Re: Airbus A380: Biggest-ever passenger plane unveiled
this is a great landmark for the aviation industry. it is a plane which will take the comforts of flying to new heights.
the project itself was very well managed by airbus. the A-380 already has 149 orders, the project breaks even on 250 orders. companies that have already ordered A380s include, Emirates, Singapore, Virgin, FedEx and other world-class airlines.
Those criticising the A-380 need to realize that the companies ordering these planes know what they are doing. The high capacity mentioned in this thread is ONLY if you use a one-class configuration. In a typical 3-class configuration, it will hold 555 passengers. Some airlines will opt for even lesser passengers if they opt for more comfort. A typical 747-400, 3-class configuration holds 416 passengers. The cost of flying an A-380 breaks even on approx 323 passengers. Which really isn't a challenge.
There are many sectors in the aviation industry which are so heavily clogged, that the A-380 is definately a blessing.
The only drawback is that it won't be compatible with some airports, but it is compatible with most major international airports. and other airports will adapt. The two major issues for airports is the space seperating the runway and the taxiway. second is passenger handling...this really is no problem. An airport that can handle the 747 passenger load can easily handle an A380 passenger load.
Re: Airbus A380: Biggest-ever passenger plane unveiled
No, for the most part airlines have failed even with every seat filled because of high labor costs, gate costs and overcapacity driving down price per mile. 747s are 30 years old, but they have been constantly reengineered, and updated, and they currently represent a pretty good value.
Southwest has shown people how to make money. Low labor costs, avoiding high cost airports, avoiding hub operations, and standardized equipment. This airplane demands that almost all of these rules be broken. A monsterous airplane like this must have hub operations. You cannot standardize on this plane, it simply won't fit into enough airports. Customers want to fly direct, not kill three additional hours in a hub. And, as you point out, there are plenty of used 747s available, as well as a lot of supply from soon to fail airlines. Airports like Heathrow that are grossly overcrowded will reinforce and expand runways, but even that adds costs, and will simply overcrowed terminals more. There are probably 10 airports in the world that NEED this plane. Notably British Airways and Japan have not signed on, two of the more saavy industry players, despite heavy pressure on BA. I suspect you will find a lot of participants carfully observing, not jumping in...
The main features that save operational expense are a heavy use of expensive carbon fibre construction, and more fuel efficient engines. Do the same thing to a 747, and you can save quite a bit, even on a retro fit plane.
Re: Airbus A380: Biggest-ever passenger plane unveiled
OG, I know you know what OP ex means. I know you have been retired for a while but come on dude. The planes being fills is not an expense line item.
I ma about to head to lunch with Uncles Madhanee and Verizon but when I get back..we cna talk about all this siiht about Airports being ready. In the meantime..someone do a search on gate expenses at airports and who foots the bill. hint
Re: Airbus A380: Biggest-ever passenger plane unveiled
Dude, I know the economics of this well. The two European airlines with the highest margins, BA and Ryan Air, are not participating in this plane. US airlines can barely afford a new piper cub, and combined losses for the airline industry for the last four years totals over $35 billion. That is a very sick industry which does not bode well for future airplane sales. And fuel prices for the next four years will be significantly more than the prior four years. The INCREMENTAL savings per airmile generated by this plane will be negligible except for a few niche carriers.
Re: Airbus A380: Biggest-ever passenger plane unveiled
Competition is what America thrives on, if the A380 is a success (I certainly hope it is) you can rest assure that Boeings follow through will be that much better. :)
Re: Airbus A380: Biggest-ever passenger plane unveiled
Chup bey...free ka khana tha voh bhi...
OG, mere bhai.. if a plane allows me improve my margins by loading more passengers into it then my capex is reduced right? I can fly 4 planes from Dubai to London with 300 people or 3 planes with 400 people... the latter yields better margins. that is all I am saying.
The thing about airports is that, (a long time ago I did a project a Delta..i am getting old..:( ) airlines pay for gate usage as well or share the cost with the airport for operating that unit. If a new airplane requires modifications to be made to the gate infra then it would be seen how is that absorbed.
Re: Airbus A380: Biggest-ever passenger plane unveiled
Competition is one thing, but Airbus is massively subsididized. Boeing took a huge hit after 9/11. The new airbus is a risk that never could have been funded in the public markets, and Americans know full well the difficulties of hot competition on airlines. About the only profitable segments of the airline industry are the regional carriers who have a unique niche, and the low cost carriers. Where once upon a time US airways had regional hubs, and were touting a "spoke and wheel" concept, now, virtually all airlines are marching toward direct flights with no connections.
The Boeing Dreamiliner has the same cost per mile as the A380, and the same range. It carries half the passengers. If you are a European traveller going to the orient, do you want to stop in the middle of the night in Dubai, change to the correct plane and then go to Singapore or Japan? Most travellers would prefer to take a smaller plane that can be more easily filled from smaller airports, and fly non-stop. Of the 139 A380s ordered, 43 of them are from Emirates airline. Twenty five more are scheduled to be cargo configurations.
So if you exclude Emirates (I have doubts that this tiny airline will actually take delivery of all these planes), and the cargo planes, you only have orders for 71 planes in real passenger configurations. Japan is not ordering, and we may hear from China, but Chinas foreign reserves are in devalued dollars. The devalued dollar makes the EU product much more expensive. Never mind the fact that the current price is $290 million or the A380 if it stays on budget.
Re: Airbus A380: Biggest-ever passenger plane unveiled
seems like you enjoy people’s “hawaa”!!! :yukh:
FG: when you go to see Matsui for hawaa maaring, don’t forget eat mooli ki bhujia
anyway, airlines should also focus on more fuel efficient planes rather than accomodating more passengers in one big box (as Faisal put it), something like “Hybrid” planes
Its not just here, everywhere on web, read the American statements and analysis, all you smell is jealousy. 
