The end of the lorry of the sky (A380)

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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 113 total)

  • Swissdiver
    Participant

    Fantastic news, at least for travellers: Airbus stops the production of the lorry of the sky.
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/feb/14/a380-airbus-to-end-production-of-superjumbo

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    tomwjsimpson
    Participant

    I for one, am very sad to see this. Where possible if I have a choice of flights, and consequent choice of aircraft, I will always go for the A380 over something like the 777. Far more spacious, comfortable and quieter.

    Total of 26 users thanked author for this post. Here are last 20 listed.

    capetonianm
    Participant

    Fantastic news, at least for travellers:

    I might be being somewhat obtuse here but I fail to understand why it’s fantastic news for travellers.

    Total of 25 users thanked author for this post. Here are last 20 listed.

    Mark Caswell
    Keymaster

    Airbus confirms it will stop building the A380

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    rferguson
    Participant

    At BA the A380 has very high ‘customer scores’ in all classes (except for WTP). The sense of space within even for those at the back of the bus is a huge plus. It’s quiet, the width allows very roomy cabins and even in a very densely packed cabin without the extras like bars etc there is still less a feeling of being squashed in. Compare that with the 787! Now THAT is an aircraft I wouldn’t mind hearing production of has been scrapped!

    But I think the A380’s days were always numbered. There could only be so many airlines that would be interested in such a jet and (apart from EK) out of those airlines interested the A380 would only form a small part of the longhaul fleet. It is economical in terms of cost-per-bum-on-seat but there are other factors that make it a challenge. Turnaround times have to be longer. You need more airport staff/cleaners. Crew costs are way higher (at BA 22 cabin crew on an A380 vs 8 on a 787-8).

    From a crew perspective the aircraft was not my favourite to work on. Although it is preferable to the 787. The newer the aircraft, the more ingenious the manufacturers become in finding ways to shrink galleys and workspace for crews whilst keeping the revenue managers happy by squeezing in an extra row of seats here and there.

    For most of us at BA we will mourn the loss of the 747 far more. Especially those of us that will have to drop the jet in order to pick up the A350 which again does not seem like it will be very nice to work on.

    Airbus A350: The Plane Passengers Love, And Crews Love To Hate…

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    AllOverTheGaff
    Participant

    [quote quote=919026]I for one, am very sad to see this. Where possible if I have a choice of flights, and consequent choice of aircraft, I will always go for the A380 over something like the 777. Far more spacious, comfortable and quieter.[/quote]

    Could not agree more. Qatar’s A380 has a cracking bar, EK have not only their bar but also the showers in 1st, which is a bit of a gimmick, but still very cool. Like you, if there’s an A380 on the route I am flying, I almost always opt for it. I normally fly into DXB on an older 777 and then onto an A380, whilst the seat on board is the same, everything else is better – especially the quietness. Oh, and I’ve never had to wait long on my luggage.

    Does anyone know why EK have switched their allegiance from Boeing? That’s a pretty big Airbus order 40 x A330-900neo and 30 x A350-900’s!

    Rgds.
    AOTG.

    4 users thanked author for this post.

    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    The upstairs on BA’s A380, may not have the same feel as the upstairs on a 747, but as far as real estate is concerned, plenty more than the 777 and 787 (window seats). For me, I couldn’t really care less what the aircraft is, its the seat and space that matters….

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    canucklad
    Participant

    [quote quote=919044]For me, I couldn’t really care less what the aircraft is, its the seat and space that matters….[/quote]

    But here’s the rub for Martyn …..
    As someone who isn’t lucky enough to travel long haul premium ,I hold most airlines in contempt for how they treat the majority of their customers.

    The phrase “travelling in cattle class” has never been more relevant, than this point in time. The 380 gave us “cattle” a wee bit of hope.
    Sadly the airlines opted to aggravate us even more, by ignoring Boeing and Airbus recommended configurations stressing personal space to the max…….I say max, but who knows ?

    Linear management thinking failed the 380 , not the aircraft …A sad day !!

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    IanFromHKG
    Participant

    I for one am very saddened by the news. The only A380s I have ever flown have been on Malaysian, who (if we’re honest) don’t have the world’s best product, and BA (enough said) BUT (and I have to disagree with Martyn here – something which doesn’t happen very often) I really think that the airframe made a huge difference. It is so much quieter than the B777 (which is the other main contender nowadays on the Asia-UK routes, together with the A350), with so much less vibration, and so much better in turbulence. It may not have quite the same air pressure/quality bonuses of the B787 or A350 but it isn’t terribly far off, and as tomjwsimpson says above, I would absolutely choose the A380 over a B777 (there is something about the drone of the engines on a B777 that I really hate).

    Like rferguson (but from a different perspective) I am also not a fan of the B787 and much prefer the A350. Now I will confess that the only B787 I have flown was BA, in F, while I have flown CX, MH and AY on the A350 (all in J). Give me the A350 any day.

    While this doesn’t necessarily apply to their older aircraft, I really do get the feeling that in the modern jets Airbus are more aligned with passenger feeling, with roominess, quiet and lack of NVH being a real priority that I just don’t see with Boeing.

    Anyway, back to the A380. What a shame. Pig-ugly from the outside, glorious on the inside, and a wonderfully smnooth ride. Thank goodness the airframes will be around for a while…

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    AlanOrton1
    Participant

    I love flying on the A380. An engineering marvel, IMHO.
    Noticeably quieter than the 747 & 777 and frankly, sat upstairs in any class has always felt a good way to fly.
    (Maybe it is just me but I’ve always been quite happy on the few occasions I’ve flown BA PE on the A380. Nice amount of space between the window and seat).

    Let’s hope we get to see it fly for many more years to come, even with Airbus stopping production.


    rferguson
    Participant

    I know I will be in the absolute minority but I actually prefer the louder aircraft. The rumble of the engines is like ‘white noise’ for me when i’m trying to sleep and drowns out all the other annoying noises that you can hear on the newer, quieter aircraft. Toilet doors opening and closing, crew moving things in the galleys (despite being as quiet as possible), other people talking and on airlines that do dine on demand people eating at bizzare hours. I don’t notice these as much on the 777/747.

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    rferguson
    Participant

    And another blow for Airbus today (admittedly for Boeing also).

    Etihad has announced it will cancel over 75 of their widebody orders. They did have 40 airbus A350-900’s, 22 A350-1000’s, 8 787-8’s, 18 787-9’s, 25 787-10’s and 17 777-9’s on order but will now take delivery of only 5 A350-1000’s, 6 777-9’s and an ‘undisclosed’ amount of 787’s.


    kershcliff
    Participant

    The first time I travelled on an A380 (Paris to Johannesburg) I didn’t know we had taken off, such was the lack of noise and vibration etc.
    Splendid experience.
    Used it several times, always good.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Swissdiver
    Participant

    For me, this is one of the worst aircraft ever built: too large (and too crowded), no privacy whatsoever in too large premium cabins, too long to embark and disembark, terrible air, … I do my utmost to avoid it. And if the QR 380 bar is indeed nice, the one of EK is useless. And most if the other airlines don’t have one (excepted Etihad may-be?). As for the silence, I prefer the engine noise to snoring and other personal noise!

    Yes, the seat makes a lot. And BAs Club World offers little storage space. That said, the B787 is superb and unique, thanks to the great air onboard and the beautiful windows, something the A350 doesn’t offer.

    Bottom line: the B747 is still my favourite, as long as it lasts. Then it has to be the 787…

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    mkcol74
    Participant

    @rferguson – Any idea why the WTP scores aren’t so good on the A380 specifically?

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