ORD To Get Whale In '16!

globalcabotage · Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:17 am

Leaving ORD last night, word was that the 380 gates, yes gates are a go and that several airlines will fly out of T5. I'm guessing EK, BA, LH, and QR are the obvious choices. I still won't believe it until I see it, but positive and will probably get better loads than my current home of DFW.

MesaFlyGuy · Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:30 am

Quoting globalcabotage (Thread starter):
I'm guessing EK, BA, LH, and QR are the obvious choices.

EK I agree with, Lufthansa I could see happening, Qatar maybe, but BA I don't see happening thanks to their limited number of a380s that are stretched pretty tight as it is.

Miami · Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:37 am

My money is on EK.

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 1):
EK I agree with

Is that even a question?

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 1):
Lufthansa

I can't because the lack of aircraft.

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 1):
Qatar

Highly doubt.

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 1):
BA I don't see happening thanks to their limited number of a380s

flyDTW1992 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:53 am

What this means for me is that DTW is potentially in line to become an A380 divert station for LH. Which is another teeny-tiny step toward A380 service sometime down the road.

But in all seriousness, that does sound like good news for ORD, I'd love to see some 380 traffic here in the Great Lakes region.

chrisnh · Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:57 am

BOS and ORD could be in lockstep with the A380. It's been noted that more than just EK want to fly it to Beantown.

UA444 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 12:58 am

I see LH's 748 depart from UA's T1 all the time so they would have issues there bringing the 380.

S75752 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:12 am

EK if only for their word about having all US destinations be A380.

QR I think stands a good chance, ORD's a decent place to connect for the central US.

LH for certain.

CHI787ORD · Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:20 am

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 1):
BA I don't see happening thanks to their limited number of a380s that are stretched pretty tight as it is.

Quoting S75752 (Reply 6):
LH for certain.

Actually LH would have to move their departures from T1 to T5 due to a taxi clearance issue with the 380. I don't think them bringing the A380 is super likely, the 748 seems to be doing well.

BA is actually more likely than LH I'd say. They've actually approached ORD within the past year about wanting to start A380 service.

EK is a no brainer. QR might happen but I think there is already alot of ME3 capacity at ORD.

Yukon880 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:23 am

Not wishing to steal (too greatly) your thunder, but ORD is already well known for "Whale" watching...
especially, the royalty of the species more commonly known as "The Queen."
No offense to the "Super" you wish to endear here with a regal moniker...
I would just like to suggest that many, in aviation circles, have long known that "Whale" refers to that
good looking species of airplane that hails from the Pacific Northwest!

Perhaps no more than a personal preference, I seek only to protect the honor of the Queen.

Yukon

airportugal310 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:40 am

Quoting Yukon880 (Reply 8):
I seek only to protect the honor of the Queen.

Quoting Yukon880 (Reply 8):
have long known that "Whale" refers to that
good looking species of airplane that hails from the Pacific Northwest!

Pick one...you can't have them both

flyDTW1992 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:43 am

Quoting airportugal310 (Reply 9):
Pick one...you can't have them both

I dunno, 747 was called both long before the A380 came into existence...It'll always be the queen though, I'd be more willing to part with "whale."

usairways85 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:53 am

Quoting UA444 (Reply 5):
I see LH's 748 depart from UA's T1 all the time so they would have issues there bringing the 380.

I am pretty sure all of LH departures are from T1 in their little dedicated corner of B in the afternoons. I suspect they will want to maintain operations at T1.

DeltaB717 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:53 am

Quoting flyDTW1992 (Reply 3):
What this means for me is that DTW is potentially in line to become an A380 divert station for LH. Which is another teeny-tiny step toward A380 service sometime down the road.

Haha I see where you're going with that, but using that argument ASP and DRW should have QF A380 services soon too!?

PITrules · Thu Apr 23, 2015 2:23 am

Quoting Yukon880 (Reply 8):
Not wishing to steal (too greatly) your thunder, but ORD is already well known for "Whale" watching...
especially, the royalty of the species more commonly known as "The Queen."
No offense to the "Super" you wish to endear here with a regal moniker...
I would just like to suggest that many, in aviation circles, have long known that "Whale" refers to that
good looking species of airplane that hails from the Pacific Northwest!

Perhaps no more than a personal preference, I seek only to protect the honor of the Queen.

"The Whale" = B747.... to the entire global aviation industry except for the tiny tiny corner known as A.net. One of my pet peeves about this page. Thankfully this website (as wonderful as it is) does not get to dictate to the rest of the industry what industry terms are.

northwestEWR · Thu Apr 23, 2015 2:28 am

Quoting CHI787ORD (Reply 7):
Actually LH would have to move their departures from T1 to T5 due to a taxi clearance issue with the 380. I don't think them bringing the A380 is super likely, the 748 seems to be doing well.

Quoting usairways85 (Reply 11):
I am pretty sure all of LH departures are from T1 in their little dedicated corner of B in the afternoons. I suspect they will want to maintain operations at T1.

UA to LH at Chicago is about the only convenient international connection at ORD. To change that would be idiotic.

Back when I worked for UA as a gate agent, passengers HATED having to trek over to T5. Lufthansa was always a popular choice because it's location made life easy.

tb727 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 2:28 am

Quoting Yukon880 (Reply 8):
I would just like to suggest that many, in aviation circles, have long known that "Whale" refers to that
good looking species of airplane that hails from the Pacific Northwest!

Quoting PITrules (Reply 13):
"The Whale" = B747.... to the entire global aviation industry except for the tiny tiny corner known as A.net. One of my pet peeves about this page. Thankfully this website (as wonderful as it is) does not get to dictate to the rest of the industry what industry terms are.

Amen! I was getting on this thread to say ORD gets whale flights every day and has been for the last 45 years!

rta · Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:09 am

Nice. looking forward to seeing them at ORD. also agree with EK. don't think they can find enough places to send their A380s.

[Edited 2015-04-22 21:07:24]

blueflyer · Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:28 am

Quoting DeltaB717 (Reply 12):

Quoting flyDTW1992 (Reply 3):
What this means for me is that DTW is potentially in line to become an A380 divert station for LH. Which is another teeny-tiny step toward A380 service sometime down the road.

Haha I see where you're going with that, but using that argument ASP and DRW should have QF A380 services soon too!?

Hey, don't knock the theory, it worked for DFW! It started with being a diversion airport for LH on the way to IAH, and it has two of its own every day now!

lotpilot16 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:14 am

LH won't bring the A380 to ORD. It took almost 2 years just to get the 747-8 approved and the A380 would not fit at Terminal 1. The terminal 1 departure works very well for them and they would loose a lot of passengers by switching back to a T5 departure with the A380.

HNL · Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:18 am

Quoting northwestEWR (Reply 14):
UA to LH at Chicago is about the only convenient international connection at ORD. To change that would be idiotic.

More than just LH @ T1

UA>NH departs at T1
AA>JL departs at T3
AA>IB departs at T3
AA>AB departs at T3
AA>WS all at T3

N104UA · Thu Apr 23, 2015 6:02 am

Quoting globalcabotage (Thread starter):

I agree with the "I won't believe it until I see it," building A380 gates does not mean A380 service, but it would be hard to lure an airline with an A380 unless you have an A380 gate.

With the UA-LH JV it will not be LH unless you hear A380 gates being built on B or C.

Yukon880 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 6:49 am

Quoting airportugal310 (Reply 9):
Pick one...you can't have them both

Meu Amigo,

My apologies, please pardon me for being greedy.
I would like to help you find some lipstick for your prized pig...
which term of endearment would you like to have?

Cheers,
Yukon

EK413 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 8:03 am

Quoting globalcabotage (Thread starter):
Leaving ORD last night, word was that the 380 gates, yes gates are a go and that several airlines will fly out of T5. I'm guessing EK, BA, LH, and QR are the obvious choices. I still won't believe it until I see it, but positive and will probably get better loads than my current home of DFW.

With a fleet of 60 A380's and climbing I'd say EK to be number 1 candidate.

I have read in previous threads that BA is frequency focused on key US routes, not sure if ORD was one of these routes? LH certainly another candidate to deploy A380's considering ORD is a * Alliance hub.

Any indication as to how many gates will be A380 capable?

EK413

strfyr51 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 8:12 am

The 747 is often referred to as the "Whale" while the 777 is referred to as "Bigfoot" or the "Killer Whale" Mostly they're referred to as the "47"or the "77"
All those Cutesy named cause you to have to remember what was last in "fashion"...

AirPacific747 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 9:05 am

Can't believe though, that CPH is getting A380 service before ORD.

yeogeo · Thu Apr 23, 2015 10:21 am

Quoting AirPacific747 (Reply 24):
Can't believe though, that CPH is getting A380 service before ORD.

I'm not surprised.
Of these two airports which do you think might have more difficulty accommodating the whale

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Europix - AirTeamImages

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Yu Cai

yeo

[Edited 2015-04-23 03:29:21]

aviatorcraig · Thu Apr 23, 2015 10:50 am

Quoting tb727 (Reply 15):
Quoting Yukon880 (Reply 8):
I would just like to suggest that many, in aviation circles, have long known that "Whale" refers to that
good looking species of airplane that hails from the Pacific Northwest!
Quoting PITrules (Reply 13):
"The Whale" = B747.... to the entire global aviation industry except for the tiny tiny corner known as A.net. One of my pet peeves about this page. Thankfully this website (as wonderful as it is) does not get to dictate to the rest of the industry what industry terms are.

Amen! I was getting on this thread to say ORD gets whale flights every day and has been for the last 45 years!

At the age of 56, and having been in and around aviation all my life, today is the first day I have ever heard of the 747 being referred to as the Whale. Thank you for educating me. I guess it is a US-centric thing.

burnsie28 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 11:40 am

I posted this in the other thread:

Quote:
From mid-April 2015 the A380s will start flying from Frankfurt to Delhi, Houston, Johannesburg, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai and Singapore and from 15 June 2015 also to Boston and Chicago.

When you go to book it still shows 748, so either they haven't updated the website, or they are having to delay the A380 to both locations.

http://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/premium-economy-class

rta · Thu Apr 23, 2015 11:46 am

Quoting aviatorcraig (Reply 26):
At the age of 56, and having been in and around aviation all my life, today is the first day I have ever heard of the 747 being referred to as the Whale. Thank you for educating me. I guess it is a US-centric thing.

I, too, have never heard of the 747 being referred to as a whale. Queen (of the skies) for the 747 and whale for A380.

jcwr56 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 11:50 am

Quoting globalcabotage (Thread starter):

Leaving ORD last night, word was that the 380 gates, yes gates are a go and that several airlines will fly out of T5.

I hate to be THAT guy, but....It's not gates, it's a single gate. The study commissioned by the airlines is out and the terminal in its' current state could handle two 380's with the caveat that one gate would restrict aircraft types on either side. This would actually cause more harm than good. The other would not have gating restrictions. The terminal in it's current gating setup has 20 gates with 4 widebody hardstands, the reconfigured design would be 19 gates with 3 widebody hardstands.

The other issue is scheduling, the 380 operator (whomever that is) would need to adjust their schedule as to not impact other grandfathered flights. This includes remote parking if the 380 was to be towed off to park.

Now the political, operational and financial balancing act starts to see if all 3 are worth it.

jayunited · Thu Apr 23, 2015 11:59 am

Quoting EK413 (Reply 22):
With a fleet of 60 A380's and climbing I'd say EK to be number 1 candidate

Although I agree with most on this thread that probably EK will send an A380 to ORD the airline that is really packing them in according to the arrival sheet all operators get at T5 is QR. QR is really benefiting from their partnership with AA which really makes me wonder what would happen if EK (and I know this would never happen) partnered up with DL or UA. From what I've read on other threads QR is doing extremely well at DFW while EK supposedly is flying half empty A380's.
But I do think its only a matter of time before we see an EK A380 at ORD whether they will be able to fill it is a totally different debate for another thread.

WA707atMSP · Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:12 pm

Quoting rta (Reply 28):
Quoting aviatorcraig (Reply 26):At the age of 56, and having been in and around aviation all my life, today is the first day I have ever heard of the 747 being referred to as the Whale. Thank you for educating me. I guess it is a US-centric thing. I, too, have never heard of the 747 being referred to as a whale. Queen (of the skies) for the 747 and whale for A380.

One of the funniest 747 / whale allusions took place in the early 1990s. An AA Eagle ATR 42 was hit on the ground at JFK by a 747 ( I think the 747 was operated by Saudia, but I'm not sure). The 747 was damaged more than the ATR 42 was, so AA Eagle mechanics put a small whale sticker on the nose of the ATR 42 - the implication being that the ATR 42 "killed a whale".

allegiantflyer · Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:15 pm

When I first read the title of this thread, I thought ORD was about to have some sort of lawsuit filed against them from PETA

Quoting Miami (Reply 2):
My money is on EK.

what about SQ? routing via LAX?

copter808 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 1:42 pm

Quoting aviatorcraig (Reply 26):
At the age of 56, and having been in and around aviation all my life, today is the first day I have ever heard of the 747 being referred to as the Whale. Thank you for educating me. I guess it is a US-centric thing.

Quoting rta (Reply 28):
I, too, have never heard of the 747 being referred to as a whale.

I have heard it being referred to as the "Whale" for many years!

ORDTLV2414 · Thu Apr 23, 2015 2:00 pm

this will take a lot of preparation and work but it could really pay off. ORD is becoming increasingly congested and is starting to remind me of JFK, having bigger planes could mean less frequencies, which would result in less traffic.

_AA_777_MAN · Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:28 pm

Quoting CHI787ORD (Reply 7):
BA is actually more likely than LH I'd say. They've actually approached ORD within the past year about wanting to start A380 service.

Exactly right... My money is on BA being the first to start scheduled A380 service to ORD.

Eventually LH, QR, EK, KE, in that order.

masgniw · Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:08 pm

What about Korean or Asiana? They both have year-round, regularly scheduled flights to Seoul from ORD.

I know their fleets are relatively small, 10 and 2 respectively, but Asiana has 4 more on their way. Do they have the load factors to warrant this?

C767P · Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:09 pm

The only Whale is the 747...The 380 is a bloated dolphin...

CHI787ORD · Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:34 pm

Quoting masgniw (Reply 36):
What about Korean or Asiana? They both have year-round, regularly scheduled flights to Seoul from ORD. I know their fleets are relatively small, 10 and 2 respectively, but Asiana has 4 more on their way. Do they have the load factors to warrant this?

KE had shown some interest a few years back but I honestly don't see it happening. ORD isn't a skyteam hub so I really doubt they could fill an A380.

The 2x daily 777 from KE and OZ on ORD-ICN seems to be the right capacity fit.

[Edited 2015-04-23 09:53:32]

masgniw · Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:49 pm

Quoting CHI787ORD (Reply 38):
The 2x daily 777 from KE and OZ on ORD-ICN seems to be the right capacity fit.

Good insight, thanks. Do you happen to know (or know where to find) to LFs for these routes?

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