A380 troubles, the latest news...

Discussion of aviation issues which are not safety related (airline operations, pilot contracts, aviation industry news, etc.)

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Verbal
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Verbal » Tue Aug 28, 2012 8:32 pm

Can I draw mine in orange crayon?
no
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Ancient Mariner
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Ancient Mariner » Tue Aug 28, 2012 10:57 pm

http://agmetalminer.com/2012/02/14/crac ... e-systems/
The firm says the finishing of the holes, the application of the fasteners, and the less flexible nature of the 7449 T7651 alloy used, have all contributed to undue stresses in the area of the bond.
Just for grins, I tried to look up the properties for this 7449-T7651 alloy in my employer's material properties database. It's not there. Which means we don't use the stuff. Draw your own conclusions.
You're behind the times?
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Not_Karl » Wed Aug 29, 2012 12:31 am

Which means we don't use the stuff. Draw your own conclusions.
It is way too good and/or expensive for your cheap aluminum crackerboxes.
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Verbal
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Verbal » Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:07 pm

You're behind the times?
Wrong.
It is way too good and/or expensive for your cheap aluminum crackerboxes.
Wrong.
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Gabriel
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Gabriel » Wed Aug 29, 2012 10:01 pm

http://agmetalminer.com/2012/02/14/crac ... e-systems/
The firm says the finishing of the holes, the application of the fasteners, and the less flexible nature of the 7449 T7651 alloy used, have all contributed to undue stresses in the area of the bond.
Those stupid French. Who would be so stupid as to apply fasteners?
And to finish those holes?

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J
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Wed Feb 12, 2014 3:15 pm

Airbus lands $8.3 billion in orders for A380
Amedeo, formerly known as Doric Lease Corporation, placed an order for 20 of Airbus' A380 superjumbo aircraft, the European planemaker said on Wednesday. The news came during the Singapore Airshow.

"This firm order from Amedeo is a clear recognition of the A380's long-term market appeal," Airbus chief operating officer for customers John Leahy said.

Amedeo's chief executive, Mark Lapidus, said the purchase reflected his company's goal of keeping pace with growth in the air travel sector.

"As world air traffic continues to double every 15 years and airport infrastructure and slots do not, the A380 is the best solution for airlines to capture that growth," Lapidus said, who added that the aircraft would be delivered between 2016 and 2020.

Airbus had a record year in 2013 with over 1,500 orders and 626 planes delivered, which approached competitor Boeing's 648. The European planemaker has placed more focus on its A380, selling it on its spaciousness and comfort for long flights.

The deal with Amedeo came a day after VietJetAir announced it had ordered 63 A320 passenger planes from Airbus. The deal was worth roughly $9.1 billion

http://www.dw.de/airbus-lands-83-billio ... a-17425422

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby PurduePilot » Fri Feb 14, 2014 6:00 am

http://agmetalminer.com/2012/02/14/crac ... e-systems/
The firm says the finishing of the holes, the application of the fasteners, and the less flexible nature of the 7449 T7651 alloy used, have all contributed to undue stresses in the area of the bond.
Those stupid French. Who would be so stupid as to apply fasteners?
And to finish those holes?
Pretty sure they meant the manner in which the fasteners were applied...

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Gabriel
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Gabriel » Fri Feb 14, 2014 11:51 am

The firm says the finishing of the holes, the application of the fasteners, and the less flexible nature of the 7449 T7651 alloy used, have all contributed to undue stresses in the area of the bond.
Those stupid French. Who would be so stupid as to apply fasteners?
And to finish those holes?
Pretty sure they meant the manner in which the fasteners were applied...
No kidding! Next you'll say that it was also the manner how the holes were finished too, and not the fact that the holes were finished?

I guess I should have included something like this in my previous post: :geek: :P :roll: :twisted:

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby OldSowBreath » Mon Feb 24, 2014 4:23 pm

Why not just use wingnuts? Or has that become an oxymoron?

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Mon Apr 14, 2014 1:13 pm

Airbus to cram 11-seat rows into A380

In a move that adds a dose of economic reality to airline dreams of luxuriously pimped superjumbos, the plane's manufacturer says that next week it will unveil a new 11-seat-row economy-class configuration.

By raising the three seats next to each window a few inches to take advantage of extra fuselage space, Airbus says it will create enough room to accommodate five people in the middle of the plane.

While the prospect of spending a long haul flight stuck in the middle seat might be unappealing for passengers, Airbus says it makes sense for airline revenues.

"Several customers are saying they are interested in looking at ways of making the aircraft more productive," Airbus spokesman Justin Dubon tells CNN.

Murdo Morrison, editor of Flightglobal magazine, says the new configuration indicates that financial realities are catching up with airlines, which once promised to fill their A380s with casinos and double beds.

He says sales of the European manufacturer's flagship have been disappointing since the plane was launched in October 2007.

"With the price of fuel going up so much, the focus for airlines is economizing and trying to get as many passengers as possible into an aircraft," he tells CNN.

Dubon says the extra seats, which won't compromise on the existing 18-inch width of current chairs, would raise economy-class capacity by 7%.

This would mean 30 more seats in a standard cabin layout, but even when full would put the A380 well short of its maximum load capacity.

"The middle seats will be the last ones filled," he says, adding that the center seats could prove popular with families.

Airbus declined to reveal which airlines were pushing for increased capacity, but says 11-seat mockups will go on display at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, from April 8-10.

Morrison says that while few passengers will rush to claim the center seats, there will be no significant increase in discomfort.

"The drawback of any five-seat block is, if you are in the middle, you've always got two people to climb over, but you've already got that if you're in the window seat of a block of three," he says.

"Ultimately it is the airline's decision -- they have to get the balance between adding seat capacity and what the passengers will put up with.

"If you pack in too many it becomes claustrophobic and that could have a detrimental affect on the airline."


http://www.ktvz.com/lifestyle/travel/Ai ... 0/25265952

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Gabriel » Tue Apr 15, 2014 3:36 am

If 3-5-3 is viable for 11-seats rows, I guess that 2-3-3-2 should be viable for 10-seats rows.

Versus the current 10-seats row config of 3-4-3, 2-3-3-2 has many advantages.
Windows seat: 20% for both of them.
Aisle seats: 60% vs 40%.
Seats surrounded by seats at both sides: 20% vs 40%.
Seats where you have to climb above others to get to access the aisle: 40% vs 60%.
Seats where you have to climb over 2 other persons to access the aisle: 20% vs 0%.
Aisles: 3 vs 2.
Seat width: 18 inches both (according to Airbus, they will put 11 seats without compromising the 18-inches seat width of the 10-seats config.)

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Verbal » Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:37 pm

Qantas airliner springs a leak, douses passengers
By CNN Staff
updated 6:48 AM EDT, Thu July 3, 2014

(CNN) -- If you've ever traveled by air, you've probably gotten soaked on an airline ticket. But not like this.

Qantas Airlines Flight 94 to Melbourne had to turn back to Los Angeles about an hour into its trip Wednesday morning when a water pipe started leaking on the upper deck of the plane, according to Australia's Channel Seven Network.

The jet is an Airbus A380, the world's only complete double-decker airplane.

Video from the network showed water running down the aisle of the plane.

The water made its way through the floor and showered economy-class passengers below, the network reported.

Crew members moved passengers and gave them blankets to stay dry, the airline said in a statement.

Qantas said the passengers were never in any danger, and they're being put up in hotels while the airline talks to the plane's manufacturer, Airbus, about what might have caused the situation.

The 'happiness blanket' takes flight on British Airways

Is the the most boring inflight movie ever?

Towels optional: Finnair to open unisex sauna in new airline lounge
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Ancient Mariner
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Ancient Mariner » Thu Jul 03, 2014 9:35 pm

Qantas said the passengers were never in any danger, and they're being put up in hotels while the airline talks to the plane's manufacturer, Airbus, about what might have caused the situation.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrright.
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby Sickbag » Sat Jul 05, 2014 5:12 pm

the A380 was touted as being able to offer shower facilities to passengers.What's the f***ing problem?
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666
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby 666 » Sat Jul 05, 2014 7:13 pm

The problem is that economy pax got a shower without paying for it. The DYKWIA snobs at flyertalk were mightily pissed off when they found out the unwashed masses in cattle class got washed for free.

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:28 pm

How Airbus May Put a Japanese Budget Airline Out of Business

[This reminds me of PSA's purchase of four L1011's for LAX - SFO service around 1973 right at the height of the "Arab Oil Embargo" when gasoline rocketed to $1 or more per gallon. The planes flew for about a year and then were sold off.]

Excerpt:
Nearly four years ago, Skymark Airlines, a Japanese budget airline with a meager but profitable domestic business, decided to buy the world’s largest airplane, the Airbus A380, with grand ambitions of becoming an international, premium-class player.

Skymark’s A380 order was ridiculed by industry observers before the ink had even dried on the 2011 contract—and may now prove to be the company’s demise. “They had rocks in their heads when they ordered it,” a Credit Suisse Group analyst told Bloomberg News this week.

On Tuesday, Airbus (EAD:FP) canceled the order, which had expanded to six A380s, amid negotiations for delivery that have turned acrimonious, according to media reports. The first two A380s have been built, and Airbus apparently grew concerned about Skymark’s ability to pay for the double-decker jets, which have a list price of $414.4 million each, making it the most expensive commercial aircraft in service. Airbus wanted to quash the order before interiors customized to Skymark’s specifications were installed, which would make finding a new customer difficult.

Airbus is likely to retain the $260 million Skymark has paid so far and could seek additional penalties of 70 billion yen ($681 million), according to Japanese media reports. As a result, Skymark shares have plunged, and the airline warned today there is uncertainty about its ability to remain a “going concern” given its potential exposure to Airbus. The airline also reported a quarterly loss today and said it may borrow money and quit flying unprofitable routes.

“We of course understand that Airbus puts [its] first priority on delivering the aircraft to us in accordance with the purchase agreement and collecting the bill,” Skymark President Shinichi Nishikubo said in a statement (pdf) after Airbus announced the cancellation. That suggested the manufacturer was seeking radical changes in the airline’s business plan and ownership. “However, we definitely cannot accept their forceful way of negotiation threatening our independent business management,” Nishikubo said.
* * *

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/20 ... picks=true

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby flyboy2548m » Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:52 pm

Skymark is kind of an oddball outfit in other ways as well. For instance, they started a DEC program for their 737s for which they hired a number of people who had flown everything but 737s, including some people from my now-defunct employer from two employers ago.
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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby reubee » Thu Sep 04, 2014 4:42 am

Turns out you can do an intersection take-off in an A380 and be off the ground before the next intersection (MEL 34), and then proceed to 410 it.

Pity the on-board wifi isn't good enough to allow you to post to ad.info whilst you are up there.
Image

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Thu Dec 11, 2014 3:48 pm

[Note that the A350 mentioned in the article was the earlier version that was subsequently replaced with the "XWB" that is currently about to begin commercial service.]

Airbus A380 vs. Boeing 787 Revisited

Eight and a half years ago, my friend Tim Pollak and I predicted in this column, that the Airbus A380 would turn out to be a commercial flop.

Now, according to Bloomberg, “Airbus Group NV (AIR) raised the prospect of discontinuing its A380 superjumbo as soon as 2018, the first admission that it may have misjudged the market for the double-decker after failing to find a single airline buyer this year.”

Here’s the original story, from 5/24/2006:

“In today’s marketplace, distinct differences in the way competitive products work have become increasingly rare. But functional product differentiation is exactly what the rivalry between the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787Dreamliner is all about: Two companies with fundamentally different products, based on diametrically opposite visions of the future, engaged in a Hatfields versus McCoys battle with billions of dollars at stake.

Each company has made a series of big bets.

The Airbus A380 super-jumbo is a plane for the annals of aviation history. When it goes into service later this year, it will be the biggest, baddest airliner around, capable of ferrying from 550 to 800 passengers (depending on configuration). With its two full-length decks and the promise of amenities such as sleeper cabins, cocktail lounges and a gym, it is sure to capture the public’s imagination.
* * *
Boeing doesn’t take the current hub-and-spoke model as a given. Marty Bentrott, vice president of sales, marketing and in-service support for the 787, says that since 1990, the number of city pairs more than 3,000 nautical miles apart served by the world’s airlines have doubled, the number of frequencies offered by the airlines have doubled, and the number of available seat-kilometers (seating capacity times miles flown) have doubled. None of these trends show any signs of abating; meanwhile, the average airplane size has actually declined slightly. Clearly, customers prefer more point-to-point flights, flown more frequently, on smaller airplanes.

Marketplace insight is at the core of 787 product development. “Our strategy has been to design and build an airplane that will take passengers where they want to go, when they want to go, without intermediate stops; do it efficiently while providing the utmost comfort to passengers; and make it simple and cost-effective for airlines to operate,” Bentrott says.

Rather than seek economies through scale, the 787 will deliver economy through technological innovation, making the most of newly designed, fuel-efficient twin engines and lightweight composite materials. The 787 offers a very different take on the flying experience, too, focusing on comfort rather than perks that could be eliminated by airlines: more standing headroom, larger windows and bathrooms, and higher humidity–all features that will benefit passengers regardless of seat configuration.

If Airbus appears to covet recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records, Boeing seems predisposed to making a favorable impression in airlines’ inventories. To date, carriers have ordered 159 A380s, and almost twice as many 787s.

Both Airbus and Boeing have a hedge in their back pocket. To compete directly with the A380, Boeing’s 747-8 uses fuel-efficient engines like the 787 to carry 450 passengers. To counter the 787, Airbus is offering a white elephant called the A350, which has been widely derided as out of step with the changing times.
* * *

http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcbabej/2 ... revisited/

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Sat Jan 17, 2015 2:05 pm

Here is an interesting article on the challenges of performing C Checks on these massive aircraft.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... te-407792/

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:36 pm

No new sales of the A380 but:

Superduperjumbo: Airbus Markets a Higher Seat Count on Its A380 Jet
The Airbus A380 superjumbo plane has just gotten bigger—at least on paper.

Airbus Group NV has upped the advertised average seat count on its flagship plane in a bid to convince airlines the double-decker jetliner is a money maker.

Until recently promoted as a plane carrying on average 525 passengers, Airbus now markets the plane as seating 544 passengers. More seats mean lower unit costs, a key measure for airlines when they decide what jets to buy.

Airbus has been struggling to sell the A380, which first flew almost a decade ago and entered service with Singapore Airlines in 2007. The company has booked only 317 orders for the jet, with about half already delivered. Some airlines, such as Deutsche Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, have reduced purchase plans, and Virgin Atlantic Airways has said it doesn’t expect to take the six A380 jets on order.

Airbus Chief Financial Officer Harald Wilhelm said in December that absent further deals, the company at the end of the decade may have to face the decision to cease building a plane that cost $15 billion to develop. Airbus only this year expects to start delivering A380s that no longer lose money.

Fabrice Bregier, who heads Airbus’s commercial-jetliner unit, insists the company will win more orders for the plane, which can accommodate up to 853 passengers :o in a single-class arrangement.

To help sway buyers, Airbus has worked on optimizing the inside of the plane so airlines can make more money with the jet. Airbus now advertises the A380—which has a price tag of $428 million, though buyers typically get discounts—with a four-class cabin, adding premium-economy seating. Those seats promise higher returns than standard economy and have been gaining popularity among carriers.

“Airlines can gain a revenue boost approximately equivalent to a 50% saving in fuel burn through applying this market-matched cabin segmentation and the latest cabin innovations,” Airbus says. The Toulouse, France-based plane maker also is offering an 11-abreast economy-class configuration to enable airlines to pack in more passengers.

The 13 airlines now operating the double-decker plane have them configured with fewer than 544 seats. Many have opted for cabins with fewer than 500 seats as they bet on making money by luring high-paying passengers with premium seating and luxury items, such as suites at Etihad Airways and on-board showers at Emirates Airline.

That reality prompted Airbus to drop the then-advertised 555 average seat count several years ago. Now the plane maker is trying to woo a new group of customers that may not be able to fill as many first- and business-class seats.

Emirates President Tim Clark—the biggest buyer of the plane, with 140 ordered—is urging Airbus to do much more, though, than just optimize the plane’s interior. He wants the plane maker to fit new engines to the A380 to boost efficiency more than 10%. Mr. Clark said this month the airline would buy as many as 200 A380neo aircraft, as the upgraded model is referred to.

Airbus says it is studying the business case for such a program. Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders said in February that if putting new engines on the plane doesn’t make business sense, “we would certainly continue with important improvements that pay off for our customers in the future.”

http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intellig ... -a380-jet/

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Mon Mar 23, 2015 11:26 am

What It's Like Jumping Out Of An Airbus A380
The following article and video is interesting.

The article's comments are too: "I would have jumped without the slide there if those crazy Germans screamed at me like that."
(Watch Das Boot during one of the emergency dives to see similar behavior.)


http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/03/what- ... rbus-a380/

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby flyboy2548m » Tue Mar 24, 2015 4:04 pm

A joke can be heard around our crewrooms that if my airline ever orders A380s, they will be configured with 1,500 seats.
"Lav sinks on 737 Max are too small"

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Fri Apr 10, 2015 1:20 pm

Well, it is no longer theoretical. Airbus will be flying a nearly maxed out A380 to Denmark - home of the offensive Mohammed cartoons.

Emirates Fits A380 With 615 Seats for High-Density Danish Trips
By reducing the number of classes to two from three, Emirates will beat its previous maximum of 517 seats on A380s plying medium-haul routes. The first superjumbos it deployed featured only 489 seats on longer-distance flights.

While the A380 is cleared to carry 853 people in a single-class layout and is being pushed by Airbus as a high-capacity workhorse, most operators have deployed it as a luxury flagship. Air Austral, which specified a 840-seat design, has no firm delivery date, leaving 652-seaters ordered by Russia’s Transaero Airlines as set to mark the next peak should it take the planes.


Emirates began Copenhagen flights in 2011 with Airbus Group NV A330 wide-bodies before moving to larger Boeing Co. 777s. “Based on strong load factors, we are happy to further upgrade the route,” President Tim Clark said in a statement.

* * *
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... nish-trips

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Re: A380 troubles, the latest news...

Postby J » Tue Jun 02, 2015 7:27 pm

Implications Of A United Airlines A380 Superjumbo Order

There has been a rumor that has come from reliable sources at United Airlines that states the company is in intermediate stages in ordering the Airbus A380 - the world's largest passenger aircraft. Airbus is reportedly going to be giving United two A380 aircraft on a trial basis that were originally destined for the now bankrupt Skymark Airlines of Japan.
* * * *
The one hub in the United States that may be able to support such a large aircraft is San Francisco. United operates a large hub to Asia at San Francisco using the largest aircraft in its fleet, the 747, extensively there. Despite the USA-Asia market growing rapidly, United had originally planned to retire these 747 aircraft in a few years and replace them with aircraft that were actually smaller. The company had originally believed that it could increase its frequency to Asia instead of the aircraft size. This sounds good in theory, and business travelers and high-value travelers actually prefer more frequency. However, this is easier said than done. United has, for a while stated, it will operate a second daily flight to Shanghai from San Francisco, but it has had to delay this multiple times, as the company has been unable to secure take-off and landing slots in Shanghai airport at good times. This is only going to get harder over time, as Chinese airports cannot expand any further, and more and more slots are picked up by other airlines.

Example of comments:

In your article you completely ignore the freight side of revenue which in the Pacific market is quite lucrative. The 747-8 has an advantage over the A380 there, with that factored in what would the A380 revenue advantage be??

LAX runs three flights DAILY of the A380. The USA is one of the few economies in the world if not the only one that can handle a multitude of these aircraft. When you add in the tremendous feeder network that is the US Airport Network this could be quite a game changer and a real challenge for Boeing.

One thing to remember is that Airbus has given sweet deals on white tails in the past. When Airbus was desperately trying to break into the US aircraft duopoly of the time during the 1980s, it gave Eastern Airlines almost free use of A-300 jetliners. Col. Frank Borman, who was then CEO of Eastern, urged Eastern Employees to "at least salute the French flag" over the deal. This deal is almost too easy. United gets to try out two A-380s for next to nothing. Airbus gets two white tails off the tarmac and a very visible entrée into the United States network carriers. Why wouldn't you do the deal, as long as support came with it.

Unless Airbus are literally "giving" United the A380, the 747-8 is the proper aircraft choice for UAL, in terms of commonality of crew training/scheduling (same type rating for pilots), maintenance and gate access with its existing 747-400 fleet and in terms of cost per seat mile (Boeing numbers, not surprisingly, disagree with Airbus claims). Also, the 747-8 engines are the same as the 787. One needs to ask, why have the predominantly Continental management now running United, made such a drastic change in their "capacity discipline" view of the world? UAL have actually shrunk over the last five years and is smaller domestically than AA, DL and even SW. Who or what changed their minds about smaller planes, the 777-300 and, potentially, the A380?

http://seekingalpha.com/article/3228646 ... umbo-order


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