into service on December 13 with Qatar Airways, the official "launch customer." Like the 787, it uses carbon-composite fibers in its fuselage instead of traditional...
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Airbus A380. No new customers in 2014
Apparently the massive two level Airbus A380, capable of passenger loads in excess of 600 passengers, failed to generate a single new customer in 2014, according to this story by Bloomberg Businessweek. The only buyer so far this year was a...
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Gulf rivals show off new fleets
It's sort of Fleet Week in the air this week...Qatar Airways took possession of the first Airbus A350 delivered to anyone and plans to put it in service Jan 15 on a Doha-Frankfurt route, followed by Doha-NY as more planes are delivered. MORE...
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Please Don't Squeeze the Passengers: Airbus
Airbus, the big European planebuilder has urged airlines to go with 18"-wide seats, up from the standard 17" in use now. Their studies indicate that the extra width makes a BIG difference in passengers' ability to sleep on long flights (which are...
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Airbus flies 5 A-350s in formation...and tells how
For those of us who are airplane-obsessed, seeing a new model in flight for the first time is a thrill...so imagine FIVE, all at once! Airbus, which just sent its first A-350 off into service has also released a video of its formation fly-by of five...