I've seen countless trip reports for trips on NEO-equipped Airbus narrowbodies that rave about how quite they are. Are the LEAP engines on the Max in the same league noise-wise? Honest question here.

I've flown both and both are quiet. To me the 321neo is a little bit quieter but not by a lot.

The famous PTU hydraulics "barking" noise seems to be silenced onboard the neo?

Haven’t flown on our Max’s yet but I can tell you handling them on the ground they are ridiculously quiet compared to the NG’s.

Both are exceptionally quiet inside.

It's hard to hear the engines over all the air rage.

I love both A and B, so I'll try and give an objective, and 'not too opinionated' (but still personal!) opinion... While the A320neo might be *a tad* quieter than the Max, most people (like myself) feel that the Max is best, and that to me is simple psychology, given that NG was so far noisier.... the A320ceo was already quieter than the NG, so most people will be hard pressed to find "such a huge difference" ..if you see what I mean.
Both are quiet, both are comfortable. Yes, the A3XXneo is a bit quieter, a bit 'softer', a bit roomier...but desperately needs a new cabin. The Boeing Sky interior is far nicer.
One thing though: you are bound to notice and comment on the quietness of these aircraft cabins if you happen to sit FORWARD of the wing. Any seat AFTER the wing, or especially at the back of the cabin, and you will struggle to notice a difference with their older gen brothers!

On a side note: I recently flew on the A220 (sat at the back), and really failed to see how that was any quieter, than say an E190 or an A319ceo...at the back, expect for the many lovely 'singing whale' sounds, it was business as usual, with really a bit of engine noise and even the occasional rattle from a cabin side panel. Really not too impressive TBH....

Both are very quiet. I’ve been riding, on Maxes a lot lately and actually enjoy.


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oldannyboy wrote:

I love both A and B, so I'll try and give an objective, and 'not too opinionated' (but still personal!) opinion... While the A320neo might be *a tad* quieter than the Max, most people (like myself) feel that the Max is best, and that to me is simple psychology, given that NG was so far noisier.... the A320ceo was already quieter than the NG, so most people will be hard pressed to find "such a huge difference" ..if you see what I mean.
Both are quiet, both are comfortable. Yes, the A3XXneo is a bit quieter, a bit 'softer', a bit roomier...but desperately needs a new cabin. The Boeing Sky interior is far nicer.
One thing though: you are bound to notice and comment on the quietness of these aircraft cabins if you happen to sit FORWARD of the wing. Any seat AFTER the wing, or especially at the back of the cabin, and you will struggle to notice a difference with their older gen brothers!

On a side note: I recently flew on the A220 (sat at the back), and really failed to see how that was any quieter, than say an E190 or an A319ceo...at the back, expect for the many lovely 'singing whale' sounds, it was business as usual, with really a bit of engine noise and even the occasional rattle from a cabin side panel. Really not too impressive TBH....

The new interior is already being delivered on aircraft, it is known as Airspace:

https://www.airbus.com/aircraft/passeng ... space.html

bigb wrote:

Both are very quiet. I’ve been riding, on Maxes a lot lately and actually enjoy.


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But hard to have flown on them much before given the extensive grounding. In reality not that many neo around either.

zeke wrote:

bigb wrote:

Both are very quiet. I’ve been riding, on Maxes a lot lately and actually enjoy.


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But hard to have flown on them much before given the extensive grounding. In reality not that many neo around either.

Depends on where you live. Plenty of Maxes and Neos flying around the US for example. It may not feel like there are a lot of Neos thanks to the huge number of Ceos and NGs but there are more Neos delivered and in service than number of MD-80s ever built (and closing in on combined DC-9/MD-80 total).

The baby behind is noisy. Always.

zeke wrote:

bigb wrote:

Both are very quiet. I’ve been riding, on Maxes a lot lately and actually enjoy.


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But hard to have flown on them much before given the extensive grounding. In reality not that many neo around either.

Over 540 MAXes and 1900 A320neos delivered; is that what you call "not many around"???

zeke wrote:

bigb wrote:

Both are very quiet. I’ve been riding, on Maxes a lot lately and actually enjoy.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

But hard to have flown on them much before given the extensive grounding. In reality not that many neo around either.

Lol, this is hilarious. Like you have an idea of my flight activities over this past year. Considering my commute to base is always on a Max and there have been multiple times I’ve commercial deadheaded on a Max and my next flight to commute home will most likely be on a Max again.

I’ve done lost count on the amount of times I’ve flown on the Max lol. So you are the last person to try to tell what is a lot and what isn’t lol.

I flew on the 737 Max9, A320Neo, and A321Neo recently, and in the exact same seat) to see for myself. All 3 were LEAP powered, and I found the 737 to be a little louder. Here are some comparison videos. The A320 used a reduced thrust setting, but the A21N and 7M9 were about the same.

Boeing 737 Max 9 Takeoff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnPKEq8aMmE&t=528s

A321Neo Takeoff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB_KdVGH_9M

A320Neo Takeoff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_4TFS5zfiQ

I haven't flown behind the wing yet on either but am interested how the exhaust pipe roar on takeoff differs from the earlier generations; CFM 737NG and A32Xs are pretty loud back there- but I imagine the cold stream on the newer and bigger fan engines muffles that some- then again, there are many very high bypass engines, GE90, that are quite loud behind the wing, especially on takeoff.

The fan diameter on the A32Xneo is larger than the fan diameter on the 737MAX.
As much a Boeing fan as I've been, that's simple physics; to produce an equivalent amount of thrust, the MAX engine must spin faster. There's no other way.
The faster fan speed produces more noise out the front of the engine, and the narrower nacelle and exhaust make for a noisier situation out the back of the engine.
Both are very quiet, but the neo wins this competition by a slight but perceptible margin.

Are the A-320NEO and the 737MAX quieter on take offs than the A320CEO and 737-NG's? I am referring to outside noise on the ground.

airlineworker wrote:

Are the A-320NEO and the 737MAX quieter on take offs than the A320CEO and 737-NG's? I am referring to outside noise on the ground.

There have to be some standardized, reference noise footprint charts for landings, right? Data must be out there somewhere.

I find that Airbus planes, both wide body and narrow body, are quieter than the equivalent Boeing plane. Why? Not sure, but maybe better insulation between fuselage and the cabin panels? Surely someone on A Net knows why!

I find that Airbus planes, both wide body and narrow body, are quieter than the equivalent Boeing plane. Why? Not sure, but maybe better insulation between fuselage and the cabin panels? Surely someone on A Net knows why!

Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that the 737 has the engines closer to the fuselage than the A320, which has them further out. I can imagine the distance between the engines and the fuselage makes a difference.

B6JFKH81 wrote:

oldannyboy wrote:

I love both A and B, so I'll try and give an objective, and 'not too opinionated' (but still personal!) opinion... While the A320neo might be *a tad* quieter than the Max, most people (like myself) feel that the Max is best, and that to me is simple psychology, given that NG was so far noisier.... the A320ceo was already quieter than the NG, so most people will be hard pressed to find "such a huge difference" ..if you see what I mean.
Both are quiet, both are comfortable. Yes, the A3XXneo is a bit quieter, a bit 'softer', a bit roomier...but desperately needs a new cabin. The Boeing Sky interior is far nicer.
One thing though: you are bound to notice and comment on the quietness of these aircraft cabins if you happen to sit FORWARD of the wing. Any seat AFTER the wing, or especially at the back of the cabin, and you will struggle to notice a difference with their older gen brothers!

On a side note: I recently flew on the A220 (sat at the back), and really failed to see how that was any quieter, than say an E190 or an A319ceo...at the back, expect for the many lovely 'singing whale' sounds, it was business as usual, with really a bit of engine noise and even the occasional rattle from a cabin side panel. Really not too impressive TBH....

The new interior is already being delivered on aircraft, it is known as Airspace:

https://www.airbus.com/aircraft/passeng ... space.html

Yeah, I know, I've seen it. Those colossally square bins are ugly, and make for a more cluttered cabin, while the BSI is really pretty amazing and sleek.
I'm no Boeing fanboy, quite the opposite really, but Airbus needs to rethink the internal architecture of the A320 series....

traindoc wrote:

I find that Airbus planes, both wide body and narrow body, are quieter than the equivalent Boeing plane. Why? Not sure, but maybe better insulation between fuselage and the cabin panels? Surely someone on A Net knows why!

Agree. Airbus planes are definitely better insulated and offer a more 'refined' and pampered ride. With one glaring exception: the magnificent 787.

zeke wrote:

bigb wrote:

Both are very quiet. I’ve been riding, on Maxes a lot lately and actually enjoy.


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But hard to have flown on them much before given the extensive grounding. In reality not that many neo around either.

Are you kidding?? There are literally hundreds of Neos and maxes plying the European skies these days.... it's VERY easy to catch a ride on a Neo!

traindoc wrote:

I find that Airbus planes, both wide body and narrow body, are quieter than the equivalent Boeing plane. Why? Not sure, but maybe better insulation between fuselage and the cabin panels? Surely someone on A Net knows why!

Yes, somebody here knows at least half of the story. But actually even that half is a matter of so many small details, that it is impossible to give a short answer.

You need to be aware that most of the noise heard in the cabin during level flight is boundary layer noise (fast turbulent airflow exciting the fuselage skin to vibration). Noise from systems is not a major contributor (except air cond in certain areas), engine exhaust can be heard in the aft cabin, but became a lot quieter with the new engines.

Now the boundary layer excites the fuselage skin, which itself radiates noise towards the inside. That air-borne noise travels through gaps and slits into the cabin and is also transmitted through the lining panels (the mentioned insulation can only reduce these parts). The vibration of the fuselage skin is also transmitted into virtually every part of the a/c structure as so-called structure-borne noise and further into the lining panels. They will again radiate noise into the cabin (and insulation won't help here). But also the cabin floor and ceiling, hatracks, cabin monuments (galleys, toilets etc.) radiate noise.

To reduce noise in the cabin you would have to reduce every single transission path. If you work on only 1 or 2 of them, the effect will be very small.

Imagine the noise would be transmitted via 3 equivalent transmission paths. If you could cut one of them completely (which is impossible), with all that effort to do so you would reduce the noise in the cabin by less than 2dB.


Gruß, Matthias

WayexTDI wrote:

Over 540 MAXes and 1900 A320neos delivered; is that what you call "not many around"???

It would be less than 15% of the NB fleet worldwide, and passengers have no choice on the equipment they travel on.

Then there is the simple fact the max was grounded for some time, and still remains grounded in some parts of the world (eg China). Some parts of the world don’t see much neo or max activity (eg Australia).

Many neos remain parked due Covid.

zeke wrote:

WayexTDI wrote:

Over 540 MAXes and 1900 A320neos delivered; is that what you call "not many around"???

It would be less than 15% of the NB fleet worldwide, and passengers have no choice on the equipment they travel on.

Then there is the simple fact the max was grounded for some time, and still remains grounded in some parts of the world (eg China). Some parts of the world don’t see much neo or max activity (eg Australia).

Many neos remain parked due Covid.

15% of the NB fleet is not pocket change, it starts being a sizeable proportion.
But others have already responded going in the same direction: the MAXes and neos are out there in enough quantity that the chances to fly on one of them is high enough.

WayexTDI wrote:

15% of the NB fleet is not pocket change, it starts being a sizeable proportion.

That is assuming every operator and every route has that penetration, which is not the case.

Wasn't the topic something about noise?

Gruß, masi1157

Slightly of subject, but has anyone noticed a difference in the noise level between the two 32x NEO engine types (GTF and LEAP) - just curious.

The difference is so small that nobody could seriously say anything about it just after flying on the 2 variants. The engines may sound a bit different during start-up, take-off, climb, perhaps even level flight. But in terms of noise levels there is hardly a measurable difference during cruise. And that is under "ceteris paribus" conditions. On random commercial flights you might find noise level differences, that have nothing to do with the engine type.


Gruß, masi1157

I've only flown on a couple of MAXs, but found them to be noisier in the cabin than the A320NEO.

Externally both are wonderfully quiet. I live under a departure corridor for LGW, it's anecdotal but quite often you see an easyJet NEO following a TUI MAX to the same destination/region, and there's little difference. Then a CEO or regular 738 thunders over and you realise just how much of an improvement the next generation engines are

Only one experience and only on a Max that I flew on yesterday. Seated just behind the wing and found the Max loud.