TWA717_200 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1084 times:
There is nothing that excites me more than flying. On the flip side, I can't think of many things that irritate me more then checking in and boarding a flight!
Can you imagine what it's going to be like on these flippin' monsters?!? Talk about waiting in line!
Your sitting there at the gate with 500+ passengers waiting to board the same plane. Maybe your lucky...you have a first class ticket, are a frequent flyer, have kids, or need some help. What if you don't qualify for that? "Now boarding rows 15 through 25....35 through 40"....yadda yadda yadda. Pushing...shoving...
Spaceman From United States of America, joined Jul 2000, 534 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 962 times:
I'm sure they'll come out with a way to quickly load these big birds. They'll probably have more than one gate to board the planes.
D L X From United States of America, joined May 1999, 10561 posts, RR: 53 Reply 2, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 945 times:
The dual boarding jetway systems are spreading quickly. I recently took a UA 777 from DEN to SFO and at both ends there were two jetways loading the aircraft, one for each aisle. Above that even, I imagine that the 3XX if built would accept a jetway on each level. Lines won't be any longer than today, and perhaps even shorter.
We're Nuts From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 5705 posts, RR: 22 Reply 3, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 934 times:
Think how many people will be shooting their legs out just to get on quickly...
ZRH From Switzerland, joined Nov 1999, 5540 posts, RR: 40 Reply 4, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 921 times:
C'mon it is only a technical problem to solve. In fact there is not a significant difference between a 400 passenger 747 and 550 passenger A3XX. The difference between a DC 8/707 and a 747 in former days or between a 767/330 and a 747 in our days is much bigger. If such peanuts were problems nobody would ever invent new things.
IndianGuy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 895 times:
Some high-density versions of the 747-200 used to carry 550 pax on domestic flights (i dont remember which country), but i am sure that getting pax on-board an A3XX is not going to be anymore difficult.
Na From Germany, joined Dec 1999, 9614 posts, RR: 10 Reply 6, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 876 times:
For every problem there´s a solution. And boarding a A3XX will not be a big problem. It´s peanuts, like ZRH said. I´m sure of that.
To board a very long narrow plane is worse than a very big two-floor plane. Ever been on a 757-300? One Aisle, 300 passengers? Thats what I call uncomfortable boarding.
Adria From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 7, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 844 times:
To board the A3XX there will be necessery 2 jetways. One in the lower deck and one in the upper deck. So the boarding time won't be any longer, even shorter. Because each deck will carry around 250 passengers. It will be just as you board a B767-300 with one jetway.
RayChuang From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 7695 posts, RR: 5 Reply 8, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 836 times:
What's interesting is that both Boeing and Airbus are well-aware of the problem of embarking and disembarking 500+ passengers on an A3XX or 747X and have incorporated high-capacity stairways to connect the two floors of the plane.
While the bi-level jetways may be one option to move passengers in and out of these planes, the other solution is to have two jetwalks connected to the plane, one to load passengers on the lower deck and one to connect to a door that will allow passengers to quickly move up the high-capacity stairways to the upper deck of the plane.
However, we still have the problem of the catering trucks and "honey wagons" servicing these big planes. For servicing the lavatories, it's very likely both Airbus and Boeing have fitted the holding tanks on the deck below the main passenger deck so servicing them is not a problem.
But loading the food onto these monster planes will be a problem. For the 747X, this may be less of a problem since there won't be a significant increase in number of passengers on upper decks so current galley elevators don't need significant improvements in capacity. On the A3XX, because the plane will have a full-length upper deck, it may require a new generation of catering truck that have long enough hydraulic jacks to lift the trailer high enough to use the upper deck doors so the food can be loaded directly onto the upper deck. It's either that or Airbus will have to drastically increase the capacity of the galley elevators inside the plane, which will impose a major weight penalty on the plane itself.
Trvlr From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 4430 posts, RR: 24 Reply 9, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 819 times:
The new airport at Inchon in Korea will have three or so double-decker boarding gates (or regular gates that can be easily upgraded) in anticipation of planes like the A3XX.
777LR From United States of America, joined Apr 2011, 58 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 797 times:
I have been thinking about this for a while. First off there will be no stupid monstrous jetway, everybody and everything will be loaded from the main dack. I came to the conclusion that this plane will be a logistical nightmare. It will nead 3 tankers to fuel, a tone of them little baggage carts, around 3 sqychef trucks, its wings will be 40ft longer than the 747, and the baggage claim area will be a funny sight. This plane is a stupididy. I am sure the plane will be a marvel but it is not neaded right now. I have traveled on a 747 many times and not one time was it full. Jumbos nead to be 95% full to make money and not one A3xx will be full. Look what hapened to PanAm and their unfilled 747's. If you ask me the A3XX will loose money to any airline that buys it. Thats why hardly anybody has sighned up for them. Sure AF has but they are owned by the gov and were certainly ordered to. Emirates has ordered 5 but hey they can afford to waste money. I am not sure if Airbus will be able to waste money after this blunder. They will have thair glory for about five minutes untill their accountant comes runing out and says "we are f****d."
Cba From United States of America, joined Jul 2000, 4530 posts, RR: 3 Reply 12, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 784 times:
I agree with 777LR 100%. Look, many 744's aren't full. Jal has found a way to cram 500 people in a 744. What we do need are planes that hold about 300 people that can fly 10,000 miles. Planes like the new 777LR's.
OA269 From Greece, joined Nov 1999, 140 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 2 days 1 hour ago) and read 759 times:
First of all I would like to agree with RayChuang.The A3XX has nothing to do with the 747X mainly because it's a full two-level aircraft completely differently designed.You have to thing parameters such as aircraft size,weight,airport ability of accepting such an aircraft.Only by taking in mind how Airbus says it will look like , we have a 550+ passengers aircraft with plenty of room to move and entertainment rooms such as bars,leisure rooms etc. plus fuels,laguages,food storage etc.It will make use of the usual RR engines , well known for their problems and not as powerful as those of GE.
And all these for nothing.And I say nothing because Airbus is not going to make money from it even if it manages to fly ( I persoanally doubt about the last ).You can often find 747s hardly full of passengers even in big airliners.What I believe is that Airbus makes this movement to hurt Boeing.It is its last chance (we hear for A3XX more than 10 years) of making a big step now that its sales are better than Boeing's.
For those that hurried to think that I support Boeing they're wrong.I'm a European and I would like to support Airbus but Boeing is far better.I "pray" for A3XX to fly but I'm not sure.And for the Americans of this forum please don't be too proud for your Boeing because I can send you a very interesting article I read yesterday called "Industrial War and the use of telecommunications : Boeing vs Airbus"
Thanks
Wingman From Trinidad and Tobago, joined May 1999, 1837 posts, RR: 5 Reply 14, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 2 days ago) and read 757 times:
The problem with long boarding and deboarding times is logjams in the aisles. If I remember correctly, the A3XX with have four aisles in the main cabin, which should allow for much faster boarding/deboarding times than the 747X. I agree though with some of the above posts. Being part of a 550 person stampede to baggage claim and customs will not be fun at all. It's not fun in a 744 and it's not fun in a 777 or 340. Think about the Passport Control dingos out there now. They face a max of 420 people at a time and I don't care what country you travel to, these guys always look like they just had their nuts sawed off by a dull butter knife. How are the going to look when their facing 550 people? From bad to worse. How about 5 A3XX landings in a row? That just cracks me up.
RayChuang From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 7695 posts, RR: 5 Reply 15, posted (12 years 9 months 1 week 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 747 times:
I think the arrival of the Airbus A3XX may pose a challenge to airport parking ramps just like what happened when the 747 arrived on the scene in 1970. We are talking a massive increase in not only passenger capacity, but also just about everything that services a plane (refuelling, baggage handling, lavatory servicing, food catering, etc.). And I won't mention the need for new servicing towers and new hangars to handle this monster.
Hopefully, the airports around the world will upgrade their parking gates by 2005 so they can handle the A3XX.
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