Posted on 02/13/2019 10:23:11 PM PST by BenLurkin
Didn’t outlive the 747 by very long. But even though they won’t make any more, I’m glad the A380 will still be in service for many years to come. Fine plane - upstairs in business class, when I have the chance to fly business, very quiet, clean and up-to-date.
They don’t have to make a profit, because they can go to the taxpayers of Europe. That’s why they can engage in projects like the A380, which was really a stunt for bragging rights (worlds biggest airplane made by the EU, not the USA) to deliver incredibly large air castles to middle eastern sheikhs at subsidized prices.
I don’t know how long the major airports of the world will continue to maintain the special gate apparatus and setups they needed to build in order to accommodate the A380’s double-deck passenger boarding and deplaining setup. Probably not too long.
Meantime, the Dreamliner is racking up enormous fuel savings for its owners.
The 747 is still alive in the lucrative cargo-hauling market
Boeing is still building the 747-8.
Well said.
It's about time the EU taxpayers quit subsidizing Emirates, which is far & away the largest benefactor of this castle in the sky. The heathen from the UAE are wealthy enough courtesy of the Western appetite for energy; they don't need or deserve this subsidy.
I had mixed feelings when it was introduced - several market “brains” said there just wasn’t the demand for the massive planes - especially with the requirements that many airports upgrade terminals to accommodate the monsters. Also - it was introduced at a time that most carriers were actually DOWNsizing there aircraft - with a shift more toward regional jets. At the same time, Boeing was rolling out their latest - smaller than the A380, but also significantly more efficient.
I hadn’t keep up much after the initial deliveries - but I traveled to Europe last Spring - and saw a surprising number of the A380 aircraft under a few different colors - at Charles de Gaulle Airport - and at Atlanta.
I still want to fly on one...
Its still alive with several carriers as well - it’s not been totally relegated to cargo use (though it is pretty good at it).
Emirates isn’t the only carrier operating them -
Singapore Airlines
Emirates - I have seen
Qantas - I have seen
Air France - I have seen
Lufthansa - I have seen
Korean Air
China Southern Airlines
Malaysia Airlines
Thai Airways International (THAI)
British Airways - I have seen
Asiana Airlines
Qatar Airways - I have seen
Etihad Airways
Hi Fly
Honest, I thought it was absurd at the time and would not be a profitable venture.
Oh well.
I’ve only flown on one of these once. My first impression is that it is a pain getting that many passengers on and off the plane. Takes forever. My second impression is that it did not have enough bathrooms for the number of passengers it carried.
The closest I’ve been to one is driving south on 280 near SFO. Watching those beasts fly right over you is incredible. They seem to be floating, struggling to gain altitude, but it’s just an optical illusion. I think.
But Emirates has some of the best looking flight attendants around. Have to retire at 40. And they’ll let them know and let them go, if the red skirts start getting a little too tight. Between them Singapore, KLM, and maybe a handful of other state owned airlines, some of their flight attendants are like super models.
And the service in Economy Class is probably better than some Domestics in First Class.
Just as well, they’ll all be gone in 10 years anyway. It’ll take a lot longer going by train to Asia, though.
I read a couple of years ago that the ‘380 needed to fly near-capacity if it was to make money — many times it didn’t. Four engines ate up fuel and all the other costs associated with the bigger size were just too much. Boeing’s 777 was a better investment for the airlines.
Didn’t outlive the 747 at all. Boeing is still building cargo versions of the 747, and 2 new presidential aircraft, whose delivery date is 2024.
CC
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