Airbus' new A380 has been (rightly, IMHO) criticized for the vast subsidies European governments lavished on it. As an already reluctant flyer, however, what really worries me is the prospect of being crammed into the thing:
The Airbus A380 is "the new modern airplane of the future," said John Leahy, an American who is Airbus' executive vice president for customer affairs. "Just like the 747 ? it changed the way we flew so we could cross oceans and it gave us more space. [The A380] will be more the mentality of a cruise ship ... to get up, have a drink, visit with some friends." [Prof. B: Back when Boeing released the 747, they said the same things about it. I remember seeing pictures of the then-new 747 with a piano bar and cocktail lounge in the upper deck. Have you seen any pianos on a 747 lately?]
But skeptics doubt that many airlines will invest in costly luxuries. Instead, they say, the carriers will likely want to cram as many passengers aboard as possible to maximize profit. [ProfB: Right. "Peter Berghammer, vice president of marketing at Avolo LLC, Seattle, an Internet provider of aerospace procurement services [says] 'I don't see the A380 panning out with showers, bowling alleys, McDonald's, and all that kind of stuff, but I do see them crammed full of seats -- 660 people to a destination at $400 apiece.'" (Link)]
Several U.S. airline executives and consultants said the plane's size will result in passengers feeling like cattle ? first crammed into an airport terminal and then slowly loaded onto the plane. "What's in it for me to sit on an airplane with 500 other people, wait for my bags with 500 other people, check in with 500 other people?" Gordon Bethune, then chief executive of Continental Airlines, asked a travel industry group last year; Bethune, a former Boeing executive, retired as Continental CEO on Dec. 31. (L ink)
Now for the really bad news. You'll only check in with 500 other passengers if the plane is configured with large first and business class sections. A discounter could cram over 840 coach passengers into the [expeltive deleted] thing if it wanted! Can you imagine the wait to get off it? Or to get your luggage at baggage claim.
The good news is that the A380 is unlikely to make it into the US domestic market anytime soon. Apparently, Airbus expects most initial sales to be for longhaul runs to Asia.
