Damn! Have to fly Airbus this trip...

[SUBMAN1]

Needed to make a 24 hour advanced notice flight into Toronto, and guess what? Unless I want to pay an extra $1K, I have to fly Airbus this time - first time in 10 years. I always pick my flights by aircraft type, but if you want something fast, your choices, especially North of the border can be rather limited.

Anyway, lets see if my cards are OK since I seriously considered the extra $1K to fly Boeing. Last time I fly an A319, water leaked out of the roof onto my leg. Blah!

-S

I had to fly a A-340 for repositioning once. The noisiest, passenger un-friendly A/C I have ever been on. Fortunately, I had a pass to the flight deck. The crew complained about the A/C almost the entire trip. They would have rather flown Boeing as well. You are not alone Subman!

PS When ever I think about it, I'm reminded of the trains in India.

[baggygreen]

I've never stressed much over aircraft type. I do try to avoid taking dehavilland dash 8s, but i love flying so much i'll take anythin!

[SUBMAN1]

My father always had aircraft, so I've been exposed since before I was 3. I have a love of flying, but everytime I fly an airbus, I feel it has hate of the passenger and cheapness associated with it. Looking at the passenger windows for example - they are so tiny, you can barely get an American quarter through it! Cattle cars is the best way to describe them.

Contrast that to the new 787 being developed and Boeing has a totally different approach! There already large windows of the Boeing's current planes is going to be 3 times the size in the coming generations! They take passenger comfort to another level. Though you can deck your inside of your plane out (except superstructure items like windows or noise levels for example) in any aircraft, I have yet to either tour or fly an Airbus decked out any other way than cattle car config.

Most Boeing aircraft, especially the larger ones like 777's are decked out for creature comforts in every way. It is like even the airlines take an extra special pride in owning Boeing aircraft if they decide to purchase them. I have yet to fly a 777 for example that did not have an individual GPS unit for each and every passenger, and it also doubles as your own movie screen so you can pick whatever movie you want to watch for example. It is just a comfortable plane. Period. Even the smaller ones are less cramped than any Airbus.

Anyway, I expect 7 hours of misery tomorrow.

[Tchocky]

I find the comfort factor is usually down to the airline you fly with, and not the aircraft.

I've been through more nasty flights on Boeing than Airbus, but thats probably due to pilots/weather/airline. It's all the same cigar tube

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by Tchocky

I find the comfort factor is usually down to the airline you fly with, and not the aircraft.

I've been through more nasty flights on Boeing than Airbus, but thats probably due to pilots/weather/airline. It's all the same cigar tube

Maybe in europe its like that. Try flying in the US - Most (though not all) are night and day between Airbus and Boeing. That is why i usually will pay up to $100 more for a flight to fly Boeing aircraft specifically.

-S

[Lurchi]

This is cute - silly Europe Bashing by pissing on Airbus and gloryfying Boeing ... .
Primitive

P.S. A Dreamliner is great but you may consider if it would ever be developed without the pressure of competiton by ... eh ... Airbus?

[The Avon Lady]

I couldn't care less where the plane is made. Comfort (so to speak) and safety are what count.

Our Airbus economy class experiences have all been worse than equivalent Boeing ones. And, I agree that 777s are very nice.

UPDATE: Hate 737s, though.

[Camaero]

Boeing





Airbus:


That is my in depth analysis of this subject.

[Kapitan_Phillips]

I'm 6' 7" and have to fly economy. Not looking forward to 25hrs of that.

[TteFAboB]

I never flew in a big Airbus so I only know the tiny little ones. My Aunt crossed the Atlantic in that long Airbus with 4 engines (whatever it's called), leaving from Portugal because TAP is dirty cheap. She said it was the worst flight she ever had but TAP was to blame as much as the plane itself.

[fatty]

Could not care less what kind of plane I fly. Truthfully I have been none the wiser whether I've been in a Boeing or an Airbus. But some of my best commercial flying memories have been in tiny Beechcraft-type turboprops. Love having the captain come out back to chat about the flight

[Skybird]

The question of which airplane is the most comfortable one will be needed to be answered again once the A380 enters normal service this autumn. The seat configuration is depending on the demands the carriers are demanding, of course, but typically the plane offers 50% more space, but adds only 35% more seats (judging by the demands of carriers who ordered so far), which is said to increase the space per passenger even in economy class. Cabin comfort also is specified to be the most silent and best-air-conditioned cabin of any type of airliner in operation. Add to that an unrivalled level of space and luxury for the premium flight classes, a fuel consummation rate 20% below that of the latest 747 type, most modern cockpit design and an agile handling that pilots so far have described to match that of a small business jet despite the A380 being a huge beast of a bird, and you know who currently leads the pack concerning aircraft design. The multi-national mismanagement that brought the consortium into trouble over the last years does not change the technical specifications of the airplane itself. Of course, the Dreamliner will follow sooner or later, let's see what it will bring. But both airplanes would not exist - without the competition between Boeing and Airbus. - I personally will always prefer a travel per ship, if I could afford it time-wise.

Where are you getting the fuel efficiency numbers from. Even if the numbers you are stateing are correct (20% increase over B747) it has nothing to do with the airframe and everything to do with the powerplant(s) attached to it. .

[Heibges]

I was in a C-130, sitting in a cargo net, we lost 2 engines and had to do an emergency landing in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. I'm told the C-130 can fly on one engine, but they didn't want to take the chance.

We came in fast.

That was a bad flight.