End of Production for A380

[Ray Tackett]

Expensive to operate, limited to airports with long runways. Seems Emirates owns about half of them.

https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/17/last_airbus_a380_rolls_off/

[Terry Carraway]

And COVID with the reduction in travelers really hurt.

But BA was parking them before COVID, as they were unable to maintain the load factors.

I know that Air France switched between A380 and 777 based on season for the Paris - DC run.

[Scott Dyer HPN/NY]

And COVID with the reduction in travelers really hurt.

But BA was parking them before COVID, as they were unable to maintain the load factors.

I know that Air France switched between A380 and 777 based on season for the Paris - DC run.

Only been on a 380 once, AF from Paris to JFK. Thought I'd hate it. It was wonderful. Very nice ride.

[Dusty Rider]

Only been on a 380 once, AF from Paris to JFK. Thought I'd hate it. It was wonderful. Very nice ride.

I rode an A380 from Melbourne, Australia to Doha, Qatar. What I found funny about my expectation was that I knew that it could fly, but I was slightly in disbelief that it would. Also, I found the cabin to be spacious, even in my coach-class seat. While I have strong opinions on how Airbus designs their flight decks, I have continuously been more impressed with their passenger seating and amenities than I have with Boeing--except, perhaps, for the 787. That was a fun plane to ride.

[Scott Dyer HPN/NY]

I rode an A380 from Melbourne, Australia to Doha, Qatar. What I found funny about my expectation was that I knew that it could fly, but I was slightly in disbelief that it would. Also, I found the cabin to be spacious, even in my coach-class seat. While I have strong opinions on how Airbus designs their flight decks, I have continuously been more impressed with their passenger seating and amenities than I have with Boeing--except, perhaps, for the 787. That was a fun plane to ride.

Agreed, Dusty.....have had some 787 trips and they were a cut above, too.

[Terry Carraway]

A lot depends on the airline. I found the Air France and Qatar to be nice. But Lufthansa was not so comfortable.

Best economy seats are upper deck window. Due to the fuselage shape, the upper deck windows have big bins and about10 inches from seat to the actual fuselage.

I do like riding on 787s. Nice ride, the big windows are nice, and the cabin is quieter.

[Ray Tackett]

>>> But Lufthansa was not so comfortable.

What we call "cattle class", the Germans call "Holzklasse", literally "wood class", but meant in the sense of stacked lumber. Lofthansa had a lot to do with that.

[B.Butler]

>>>What we call "cattle class", the Germans call "Holzklasse", literally "wood class", but meant in the sense of stacked lumber.

A friend who flew for Continental in the Lorenzo era told me: " how are we different from FEDEX? Our cargo loads itself."

[Terry Carraway]

>>> But Lufthansa was not so comfortable.

What we call "cattle class", the Germans call "Holzklasse", literally "wood class", but meant in the sense of stacked lumber. Lofthansa had a lot to do with that.

Strange was that it was in Business Class that the seats were horrible. I have not been on a Lufthansa A380 in coach.

British Air, Air France, and Qatar, yes, in coach.

[Ray Tackett]

>>> Strange was that it was in [Lufthansa] Business Class that the seats were horrible.

You may well have saved me a bunch of money just now. Hanny and I have been waiting out the pandemic to make our final visit to friends and (her) family in Germany. Lufthansa operates an A340 between PHL and FRA daily. I had been thinking of going Business Class as part of the last hurrah. Economy with extra legroom makes more sense at my economic level, and it may be the case that no airline seat is comfortable for seven hours over and eight back.

[Terry Carraway]

Other Lufthansa aircraft have had great Business Class seats. It was just the ones in the A380. However, I have not flown on the A340.

The normal Lufthansa Business Class seats are Recaro and lie flat.

I don't recall the ones on the LH A380, but the seat cushion was quite firm, and very convex.

Delta now has Delta One, which are AMAZING seats. You have your own pod with a door that slides closed. Not to the ceiling, but very cozy anyway.

[Séamas Mulholland]

Other Lufthansa aircraft have had great Business Class seats. It was just the ones in the A380. However, I have not flown on the A340.

Delta now has Delta One, which are AMAZING seats.

On the A350 I assume, I'll take that as an endorsement, thanks Terry.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/s%C3%A9amas-mulholland-83669691/

[Terry Carraway]

I think it was on a 787. We were coming back from HNL. HNL - SEA they had an international airplane. We were booked First, so get the Delta One.

AWESOME. And I have flown business on a LOT of airlines (Delta, United, American, Continental, Air France, KLM, British Air, Brussels, Lufthansa, Alitalia, South African, Ethiopian, Kenya, Egypt Air, ANA, and a few more).

[Stephanie Belser]

My dim recollection is that the 747 was designed from the start to be able to be converted to a freighter, because the thinking was that passenger usage would largely go away once the 2707 came into service. Which is one of the reasons why the 747 has had a fifty-year production run. The A380, well, that's another story.

[Terry Carraway]

Wasn't the 747 based on the Boeing entry into the USAF large transport RFP, that resulted in the C-5?