The contest for aircraft manufacture supremacy was decided this week. The battle between Airbus’ A380 super-sized passenger jet and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner not only affected the two jet makers, but also the way airlines operate well into the future.
The A380 offered airlines a replacement for the aging 747 Jumbo by going even bigger and carrying even more passengers between major hubs. The 787 Dreamliner offered airlines a more efficient long range carrier that would allow more direct flights and fewer connecting flights between hub and spoke systems.
Yesterday, the contest officially ended when Airbus announced that the last A380 would roll of the assembly in 2021. More
My office is at the end of LAX runway, and they are certainly impressive when taking off. Still just an oversized bus though.
Europe is notorious for making things their goverment’s want but not the public.
I’ll never get on one. Doesn’t seem like a safe ride.
@Rick, wise move, trust me.
I think the A380 consortium also designed the platypus, not to be confused with Pilatus.
Hoo boy. That’s gonna hurt. Break even point around 1,000. Not sure they made it. Years ago Airbus insisted they’d been assured by airlines all over the globe that there was a huge market and they were going ahead with production. Boeing said they too asked world’s airlines and Boeing insisted they were told that airlines were not interested in passenger jets this size. So Boeing cancelled their plans to stretch 747 long enough to compete. Looks like, again, Boeing was right.
Fatter, slower buses.
So not very Yeager.
You know we’re gonna’ be stuck at Mach .85 for decades now.
@open the door, I’ve been on enough leaky naval transports to know the difference. You’re absolutely correct. The worst are the fling wings. Helicopters. Usually duct tape holds em together.
Probably for the best. It would be the the first on the green nude eel chopping block.
I had an epiphany reading this.
Airbus.
Air Bus.
That explains the people traveling in pajamas, slippers, dirty t shirts, body funk, mental derangement.
It’s the fuckin’ Greyhound of the air.
I truly dread every time I have to fly somewhere now. Didn’t use to be that way.
Bingo, Thirdtwin. And now all of that money they spend on planes can be paid to teachers and those unwilling to work!
I may be confused (that happens), but isn’t the A380 too big for our airports, except just a couple?
My brother in law, the airline captain, and former Navy P3 driver says, If it ain’t Boeing, we’re not going.
I call him the “Bus Driver” just to piss him off. But the fuckers on to me.
I have to fly regionally a few times a year here on the left coast. Alaska Airlines is my primary carrier but since they bought out Virgin, could be JetBlue, they inherited a bunch of Airbus planes. Whoever it is, I only book flights on Boeing planes. Hell with the euros, I’m not flying on Airbus.
Joe6, Fly by wire, is not your friend.
14 year production run compared to the 747’s 40+ years. So much for “me too”. On a similar note, Airbuses military arm tried to make their own C-130 derivative, (the A-400) resulting in my employer adding 5 new countries to the C-130J family!!! Go Airbus!! /s