Airbus to Halt A380 Production

[jis]

Next time you go to Germany try the Lufthansa 747-8i.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Additional REPORTING from that "Cathedral of Capitalism" regarding the A-380 debacle...

The A380 project ran into numerous setbacks, never earned a profit and will probably never break even, but in an industry that has a long and sordid list of viability-risking catastrophes this event barely even registers.  The A380 was by no means a resounding success but it did sell well enough to recoup some of the early losses and it remains a safe and popular option for passengers today.  I've personally gone out of my way to fly the A380 in the past and I am very likely to do so again in the future.  As I mentioned previously out of roughly 45 aircraft models flown I'd put the A380 at the top of the list for passenger comfort and spaciousness.  Early units were retired ahead of schedule, probably due to heavier weights and lower performance, but it's possible that Airbus may be able to recoup more money by jump starting a secondary market for later units with specialized refurbishment programs and extended maintenance contracts with attractive buyback and releasing terms. 

I've had the pleasure of flying in Business Class on an A380 on SQ, and I hope that at some point I will be able to travel on one in F/J on Emirates as well (and indeed on some other airlines).  My experience is that the "upstairs" all-J approach is exceedingly nice (separate boarding door, etc.).  With that being said, I'm also hoping to get a decent sense for how it compares to the 747 (I've only had one flight on one, and that was on DL back in 2017).

I've flown the 742, 743, and 744.  In my view none of them can hold a candle to the A388.  Maybe the 748 can, but that's a rare enough bird that I've never seen her offered as an option for any of my flights.

 

[jis]

I flew on a 748 on an LH flight FRA-ORD.

 

[Seaboard92]

The LH 748 is a great experience I recommend it.

 

[Anderson]

I think I've got a 748 lined up in April (AS award on BA).  That trip also features a rather amusing side-trip to Brussels called "The Eurostar is cheaper than APD".

 

[cpotisch]

I think I've got a 748 lined up in April (AS award on BA).  That trip also features a rather amusing side-trip to Brussels called "The Eurostar is cheaper than APD".

BA mean British Airways? Because that BA doesn’t have any 748s.

 

[jis]

Right. The only 747s that BA has are 744s. No 748.

You are basically stuck with four passenger carriers if you want to fly a 747-8i: Air China, Cathay Pacific, Korean and Lufthansa.

If you can swing a ride on a cargo carrier then you have many more choices, but they would all be 747-8F or variants - short upper deck.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The LH 748 is a great experience I recommend it.

That's a really vague endorsement.  Is the 748 substantially better than another aircraft with a similar mission profile?

 

[cpotisch]

That's a really vague endorsement.  Is the 748 substantially better than another aircraft with a similar mission profile?

The 747-8I is the flagship aircraft for some operators, so they are often equipped particularly well. It also doesn’t hurt that the -8 is a bit quieter and smoother than previous generations.

 

[jis]

That's a really vague endorsement.  Is the 748 substantially better than another aircraft with a similar mission profile?

From a passenger's perspective it is at par with the 380, and better than a 744. I am comparing an LH 388 with an LH 748, which I have both flown in. Just IMHO of course.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The 747-I is the flagship aircraft for some operators, so they are often equipped particularly well. It also doesn’t hurt that the -8 is a bit quieter and smoother than previous generations.

KE and LH also fly the A380.  CX only seems to fly the 748F variant so that doesn't really count.  I don't know much about CA but I wouldn't exactly call the 748i a flagship, at least in the usual meaning.  The B787, A330, A340, A350, A380, and even the B77W are already pretty quiet and smooth so that's not quite the draw it once was.

From a passenger's perspective it is at par with the 380, and better than a 744. I am comparing an LH 388 with an LH 748, which I have both flown in. Just IMHO of course.

Does the 748 have those gimmicky electro-shades of the 787?  I really dislike the faint blue light those things create.  Instead of providing a premium experience it feels like you're sleeping on a sofa bed in some dingy trailer park with all-night television glow.

 

[jis]

I don't recall what kind of shades it has since I was in a middle set of seats and not by a window. But in at least the LH incarnation it had the three external cameras like the 380 with feeds available on the FE system.

I understand that the 777X (-8 and -9) will have 787 sized windows and possibly those funky shades come with it.

On the 380 upstairs, due to curvature of the fuselage, the window is of much reduced value since you can't see much close to the aircraft down below. That is where the downward facing camera comes in handy. They unfortunately did not keep it on at high altitude though. Still it was nice.

 

[Trogdor]

Right. The only 747s that BA has are 744s. No 748.

You are basically stuck with four passenger carriers if you want to fly a 747-8i: Air China, Cathay Pacific, Korean and Lufthansa.

If you can swing a ride on a cargo carrier then you have many more choices, but they would all be 747-8F or variants - short upper deck.

Good luck trying to fly on a Cathay Pacific 747-8i.

 

[jis]

My mistake in including Cathay on the passenger side. They have 8fs not 8is.

 

[GBNorman]

From Holiday Inn Express Macon--

En route home from Boca.

747 related was a "vignette" I had during my January trip "down below" (MIA). Arriving back at ORD  I went to United Customer Service to find out how to get my refund for an involuntary downgrade from First to Coach. Needless to say, during the "Vortex" it was busy.

They had an agent at the beginning of the line to screen passengers. He said to me "you can do it on the web" and he gave me a flier. On the cover was a photo of a 744. I said "this looks a bit dated", to which he said "to any of us at United who either flown or worked her, she will always be the Queen of the fleet".

 

[Devil's Advocate]

They had an agent at the beginning of the line to screen passengers. He said to me "you can do it on the web" and he gave me a flier. On the cover was a photo of a 744. I said "this looks a bit dated", to which he said "to any of us at United who either flown or worked her, she will always be the Queen of the fleet". 

In my experience UA didn't really treat their 747's like queens so much as a housemaids.  Frayed outdated interiors with a tired hard product and in-flight entertainment that would feel at home in the 1970's.  Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed flying 747's for the pop culture novelty, but the customer facing aspects weren't well maintained or updated often.  Most airlines seemed to treat their 747's like a dilapidated sub-fleet with one wheel already in the desert.  The other benefit of flying 747's was the people watching aspect.  Seeing passenger reactions to flying aircraft with bent ashtrays, pull down projector screens, and air tube headphones was rather entertaining.