A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future
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Re: A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future
#2It is sad it seems to be dying - from a “wow that can fly” point of view - but at this point it looks like the a380 was the wrong bet :-/
Re: A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future
#3I totally understand why big aircraft (A380, 747, etc) are disappearing commercially but I will miss them. Flying in a larger aircraft makes one feel less like cargo, in particularly for airlines that offer places to stretch your legs (e.g. "bar" seating, showers, staircases, etc).
I was always kind of secretly hoping large blimps would return. And we'd get to choose between 7 hours in a tiny metal tube with the seat-back of the person in front resting on your knees, or 24 hours on a slow blimp with a bed, the ability to walk around, and social areas. Kind of like a cruise ship in the sky.
An A380 feels kind of like Concord in that it really touched the imagination. I still hope to have a shower at 40,000 feet before they're retired completely.
Re: A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future
#4I totally understand why big aircraft (A380, 747, etc) are disappearing commercially but I will miss them. Flying in a larger aircraft makes one feel less like cargo, in particularly for airlines that offer places to stretch your legs (e.g. "bar" seating, showers, staircases, etc). I was always kind of secretly hoping large blimps would return. And we'd get to choose between 7 hours in a tiny metal tube with the seat…
The A350 has staircases IIRC ?
Re: A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future
#5It is sad it seems to be dying - from a “wow that can fly” point of view - but at this point it looks like the a380 was the wrong bet :-/
An Emirates A380 flies over my house on it's way to IAD most mornings as I'm walking to work.
It really is an amazing sight. It absolutely dwarves everything else in the sky.
Re: A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future
#6I totally understand why big aircraft (A380, 747, etc) are disappearing commercially but I will miss them. Flying in a larger aircraft makes one feel less like cargo, in particularly for airlines that offer places to stretch your legs (e.g. "bar" seating, showers, staircases, etc). I was always kind of secretly hoping large blimps would return. And we'd get to choose between 7 hours in a tiny metal tube with the seat…
The A350 has staircases IIRC ?
I don't believe it does, at least not in a typical configuration.
The only true double-deckers are the 747 and the A380. Some other wide-bodies have been configured with a galley below the passenger deck, so flight crew have stairs but not passengers.
Maybe there's a variant with lavatories below deck? If so, it's not common.
Re: A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future
#7It is sad it seems to be dying - from a “wow that can fly” point of view - but at this point it looks like the a380 was the wrong bet :-/
An Emirates A380 flies over my house on it's way to IAD most mornings as I'm walking to work. It really is an amazing sight. It absolutely dwarves everything else in the sky.
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Re: A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future
#8It’s an interesting aircraft and nice to fly in, but commercially it was the wrong plane with the wrong technology at the wrong time.
Boeing got some flack at the time when they canceled their own superjumbo plans but history now shows they were spot on shifting their focus to the 787 and getting a head start on the efficient midsize long range jet market.
Re: A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
The A350 has staircases IIRC ?
I don't believe it does, at least not in a typical configuration. The only true double-deckers are the 747 and the A380. Some other wide-bodies have been configured with a galley below the passenger deck, so flight crew have stairs but not passengers. Maybe there's a variant with lavatories below deck? If so, it's not common.
The A340 in a few airlines (Lufthansa for sure, others probably too) has a set of lavatories below deck. So other than the 747 and A380 that’s the only other plane I can think of with stairs for passengers.
Re: A380 cancellations by Qantas raise new questions about the superjumbo's future
#10It’s an interesting aircraft and nice to fly in, but commercially it was the wrong plane with the wrong technology at the wrong time. Boeing got some flack at the time when they canceled their own superjumbo plans but history now shows they were spot on shifting their focus to the 787 and getting a head start on the efficient midsize long range jet market.
>but commercially it was the wrong plane with the wrong technology at the wrong time.
I think the consensus is that it is the right plane, right technology at the wrong time (it missed the 747-era, and too early for a future when 4-engine jumbo-jets may make a comeback).