787 vs. A380 – What's your view?
By IAG | January 11th, 2005 | Posted in 787, a380 | 5 CommentsBy Matthew Brown
mbrown@iag-inc.com
1. Point-To-Point – the 787 has far better "point to point" options given its passenger demand lift capabilities. Passenger loads on the 787 better suit airlines that want an airplane which can fly long haul from major, secondary and minor city pairs. The A380 is only good for major city pairs which demand large, regular passenger demand whereas the 787 can fit any, if not all of city demands world wide.
2. Fuel Efficiency – one of the main selling points of the 787 is the large fuel savings it will provide the airlines, which of course translates into profits. Given the volatile oil supply occurances of the last decade, airlines often buy on "speculative" cost per barrel rates to "guess" their savings during bad times such as poor oil supply for any number of reasons. With the built in fuel savings of the 787 there is an automatic savings regardless of oil supply.
3. Passenger Comfort – like its "sister" the 777, the 787 will have passenger comforts commensurate with new, large overhead space. This comfort for passengers is becoming the industry standard which the 787 will continue, and which airlines can capitalize on for short and long haul flights.
4. Pilot, Maintenance & Dispatch Flexibility – the 787 will have built in systems to keep pilot and maintenance costs low. In addition, because of the aircraft's system configuration, long range capability and airport landing availability makes the perfect airplane to plug and play based on each airline's demand. Many airlines have unique software now which helps them put a 787 into operation in short notice, without the complications associated with huge infrastructure demands the A380 requires. In short, the 787 is a very nimble airplane and can be used in many fleet configurations.
5. Quick Turnaround – there are few airports prepared to handle the large passenger and aircraft base operations. Should some technical or personnel problems occur with the A380, hundreds, in fact thousands of passenger can be delayed and stranded because there is no back up, one of a kind airplane to solve the problem. With the 7E7, aircraft size and flexibility allows for quick "fix" operations due to regular, ongoing flights and aircraft replacement. This is a worse case scenario, on a minor basis, Boeing operational support world wide makes turn around time very quick, making for a successful airline and a happy passenger. When airplanes are flying airlines make money, when they are sitting on the ground, they do not. Anyone can surmise the dollar benefit here of owning and operating a more flexible 787.
6. State Of The Art – the 787 has built in state of the art systems, designed to upgrade and modify with oncoming improvements in satellite, navigation and communications happening in the next decade. These state of the art systems built into the design, as well as preloading adaptability for new developments in flight pattern dispatch (CN&S mentioned above) allows airlines to upgrade their fleets cost affectively without long down time airplane modification.
7. Boeing Ingenuity – Boeing has a long tradition of "over delivering" design upon completion. Meaning, engineering breakthroughs and application from inception to delivery of a new Boeing airplane has always translated into an airplane which breaks through initial performance guarantees. This dynamic is not just an engineering occurrence that happens at Boeing, but an ingenuity marvel that is built into the people who work there. Airlines have long been happily surprised to see the final aircraft delivered meets and most often exceeds their expectations.
Far from being well reasoned, it sounds like an ad for Boeing!
From what we've seen, the passenger comfort and space on the A380 should exceed anything else in the air. Don't forget that people like big planes. Almost everyone I've ever met would choose to fly in a 747 over another plane. … Not specifically because it's a Boeing, but because it's big, distinctive and spacious. The A380 stands ready to fill the gap left as airlines move away from the 747.
It may read like an ad for Boeing – but the world is moving towards a point-to-point world. If the 380 is so much better, why would Airbus come up with the 350?
Some data to add to this mix – based on our longhaul flight survey:
Column 1 – How much more would you pay (in %) to fly non-stop on an 8 hour flight?
Column 2 – How much more would you pay (in %) to fly non-stop on a 14+ hour flight?
Female 15.00 15.00
Male 10.50 12.96
Total 10.83 13.11
On flights of 8 hours or more, which do you prefer?
Percent
1-stop 10.0
non-stop 90.0
Total 100.0
On business flights, please select your priority choice.
Percent
Schedule & Price equally important 35.0
Schedule primary importance 20.0
Mainly schedule 17.5
Price primary importance 10.0
No Response 10.0
Mainly price 7.5
Total 100.0
On leisure flights, please select your priority choice.
Percent
Mainly price 40.0
Schedule & Price equally important 27.5
Price primary importance 22.5
Mainly schedule 5.0
No Response 5.0
Total 100.0
Which is your single biggest decision driver in flight choices regardless of flight length?
Percent
Price 37.5
Airline loyalty 17.5
Personal space 15.0
Schedule 12.5
Non-stop 10.0
No response 5.0
Other 2.5
Total 100.0
600 or 700 hundred passengers….imagine the length of the typical, single file, CHECK IN LINE!!!…Security control…Customs and immigration !!!….or how about the mad rush to find a taxi ? Dont know about you guys, but given the choice, I would always fly a medium size plane
Mike
Europeans Unveil 50-Acre Airport Lounge
(2005-01-19) — To accomodate the 840-passenger loads of the new super-sized Airbus A380 jetliner, the European Union (EU) today unveiled its first in a series of 50-acre airport lounges.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony in the lounge featured 500 high-stepping Lipizzaner stallions bearing 500 licensed French mimes in a dramatic choreographed routine.
French President Jacques Chirac celebrated Europe's new dominance of the so-called "mega-niche," during a spectacular nine-hour ceremony in the lounge today.
"America once became great simply by making big cars, big ships and big buildings," said Mr. Chirac, whose nation recently opened the world's highest overland suspension bridge. "Now Europe is ready to challenge America's greatness."
The expansive new airport lounge, dubbed Le Nez de Gaulle, features vast arrays of wide-body chairs, numerous Jumbotron screens displaying CNN International, a full European football stadium, a 35-acre frisking-and-sniffing security complex, and restrooms with a maximum capacity of 1600 simultaneous users.
Parking lots will still be located within a 15-mile radius of the airport