Qantas is bringing back Airbus A380s from the California desert
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Re: Qantas is bringing back Airbus A380s from the California desert
#2[deleted]
Re: Qantas is bringing back Airbus A380s from the California desert
#3Re: Qantas is bringing back Airbus A380s from the California desert
#4It's a magnificent plane. It's very unfortunate that they launched the "shortened" version. The design and engineering was done for longer fuselage, so it actually has extra structure (and extra weight!) and larger wings than necessary. And it launched just before engines got a lot more efficient. The upside for passengers is that it's still the smoothest flying experience, even in turbulence.
Boeing's 747 was incredibly profitable at the time, so it cross-subsidized other aircraft like the 737 (which competed with the A320). Launching the A380 countered that effect, and it made all segments more competitive.
It's unfortunate that the largest aircraft are going out at the time when demand for flying is higher than ever. On the upside, the A350 has many of the A380's technologies, and is a great competitor to the 777 series (and is also a very good competitor to the 787 series!)
Re: Qantas is bringing back Airbus A380s from the California desert
#5It's a magnificent plane. It's very unfortunate that they launched the "shortened" version. The design and engineering was done for longer fuselage, so it actually has extra structure (and extra weight!) and larger wings than necessary. And it launched just before engines got a lot more efficient. The upside for passengers is that it's still the smoothest flying experience, even in turbulence. Boeing's 747 was incred…
i totally agree re: the smoothest flying experience. the takeoff is so long and smooth you almost don't realize that you're up in the air. it was sad to learn that airlines were trying to get rid of it.
Re: Qantas is bringing back Airbus A380s from the California desert
#6Note: Qantas resumed A380 flights in January 2022 after shelving them due to the pandemic.
I guess this article is about them finishing bringing back the last A380s
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/qantas-returns-flagship-...
Re: Qantas is bringing back Airbus A380s from the California desert
#7It's a magnificent plane. It's very unfortunate that they launched the "shortened" version. The design and engineering was done for longer fuselage, so it actually has extra structure (and extra weight!) and larger wings than necessary. And it launched just before engines got a lot more efficient. The upside for passengers is that it's still the smoothest flying experience, even in turbulence. Boeing's 747 was incred…
A great video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TSQdISWlkI
Re: Qantas is bringing back Airbus A380s from the California desert
#8It's a magnificent plane. It's very unfortunate that they launched the "shortened" version. The design and engineering was done for longer fuselage, so it actually has extra structure (and extra weight!) and larger wings than necessary. And it launched just before engines got a lot more efficient. The upside for passengers is that it's still the smoothest flying experience, even in turbulence. Boeing's 747 was incred…
The A380 was Airbus trying to out-American the Americans, by being the biggest plane, and by betting big on mega-hubs like Dubai, Heathrow, and LAX. There was a great paper that argued that Airbus could only do so because the risk of the decision was mitigated by government launch aid. Airbus's view of the market was wrong, and instead, we have the rise of more city pairs. Not small cities certainly - but right now, the three busiest airports in the world are ATL, DFW and DEN. None of which was ever a target market for the A380. Airbus walked away from what made them successful to go after the "we are the biggest" crown...
Re: Qantas is bringing back Airbus A380s from the California desert
#9Lufthansa is bringing A380s back as well
Re: Qantas is bringing back Airbus A380s from the California desert
#10It's a magnificent plane. It's very unfortunate that they launched the "shortened" version. The design and engineering was done for longer fuselage, so it actually has extra structure (and extra weight!) and larger wings than necessary. And it launched just before engines got a lot more efficient. The upside for passengers is that it's still the smoothest flying experience, even in turbulence. Boeing's 747 was incred…
I’d be interested in a source for that. The 737 is an unqualified success. IIRC, at the turn of the century, one out of every three commercial flights was undertaken on a 737. (At around the same time, another third would have been DC-9 and derivatives)
The 737 wasn’t particularly expensive to design or build. It shares a 41 section with the 707 and 727 for example.