They are going to make their final assembly maiden flight from Germany? I think not. From airbus' website "The worlds first full-length twin-deck aircraft will be officially revealed to the world for the first time at a ceremony to be held in the Jean-Luc Lagardere Final Assembly Line hall at Toulouse, France."
It's good to be critical of any technological advancement and I fully support any logical and not polemic statements made. Airbus didn't get into this project lightly, and they're dammed sure the figures tie up. At least in Europe, the big problem for airports and safety is the NUMBER of aircraft movements - not the size of the aircraft. 2 x 250 seaters landing at the same time or 5 minutes separated still means 500 people at the baggage claim, but bigger delays on the tarmac and more risks of collision in the air and on the ground. If you've got 1 baby in 30 passengers, the probability of having one next to you remains unchanged, or will it be predominantly babied families flying the A380? According to your low cost flight arguments, they will be on the smaller, more frequent flights! (BTW, I always have earplugs in my shirt pocket for that case!) As for the meals, I guess the airlines may be considering increasing the number of cabin crew on the A380. Concerning the airports, a lot of lessons got learned from the 747 when people were pissing in the airport concourses due to lack of toilets when the plane landed. I'm usually in a 50 seater (86 times last year) and can't say that I notice it being less packed, less delayed and less hassle than the 150 seater which I occasionally use. America's strengths are spontaneity and brave decisions. Europe takes longer to do the analyses, but believe me - this time they're right! The A380 is here to stay!
The Final Assembly will take place in Toulouse and Hamburg. The delivery to Middle East and European Customers will be from Hamburg. The "others" get delivered from Toulouse. The maiden flight of each one will be from Toulouse. Whether the plane is "French" or not has NOTHING to do with the place of the maiden flight! If it were, European Air Forces' F-16's would be Dutch. Believe me - I deal in facts!
Ever heard of the An-225? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Ive flown in almost every commercial jetliner available in the western world over the last 30 years....and more so in the last 5 years when I went from Calgary to Rio de Janeiro 5-6 times a year.....every year. I have no problems with the A380 at all. Like someone else here said....fly first or business class......and/or don't check your bags.....sit as close to the front as you can and you'll have no problems at all.....been there...done that. In fact.....one time three heavies disembarked at GRU at once and there was over 750 people I had to beat to the front of the line at immigration. 500 in coach will be a living hell with checked baggage......that's the only downside I can see with it. Then again.....and this is snobbish but I don't give a f*** if you've watched the tv show "Airline".......after a few episodes....you'll find yourself paying up for bizz or J class......fly enough.....it's free upgrade time. One of these things in Southworst's colors would be every traveller's nightmare. If you've flown in Boeing products.......and then Airbus products........you'll notice a significant difference in pax comfort in the Airbus planes. I'm not talking about seat pitch or seat design as those vary from carrier to carrier.....I'm talking about overall interior quietness......headroom......light......cabin design.......and climate control. I go out of my way to fly on Airbus products whenever I can.....drives my agent crazy. The worst example of how not to build an aircraft for pax comfort can be best seen in Boeing's "dry nosed droner" the 777..........
Hey, if you guys in Boing Boing land think that the A380 is a weird, one-off, don't-care-what-it-costs, must-be-bigger-than-the-yanks, fly-by-night project you're in for a big surprise - and it ain't gonna be goldilocks who's eating all the honey!
You can have your honey. The proof is in the pudding. I am interested to see how it holds up to it's performance claims.
As of this morning. It is not certified to land @ LAX nor it is expected to be within the next 3 -4 years. Then the terminals need to be updated along with the taxiways. I am faily sure that LAX is not the exception. Does the phrase, "all dressed up with no one to blow" come to mind?
I just got of the 'phone to Airbus and all of the airlines who've ordered and put options on the A380 and you're right, Matt. Unbelievable though it may seem in all of those years of studies and deliberations, NO-ONE ever thought about the problem of needing suitable airports and runways! It's created a real stir in the community. I reckon you could hire out your specialist aviation knowledge to the right people at a good price!...... ..... in your dreams!
Spoken like a true patriot of TWO defeated countries. LAX has no plans to upgrade the runways or it's terminals. As of today. You own stock in Airbus or something?
Don't really see what 60 year old history has got to do with the commercial success of A380, but it's nice to see someone living up to their reputation every now and then, and turning every factual discussion into a black and white, polarised, polemic, political, xenophobic slagging off match! Yep! Lock, stock, barrel, pension, the lot! That's why I'm so sure of the facts! True patriot? Don't make the amateur mistake of thinking I'm French or German! By the way, I guess you don't own a Ferrari - it being from a "defeated country" etc., etc. ;-)
From Aviation Week's website. Read the part about LAX Three Major U.S. Hubs Top Virgin Atlantic's A380 Route Plan By Lori Ranson 01/18/2005 08:11:10 PM Virgin Atlantic is targeting six key hubs for its Airbus A380s set to start service in 2008, and predicts those planes will replace Boeing 747s within a decade as technology on Boeing's jumbo jet wanes and demand at capacity-constrained airports continues to surge. The carrier's initial routes for the planes are between London and JFK, Hong Kong, Sydney, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo. Chairman Richard Branson said on Tuesday in Toulouse, France, before the A380's "reveal" that in time the antiquated technology of the 747s would cause those models to "die out" in about 10 years. He also said the A380's capacity was a key market for Orlando, where the carrier currently offers about three daily 747 flights. Virgin Atlantic's philosophy mirrors the Airbus logic, which holds that adding capacity is key to growth at congested airports. CEO Steve Ridgeway told The DAILY in London on Monday that the carrier operates from a lot of constrained hubs and can't rely on hub bypass planes like the Boeing 7E7 or wait for improvements in airports and air traffic infrastructure to further its growth plans. "It isn't universally popular to build airports," he said, adding that crafters of programs like Europe's single-sky initiative would have a challenge in keeping up with passenger demand. Ridgeway said Virgin was "very much in the loop" with the development of the 7E7 and the A350 but doesn't see a logical fit for those planes in Virgin's current network. "That's a different sort of market than we're in right now." Virgin continues to push Los Angeles airport to be ready for A380 operations after citing its lack of preparedness as a main element of its delay of A380 deliveries by 18 months (DAILY, May 18). "It's inconceivable that they won't step up and support the aircraft," Ridgeway said. "They've put quite a few opportunities to us, and we'll crystallize them within the next few months." The carrier is using the extra time from delaying deliveries to resume work with suppliers to work out kinks in cabin configuration. Branson said Virgin's A380 cabins would feature a gym, beauty salon, stand-up bars, gaming and private double beds. Virgin plans to configure the plane in three classes with more than 500 seats. Virgin's A380 delay also lets Singapore and Emirates Airlines handle the A380's "teething" problems, Branson said, noting that the carrier had to deal with similar issues as the launch customer of the A340-600. Another Virgin executive told The DAILY most of the -600 kinks were ironed out, and with deliveries scheduled for 2005 and beyond, those problems would either be sorted out on the production line or made pre-delivery. Airbus, meanwhile, has guaranteed Virgin lower direct operating costs on its A380s than the Boeing 747, Branson said. He also took a swat at rival British Airways -- "BA seems to buy American and not European. The Virgin V will proudly be displayed on the A380s when they arrive."
