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Airbus A380 vs. Boeing 787 Dreamliner


Smash Boy
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Curious what LPers think of the two planes, preferences and what not?

 

I've ridden the A380 a few times and love it. The pure size (width), solidity in air, relatively quiet ride and sense of opulence is awesome. I've done both economy and business on Emirates on the 380 and both are my favorite of either cabin class.

 

Haven't had a chance to ride a 787, not sure about a 747. 777 is very nice for a few hour flights.

 

Often you won't get a chance to ride these planes unless you go 8+ hours non stop, but occasionally Emirates will run a 380 90 minutes between Dubai and Kuwait. :lol2:

 

I'd also be interested in hearing pilots' commentary on flying the planes. I hear there's a bit of an anti-Airbus bias for American pilots although I'm not sure if that's just being pro American or rooted in what they are like to fly. I'm pretty sure I heard it from one of our guys here.

 

As for me I'm only a poseur passenger. :icon_thumleft: :icon_pidu:

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The last pic is misleading, the A380 and the 787 is not even close in size. The length of the A380 is some 52+ft longer and the wingspan is some 65+ft wider.

 

I am not a big fan of the 787. Sure, the technology is impressive but, to me anyway, it's a 21st century 767 with a longer cruising range. The larger window with a polarizing filter is a gimmick and nothing more, likewise for the multi-colour cabin lights. The all-polymer bathroom looks cheap and being a polymer, it somewhat retains the odour which, at the end of an 8hr+ flight, isn't exactly pleasant even with constant cleaning from the crew. Being a much lighter plane, it does not stack up too well with heavy turbulence from a passenger point of view, i.e. it gets bumpy rather often and easily. The A380 is a completely different machine. Upper deck is particularly nice as long as you don't mind a lower than usual ceiling. Economy class might be a different story due to the high passenger volume, i.e. waiting for bathroom and for luggage would take time. But on business and first class cabins, the 787 is not even close when compared to the A380.

 

I don't know enough to comment on piloting the two. But I believe all modern Airbuses are operated by joystick like controls whereas the 787 is by a conventional-looking yoke so I can imagine those familiar with the yoke will find the joystick somewhat strange to get used to.

 

I think the 747-8 is a closer match to the A380. It's not bad at all but it is older tech repackaged with newer gizmos.

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I took a 787 to London couple of weeks ago in business , i loved it, it was a perfect flight, very quiet and comfortable . I have not been on a 380 yet so i cannot comment, maybe will get the chance next month.

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The last pic is misleading, the A380 and the 787 is not even close in size. The length of the A380 is some 52+ft longer and the wingspan is some 65+ft wider.

 

I am not a big fan of the 787. Sure, the technology is impressive but, to me anyway, it's a 21st century 767 with a longer cruising range. The larger window with a polarizing filter is a gimmick and nothing more, likewise for the multi-colour cabin lights. The all-polymer bathroom looks cheap and being a polymer, it somewhat retains the odour which, at the end of an 8hr+ flight, isn't exactly pleasant even with constant cleaning from the crew. Being a much lighter plane, it does not stack up too well with heavy turbulence from a passenger point of view, i.e. it gets bumpy rather often and easily. The A380 is a completely different machine. Upper deck is particularly nice as long as you don't mind a lower than usual ceiling. Economy class might be a different story due to the high passenger volume, i.e. waiting for bathroom and for luggage would take time. But on business and first class cabins, the 787 is not even close when compared to the A380.

 

I don't know enough to comment on piloting the two. But I believe all modern Airbuses are operated by joystick like controls whereas the 787 is by a conventional-looking yoke so I can imagine those familiar with the yoke will find the joystick somewhat strange to get used to.

 

I think the 747-8 is a closer match to the A380. It's not bad at all but it is older tech repackaged with newer gizmos.

 

Good info, thanks!

 

With respect to the Airbus controls, a pilot friend just told me that "Airbus (accurately) decided that a large portion of future pilots are coming from third world countries that do not have a well developed talent pipeline unlike the US, and after the A300 pretty much everything they build is designed for novice pilots who are more trained on flight control computers than actual flying experience."

 

Funny how we both focus on the passenger flying experience while others I have reached out to focus mostly on what it is like to fly or how profitable these planes are....as if any of us are going to start up an airline.....and many of those guys aren't even pilots. :lol2:

 

And even if a Boeing is more natural to fly for a good pilot....the difference is not significant IMO to warrant it being a big deal.

 

 

I took a 787 to London couple of weeks ago in business , i loved it, it was a perfect flight, very quiet and comfortable . I have not been on a 380 yet so i cannot comment, maybe will get the chance next month.

 

Good to hear about the 787....would like to fly on that sometime.

 

Look forward to hearing about the 380.

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Financially: The 787 vs A380 is the David vs Goliath business model.

 

Boeing bet that airlines would want more efficient, more frequent flights. Airbus bet that hauling a TON of people all at once, less often would pay off.

 

Based on orders (and profit) Boeing bet correctly. Airbus will be lucky if the A380 breaks even.

 

 

Comfort: You can't really compare the two, because each airline specs out their airplanes differently. For example, if you flew a 737NG from Ryanair you would probably think all Boeing 737s are crap because they shoe horned as many people as possible into the jet, make you pay for the toilet, etc.

 

Boeing and Airbus are at the mercy of the airlines for how their airplanes get spec'd out. Pissed you don't have a seat charger? It's not Airbus' fault, it's United being stingy when they ordered their A320.

 

 

Pilots perspective: I've only flown Boeing. I'm actually 2/3's the way through getting my 737 type rating right now and it is a nice plane to fly. I feel like some of the cockpit design (for systems) is a bit old and dated though. This is due to the 737 having a ton of operators and Boeing needs to keep the type rating the same for all iterations of the 737. So the brand spanking new 737MAX needs to be fairly similar to the old 737-400 Classic. This "gripe" doesn't apply to the 787 which has a state of the art (and frankly sexy) cockpit.

 

Airbus doesn't really have the issue the 737 has with a large customer base flying the same type of airplane (cough Southwest cough), so their cockpits make a bit more sense than the 737 in a Human Factors sense. Also, they have the side stick which is either a love hate from what I've been told. Unanimously, all the pilots really enjoy having a tray table in front of them (Airbus only) so they can eat, write, or even cross their legs.

 

Overall, I like flying the plane and I rest easy knowing that the computer on a Boeing jet can't kill me. The same is not true with Airbus, the pilot cannot override the core logic of the flight computer.

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I don't like 787's.

 

I fly 10-12 international legs a year and 30 legs within America/Europe/Asia

 

I like 777's the best. If I had $$ I'd get one. :D

 

 

Thx for the pilots report, cool stuff

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Good stuff StoleIt. :icon_thumleft:

 

Eric, the 777 is sweet. I saw on wiki that the single longest non stop flight currently offered is Auckland to Doha on a 777, at ~9,000 miles.

 

Emirates usually flies a 777 when it's not the 380. They look and feel good inside....not sure why it doesn't get more press compared to it's Boeing siblings.

 

 

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I dislike flying with passion but the most comfortable flights I had were on the A380 aircraft, feels rock solid and very reassuring in the air doesn't rock about like some of the other planes LOL

 

When the routes allow it I only fly Singapore Airlines, service in business is impeccable, next flight is Etihad I hope it will be at least on par with Singapore.

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I've flown on the A380 few times including the J cabin on Emirates and loved it. It's a very quite plane and I love the bar/lounge areas which is great when you're flying 12+hrs. I've also done a back to back flight on a Korean A380 and 747-8 in J and both in terms of comfort felt the same. And on the topic of the 747-8, I'm excited to hear that the USAF has decided on two 747-8's to replace AF1. Glad to see the bird will live on.

 

I haven't flown the 787 yet but I will be flying to Tokyo & Sydney in Nov on ANA so looking forward to that. One thing I'm curious about is the lower cabin pressure on the 787, it'll be interesting to see if I feel any difference in regards to jetleg. With all that been said the plane I'm really looking forward to is the 77X, the 777 is still my fav plane so can't wait to experience the next generation of this plane.

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I haven't been on either yet, but I will say the 787 is a sexy design. When you see the plane from the rear and see the stance it has with the how far and beautifully high the wings sweep up, it's a very striking design.

 

StoleIt is right about interiors, you can't judge a plane based on how the airline spec'd out the plane. Very cool to hear the Pilot point of view.

 

Air_India_Boeing_787_Dreamliner_N1008S_PAS_2013_05.jpg

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A bit OT but has anyone been on an Airbus A350? The A350-900 / A350-1000 would be a fairer comparison to the 787 & 777 respectively. An A350-900ULR is very interesting: it has a range of 9700 nautical miles. That's like 19hrs of non-stop flight! Not that I wanted to spend 19hrs flying in one but from a commercial jetliner perspective, that is very impressive. I guess they will need 2 shifts of crew then.

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Fun fact. Lamborghini holds many patents on carbon fiber and has owned them since the early 1980's. About 28 of these patents are still used today by Boeing in their airplanes and on some of the newest and brightest.

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Lower pressure on the 787 makes a big difference.....we find that we arrive much fresher than we used to on the 747....Not been on the A380 to compare though....

 

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No lower. Frame on the 787 is much stiffer so it does not need the higher pressure.

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Higher cabin pressure indeed. High alltitude flying means low pressure outside. The stiffness of the airframe makes it withstand a larger pressure difference meaning the inside pressure can be higher, making it feel more like sea-level (compare with climbing a mountain and feeling nauseous).

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As a passenger, you want a LOWER cabin altitude A lower cabin altitude will result in a higher cabin differential (the difference between the outside air pressure and the inside), but as a passenger you don't care about the diff, just what the pressure altitude is for the given environment you are located.

 

The 787 has a lower cabin pressure then pretty much any other airplane meaning you are less fatigued at the end of your flight.

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I was supposed to fly out today and didn't, had to reschedule.

 

I hate flying! I admit, I'm a total wuss.

 

I can't look forward to any flight.

 

My cool story of the day :D

 

Much respect for pilots. Takes major balls to fly

 

 

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We're just getting words mixed up. I think what we're is trying to say is that a lower cabin pressure ALTITUDE is nicer (if the airframe can handle it). In other words, a number in thousands of feet. 787 is pressurized to replicate 6,000ft. Much like driving up the foothills west of Denver (which is awesome). Most jets give you 8,000ft and the eustachian tubes going to your ears have a tougher battle with 8k vs. 6k. The gauge in the jet will indicate the pressurization situation by what altitude the system is replicating. Pressure in psi becomes an irrelevant figure to the business of operating the jet and thinking of pressure in psi is a wasted brain byte better spent on flying.

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Lower pressure on the 787 makes a big difference.....we find that we arrive much fresher than we used to on the 747....Not been on the A380 to compare though....

 

 

That's a great point

 

I've flown to Africa many times in the 747's, even shorter legs like 8 hours and I'm shot afterwards. The 787 is certainly better in that way.

 

I've not been in a 380 yet.

 

I always am 1st class 80% of the time or biz the other 20% on any flight over 5 hours. My back can't take it otherwise.

 

I'm off to home tmr, Munich-London-San fresco then LA....... I really do need my own jet. I mite give up cars for one, seriously

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That's a great point

 

I've flown to Africa many times in the 747's, even shorter legs like 8 hours and I'm shot afterwards. The 787 is certainly better in that way.

 

I've not been in a 380 yet.

 

I always am 1st class 80% of the time or biz the other 20% on any flight over 5 hours. My back can't take it otherwise.

 

I'm off to home tmr, Munich-London-San fresco then LA....... I really do need my own jet. I mite give up cars for one, seriously

 

Bombier Global 6000 is what we need. And maybe a Gulfstream 650. I have 3 pilots ready to go...is that bad? :lol2:

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Bombier Global 6000 is what we need. And maybe a Gulfstream 650. I have 3 pilots ready to go...is that bad? :lol2:

 

I couldn't agree more at this very moment. I've been traveling 22 hours. Ugh!! And I'm still not home. I'm smashed in a middle seat from SFO-LAX.

 

I'm in!! I'll put one on my AMEX and have the greatest 30 days of my life or until I get caught!!! Lol

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