The end of the lorry of the sky (A380)

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Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 113 total)

  • PadraigDelaney
    Participant

    I dont agree with this description. For both economy and busines it is the best for space and comfort unlike its cramped competitors B777 A330

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    TiredOldHack2
    Participant

    [quote quote=919026]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]

    This. All of this. Redoubled in spades. For the last few years, have deliberately booked on the BA A380 flights to South Africa, rather than on the 747 service, for precisely these reasons.

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    Swissdiver
    Participant

    Great news from Air France: the airline will get rid of the lorry of the air by 2022! Whose next?


    K1ngston
    Participant

    I missed this thread the first time round so apologies for going back a bit. I am surprised rfurgerson that WTP on the 380 doesn’t score as highly as the other cabins, when we travel back to the UK we always book the 380 WTP as its spacious and far more comfortable than Y. Of course I never eat on a plane so we make use of the lounge for food so not comparing food.

    I also love the 380 its spacious, quite and to me especially feels majestic, the 787 is a “blah” plane for me and as for the 350 love it but the space inside is minuscule compared to the 380…

    We saw the demise the moment MH took the plane off the London route replacing it with the 350 (excellent service btw) and reverted all their 380’s to flying people on Haj to Saudi ….


    AMcWhirter
    Participant

    As we reported last November Air France was intending to retain some of its A380s.

    Air France to halve A380 fleet

    But the Air France announced yesterday all its A380s will now be retired.

    One main reason is the cost of refurbishment which is estimated to cost Euros 45 million per A380.

    It means these Air France A380s will have to continue in service with their dated cabins.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Swissdiver
    Participant

    [quote quote=951394]…

    But the Air France announced yesterday all its A380s will now be retired.

    One main reason is the cost of refurbishment which is estimated to cost Euros 45 million per A380.

    It means these Air France A380s will have to continue in service with their dated cabins.[/quote]

    The new CEO wants more streamlining to reduce costs. So Air France will be more Airbus (the exceptions being the almost 70 B777s, the only aircraft with 1st class, plus a few B787s), while KLM will get the Boings. I guess the latter will soon or later dispose of the 10ish A330s it flies to be 100% Boeing (the Embraers are with Cityhopper).


    canucklad
    Participant

    Quote from the article
    Perhaps the news ought not to come as a total surprise. Before joining Air France, Benjamin Smith was COO at Air Canada.
    And Air Canada, as our readers can testify, has skilfully managed to accommodate 450 passengers on its B777-300ERs whose operating costs and lower compared to the A380.

    If I was to predict a European airline that would follow in AC’s footsteps and follow their diabolical approach to customer comfort than AF would be that airline.
    Add into this that AF truly never ever got on-board with the Super Jumbo (imposed on rather than desired) as other airlines did and its no surprise at all. that at the first opportunity they’re ditching them.


    rferguson
    Participant

    I was reading online that the cost of maintenance and the cabin investments (replacing the old angle flat business class product and installing new Premium economy and economy seats) for AF’s ten A380’s is in the region of 400M euros. It’s understandable why AF has taken the decision to withdraw them from service and replace them with more efficient aircraft already fitted with the latest product.

    AF’s A380’s are under ten years old. I wonder what will end up happening to them once they leave the AF fleet?


    Swissdiver
    Participant

    [quote quote=951624]AF’s A380’s are under ten years old. I wonder what will end up happening to them once they leave the AF fleet?[/quote]

    EK? Who else?


    nevereconomy
    Participant

    Such a shame it is going (though understandable for so many reasons) as it always felt like a “proper” plane like the 747. I lost all interest in travelling once I had to go everywhere on a 777.


    Swissdiver
    Participant

    Irrespective of our love or hate for the lorry, we can probably state that the project is a financial disaster as Airbus was wrong with its hub to hub approach while Boeing was right, it is point to point (since then the A350 has been developed to adapt). There is however one big question: apart from EK (that relies on it), how many airlines will fly again the A380 in the future given the probably very gloomy market in the months to come? Any idea?


    canucklad
    Participant

    I believe the answer to the question can be found in 2 words…..

    Social Distancing

    If this aircraft had ears, possibly the finest 2 words of music it’s been waiting for !

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    TupeloKid
    Participant

    [postquote quote=919158][/postquote]

    I usually don’t notice what kind of plane I’m on, unless it’s pointed out to me (asked on BA once “have you flown on a 380 before?”: response “is this a 380?”), and have never noticed (again, unless someone has said “isn’t this plane quiet?”) whether a plane itself is quiet. As rferguson says, background noise is good for blanking out human-generated irritants to an old curmudgeon like me: same effect as noise cancelling earphones, which I seem to spend more and more of my life wearing!

    When I have flown in a 380 closer to the front of the plane, I have found it irritating that the configurations I experienced meant you COULDN’T look out of the window. I thought this was utterly bizarre.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    Swissdiver
    Participant

    Swissdiver
    Participant

    And now even Tim Clark says it: https://simpleflying.com/emirates-a380-is-over/

Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 113 total)
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