The A380 Experience
Just two days ago I had my first chance to experience Airbus’ new flagship, the A380 super jumbo on a flight from Miami, FL to Frankfurt, Germany.
The 9 hours on the giant double deck aircraft went by quickly. In terms of leg space, seating comfort, noise, and entertainment, the A380 is much better than any other aircraft I have been on. Due to the size of the plane, turbulences are rare. Despite the large number of passengers, roughly 550, the boarding was being completed faster than for the average B747. One of the features of the aircraft I liked the most was the ability to access three external cameras which record the flight from take-off to landing. Especially the first 10 minutes of the flight from the take-off from Miami International Airport were spectacular. Seeing the aircraft fly over the skyscrapers of the downtown area before passing the cruise port and the island of Miami Beach was a great experience.
The world’s two biggest aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, have different expectations regarding the future of commercial aviation. While Airbus designed it’s super jumbo to meet increased demand for efficient long-distance connections between major aviation hubs, Boeing’s new high tech aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, should enable airlines to offer more direct connections between smaller airports with a highly fuel-efficient aircraft. Both aircraft are responses to the major trends of increasing global air traffic and rising fuel prices. The A380 addresses the problem by allowing airlines to replace numerous smaller aircraft with one big aircraft on which they can load a lot of passengers to transport them from one continent to the other. The B787 is making use of new materials that reduce the weight of the aircraft and its fuel consumption. Airlines will be able to reduce the number of connecting flights by providing more direct flights from smaller airports, instead of Airbus’ hub to hub strategy. Ultimately both concepts could find use in the world’s different aviation markets.
