CX wrote:As for long haul flights, I really don't see much of an advantage running multiple flights daily instead of 1 or 2 high volume flights daily..
E.g. from HKG->AKL, on few days of the week CX runs 2 flights, and the times of the 2 flights are separated by about 3 hours which doesn't mean a thing for travellers... ...
Actually , as a former travel agent from AKL , I can tell you it makes a big difference - the earlier flight arrives in HKG in time to permit sameday connections to a large number of destinations in Asia - the later flight can only connect onto Europe and TPE . Until the introduction of the earlier flight pax heading from New Zealand to many of CX's destinations in Asia had to either overnight in HKG or choose another carrier/routing - many of them opted for other carriers/routings thus costing CX quite a lot of ( admittedly low yield ) traffic.
I'm sure Boeing will launch this new aircraft, I don't have statistics, but the B747 is now quite popular with many airlines, so I think it's reliable.
The only thing that seems to be missing on those pictures are winglets? Almost every modern aircraft has winglets, wouldn't it be weird if suddenly Boeing would make an aircraft without them?
Where you heard the A380 is funny while flying?? How can flying be funny?? hmm~~
kiwiandrew thanks for telling me that, i never knew that!!
Economically there is no reason why Boeing wont' launch the 74A because it doesn't require much development costs and for airlines, it is rather easy to accomodate just a new variant of the highly popular 747... what i don't like is Boeing told the world that the world don't need large aircrafts anymore and went onto make the 787... now they are back making a plane that is bigger than their own 744!
When Boeing said the world didn't need large aircrafts it didn't mean the world didn't need one. What they meant was the world didn't need a lot of A380s. This is how I interpret saying of executives of large corps. They are more and more like politicians.
I think what Boeing meant was, there is a market but maybe not big enough to pay back the investments... and we believe in point to point connections rather than hub. Boeing has already a large offer to meet the airlines demand.. (B744, B777 and B787)
Air traffic and busy skies is a rising problem..
Also it can mean there is a market but not for two new planes/project, and there is a bigger market in the mid big planes like the B787...
Market is telling also there is space for the two visions: Airbus and Boeing..
For sure airlines are looking to save cost on fuel and also there are environmetal concerns, so we are seing Winglets and we we'll more of, composite materials, aerodinamics evolutions... (so we see the B787 and maybe an A350) A380 also looks at the environment..
I'm very happy there is fresh air in the market and there is space to build an aircraft (the Dreamliner for now), that is not just another one, but a plane designed to bring more space, more confort and environmentally little more friendly..
I'm happy to see, even after the A380, Boeing is still an active player in the Big planes..
The 747 A is, in the short term, the boeing answer to the airline needs..
They have already a plane, they just need to improve it..
Airbus hopefully will sort out the problems of the A380 and if there is such demand they will meet it...
Boeing has never said that there wouldn't be any market for the very large plane (VLP) like the A380, but Boeing's forecast and Airbus' forecast on VLP's demand were different. Boeing's development of the 747A served two purposes: 1) to shrink the market size for the A380; 2) to upgrade its aging 744 model. BTW, the 747A is using the wing design for the 767-400, so there's no winglet.
I thought the B767-400 was the response to the A330, which didn't do real well obviously. Now, they redesigned it, the 787 will replace the 767's to compete better against the A330, A300, A350.
B764 was a 'special request' from an airline (Air Canada?) i remember someone said in another thread..
Airbus isn't looking all that good now but i think it'll change... Eventually I think the world will need more A380s when more and more airports can accommodate them, and Airbus can also launch an improved A330 to shrink/shut the market of the 787-3/8 with the A350 closing the doors for the 777 models and 789...
I wonder for how long we are gonna see the A300.. are we seeing the last orders of this one ?
I read also one of the new planes will replace it... Can someone confim ?!
Then, when the 787 / A350 will be around.. another few years, unless a decisive price cut, the A330 will be less appealable.. for the difference of fuel consumption, technologies etc..
The A300 I was talking about is the freighter version, which is still in production, I believe.
It's kind of funny to see Boeing fans and Airbus fans arguing for some silly pride. On one hand, Airbus fans are saying Boeing is wrong about its forecast on very large plane, and now came back with the B747Adv. On the flip side, Boeing's forecast on B787 seems to be good enough that Airbus is having second thought; in turn, they came up with A350.
B787/A350 may sqeeze into the B777 markets somewhat, but B777 can readjust itself with its B777-200ER/LR, B777-300 variants that is unique to itself, especially with fuel efficiency over A340's. B777 is here to stay. A340 may be in jeopardy in the long run.
A380 will eventually be a cash cow for Airbus. All you have to look at is the B747. There weren't many of them in the 70's and early 80's. There's a boom in the late 80's and 90's. That probably will happen to A380 as well, as the world population continue to rise, and thus more travelers demanding air travel in the next 20-30 years. Can B747 compete with A380 is a question we still have to wait and see.
I agree about the long runner B777, maybe airbus has something there to show one day unexpected...
A340 has some strange lover as Branson, he likes the 4 engines planes, he made it clear to the public..
Every plane has its unique niche that sometimes is perfect for just few customers, maybe enough to survive..
In the long run some of the plane will have to go between 330,340,350,380.. if one line doesn't have enought orders will close ..probably one of the first two, for clear age reasons, but is the market that decides.. and the abilities of the aircraft makers to ridesign, reinvent themself with their planes.. is a nice thing to see for me.. for sure this will not happen tomorrow...
Look a the A320 family.. is growing developing in small declinations till the 318 and is month after month winning contracts againts the all time best seller 737.. amazing..
i don't see the why the prduction would stop the A340. I understadnRichard Branson, the A340-600 is an absolute amazing aircraft. I see more the 330 to stop first.
CX wrote:and Airbus can also launch an improved A330 to shrink/shut the market of the 787-3/8 with the A350 closing the doors for the 777 models and 789...
-Eh , I don't think you're gonna knock off the 787 with an 'improved' A330 dude. Airbus have already launched the A350, they're not gonna launch another similar plane to simply knock out the 787. And you're gonna need a better offering than an 'improved A330' to do that....
According to justplanes.com database for Airbus orders for 2005, there are only two deals with A340, and one of them involve Virgin Atlantic. There're many A330 orders this year in comparison despite the launch of A350. Fuel efficiency, all of a sudden, became a major problem for the A340. Twinjets, such as A330 and B777, are more attractive, especially there's no relief in the near future on fuel prices. There're still enough backlogs for producing A340, but in the long run, it's not looking very promising. A350 could be the replacement not only for the A330 but also the A340. Somehow, the high fuel prices makes Boeing look like a genius when they come up with a twinjet--B777--a decade ago.
If you are still not believing it, ask the trent-setters, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. SIA ordered the A340-300 and eventually dumped them. CPA still flies the A340-300, but they didn't order any more since the mid-90s. Instead, they ordered more A330-300 and use them to fly to Australia. They leased three A340-600 for flying to JFK, but they have no plan to order them. SIA is flying the A340-500. We will find out soon are they going with that or switching to B777's in the future.
So according of these news.. seems there is no much market for the A340.. unless something will change.., maybe a pair of winglets will do
SIA went to the 345 for the distance, i think, but we just saw what is capable of the new B777
I won't discuss if a plane is marvel or not, the Concorde is still unbeated on speed.. but is grounded
As i said, without a market, the wonder liners havo no future..
and i wish the B747A, 787 and A380, 350 a huge or at least a good market, so we can see the marvels flying..
I see that the A340 will go before the A330. I remember clearly an article where someone from Airbus said that the A330 will stay for at least 10 more years... The current A332 and 333 will not be competitive against anything after the 787 comes, so how can Airbus keep the A330 in production for 10 more years if they don't improve it? If twin-engine is the way to go, it is sensible to that Airbus will dump the A340 (or at least A342 and 343) and replace them with a A330 that has similar range while reducing fuel consumption... don't know~
" Airbus said that the A330 will stay for at least 10 more years... " 8O
All depends how long is gonna take to see the 787 and 350 fly.., the last deliveries or some airline trying to keep the fleet with the same model till they don't decide to upgrade the lot...
What about the A340-600? It's a brand new plane...
I don't like twin engines when i am flying long haul flights. Not for Economical reasons, but because. Here are subjectives reasons. I don't feel safe in Twin engines (i am scarred of an engine incident, with 4 engines, you feel if one broke down it's not a dramatic problem), I find the 4 engines planes so beautifull and elegants. For example the 747s or 346 are amazing visually. ANd When you're in a plane and you see, an Virgin A346, you feel, i want to be in this plane! So it's good for their publicity, and then more money eheheh
, I don't think you're gonna knock off the 787 with an 'improved' A330 dude. Airbus have already launched the A350, they're not gonna launch another similar plane to simply knock out the 787. And you're gonna need a better offering than an 'improved A330' to do that....
