Airbus to cram more seats into A380 superjumbo

[Traderd]

Makes sense...

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/01/travel/airbus-a380-extra-seats/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

"In a move that adds a dose of economic reality to airline dreams of luxuriously pimped superjumbos, the plane's manufacturer says that next week it will unveil a new 11-seat-row economy-class configuration."

"...the new configuration indicates that financial realities are catching up with airlines, which once promised to fill their A380s with casinos and double beds."

 

[Dumb Pilot]

And the reality of an A/C that doesn't meet the cost structure that it promised.....!

 

[DUBLINFLYER]

The big people will now have to buy 3 seats to accommodate their girth

 

[Traderd]

And the reality of an A/C that doesn't meet the cost structure that it promised.....!

I recall reading that the thing could seat 800 when it was first rolled out;

http://voices.yahoo.com/introducing-airbus-a380-luxury-sky-672938.html?cat=16

"The airplane is built to hold over 800 people on it. Instead, the plane has opted to eliminate the 800+ seats needed to hold that amount of people for a more luxurious and roomy plane ride."

Maybe the operators will get closer to 800 and further from "a more luxurious and roomy plane ride." Seems the configuration that brings the most $$ will win out in the end.

 

[Flash]

What happened to the bars, nightclub, spa, bowling alley, ice rink? Oh, just a bigger cattle car than the 747.

 

[Kenney G]

I recently rode a 380 in coach for 15hrs. 3-4-3 configuration downstairs. Great ride. Lots of room and very quiet. It's a shame they will ruin it by cramming more people in. Btw the seat pitch on this foreign carrier is 34 inch for economy. I'm sure that will shrink to the standard 32 or less in no time.

 

[GogglesPisano]

Makes sense...

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/01/travel/airbus-a380-extra-seats/index.html?hpt=hp_c3

"In a move that adds a dose of economic reality to airline dreams of luxuriously pimped superjumbos, the plane's manufacturer says that next week it will unveil a new 11-seat-row economy-class configuration."

"...the new configuration indicates that financial realities are catching up with airlines, which once promised to fill their A380s with casinos and double beds."

History repeats itself. When the 747 was introduced the upstairs was a lounge and Juan Trippe even promised a swimming pool. Within a few years it was replaced with seats.

 

[scoreboardII]

Need to squish more fodder into steerage class so they can offer more fully reclining business seats.

 

[Traderd]

Need to squish more fodder into steerage class so they can offer more fully reclining business seats.

Interesting article from 2006 about a possible plan to maximize revenue on this airframe;

http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/25/news/companies/airline_standing/

The New York Times reported that Airbus has quietly pitched the standing-room-only option to Asian carriers, though none have agreed to it yet. But a spokeswoman for Airbus flatly denied the report Tuesday, going so far as to call it "crap."

"The paper, quoting experts who it said had seen a proposal, reported that if the standing room option is used, passengers would be propped against a padded backboard, held in place with a harness."

"To call it a seat would be misleading," Volker Mellert, a physics professor at Oldenburg University in Germany, told the paper. Mellert has done research on airline seat comfort and has seen the design, according to the Times report. Mellert could not be reached for comment by CNNMoney.com Tuesday."

"The paper said that the use of standing room would allow the new A380 double-decker jet that Airbus is in the process of introducing to hold up to 853 passengers, compared to about 500 passengers if they were given traditional seats."

The original NYT article;

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/25/business/25seats.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0

 

[tomgoodman]

Not to give airlines any ideas, but....

https://www.google.com/search?q=sta...&hl=en&client=safari#hl=en&q=cattle+stanchion