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How does it compare to the Dreamliner/Boeing 787? I like the Dreamliner. The ride is noticeably smoother and the improvements to cabin air filtration, humidit

How does it compare to the Dreamliner/Boeing 787? I like the Dreamliner. The ride is noticeably smoother and the improvements to cabin air filtration, humidity management, cabin pressurization at lower altitudes, larger windows, and "mood lighting" make for a more enjoyable ride [0]. [0]https://backpackerlee.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/the-airbus-a380-vs-the-boeing-787-dreamliner/ https://backpackerlee.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/the-airbus-a3...

davidmr 9y ago
They're both magnificent planes, but given the option I will usually take the 380. At least on the upper deck, it's far quieter. Over a 10-15 hour flight, that goes a long way with me.
sitepodmatt 9y ago
All nice bonuses when you've got your knees in your nostrils and elbow locked with the person next to you. Almost all 787s joining fleets have smaller width or legroom than their replacements (whatever they are a380, 777, a330 etc..). There are exceptions Air India is one and I forget the other..
- sitepodmatt 9y ago
  A little late addition, also consider watching the documentary Broken Dreams 787 by Al Jazeera, it is available on YouTube, some very concerning allegations that go far beyond limited space.
dingaling 9y ago
What's often overlooked in articles such as that is that the 787 and the A380 have the same cabin environmental system hardware; developed by Hamilton-Sundstrand for the A380 and modified to work with the 787's mostly-bleedless engines. In fact at 38,000ft the A380's cabin can be held at just under 5000ft-equivalent, and not more than 7,000ft at 41k, which is much better than previous types. The 787 can hold 6,000ft to 43k. Boeing's genius with the 787 was in marketing an airliner directly to the traveller for the first time since the Convair 880 back in the 1950s. Airbus were caught completely off-guard by that and never quite recovered until the later A350.
ricw 9y ago
The couple of times I flew the Dreamliner it really wasn't much of a difference to the 777 or A330. Noise level was very similar, same leg room, same seat space. Quite disappointing. From what I hear and have read, the A380 is significantly quieter. To a degree that is eerie.
InTheArena 9y ago
The 787 is fantastic. The composite body and bleed-less engines allow for the cabin air to be held at a higher humidity and a lower altitude level then other planes. I regularly fly transpacific, and my preferences (in order) are 787-9, 787-8, A380, B777-200LR, A330, B747-8i (Lufthansa runs these between Frankfurt and Chicago), B777-300ER, I will do almost anything to avoid the old 747s, the old A340s and first generation 777s that United is still dragging around. I recently flew direct from Denver to Narita in Tokyo. I got off the flight felling like it was the equivalent of a Denver to San Francisco flight in terms of impact to my body.
cstross 9y ago
The correct comparison for the Boeing 787 is not the A380 super-jumbo but the A350XWB. It's mostly a successor to the earlier A330, but with a more extensive use of composites, updated everything, and a slightly wider fuselage; it's about the same size as and designed for the same operational model as the 787, but because Airbus were wrong-footed by the market turn and over-focussed on the A380 it only flew relatively recently, giving the Boeing product time to build up a big market lead.
exidy 9y ago
We love to focus on the minutiae of technical specification. The reality is that both the 787 and the A380 are modern passenger planes with similar cabin environmental systems. How much you enjoy flying each type is probably going to depend more on incidental factors such as what seat you're in and who is next to you, and what IFE the airline chose to install (if any) when it comes to medium and long haul flying. Personally I am not particularly tall or wide (174 cm) so I can make myself comfortable even in the cramped conditions of discount airlines. However if you're taller or wider, you're going to be checking seatguru for which airlines give you the most legroom. In general, the Airbus product for each segment (A320 vs 737, A330/A350 vs 787) is slightly wider than the Boeing product so if you're a big bloke it might be important to you. For me, I've flown the 787 and the A380 but I actually like the old (Qantas) A330 best, for the simple reason that I like the window seat, and the less dense 2-4-2 configuration means I only have to climb over one person when I want to stretch my legs!

davidmr 9y ago

They're both magnificent planes, but given the option I will usually take the 380. At least on the upper deck, it's far quieter. Over a 10-15 hour flight, that goes a long way with me.

sitepodmatt 9y ago

All nice bonuses when you've got your knees in your nostrils and elbow locked with the person next to you. Almost all 787s joining fleets have smaller width or legroom than their replacements (whatever they are a380, 777, a330 etc..). There are exceptions Air India is one and I forget the other..

sitepodmatt 9y ago
A little late addition, also consider watching the documentary Broken Dreams 787 by Al Jazeera, it is available on YouTube, some very concerning allegations that go far beyond limited space.

dingaling 9y ago

What's often overlooked in articles such as that is that the 787 and the A380 have the same cabin environmental system hardware; developed by Hamilton-Sundstrand for the A380 and modified to work with the 787's mostly-bleedless engines. In fact at 38,000ft the A380's cabin can be held at just under 5000ft-equivalent, and not more than 7,000ft at 41k, which is much better than previous types. The 787 can hold 6,000ft to 43k. Boeing's genius with the 787 was in marketing an airliner directly to the traveller for the first time since the Convair 880 back in the 1950s. Airbus were caught completely off-guard by that and never quite recovered until the later A350.

ricw 9y ago

The couple of times I flew the Dreamliner it really wasn't much of a difference to the 777 or A330. Noise level was very similar, same leg room, same seat space. Quite disappointing. From what I hear and have read, the A380 is significantly quieter. To a degree that is eerie.

InTheArena 9y ago

The 787 is fantastic. The composite body and bleed-less engines allow for the cabin air to be held at a higher humidity and a lower altitude level then other planes. I regularly fly transpacific, and my preferences (in order) are 787-9, 787-8, A380, B777-200LR, A330, B747-8i (Lufthansa runs these between Frankfurt and Chicago), B777-300ER, I will do almost anything to avoid the old 747s, the old A340s and first generation 777s that United is still dragging around. I recently flew direct from Denver to Narita in Tokyo. I got off the flight felling like it was the equivalent of a Denver to San Francisco flight in terms of impact to my body.

cstross 9y ago

The correct comparison for the Boeing 787 is not the A380 super-jumbo but the A350XWB. It's mostly a successor to the earlier A330, but with a more extensive use of composites, updated everything, and a slightly wider fuselage; it's about the same size as and designed for the same operational model as the 787, but because Airbus were wrong-footed by the market turn and over-focussed on the A380 it only flew relatively recently, giving the Boeing product time to build up a big market lead.

exidy 9y ago

We love to focus on the minutiae of technical specification. The reality is that both the 787 and the A380 are modern passenger planes with similar cabin environmental systems. How much you enjoy flying each type is probably going to depend more on incidental factors such as what seat you're in and who is next to you, and what IFE the airline chose to install (if any) when it comes to medium and long haul flying. Personally I am not particularly tall or wide (174 cm) so I can make myself comfortable even in the cramped conditions of discount airlines. However if you're taller or wider, you're going to be checking seatguru for which airlines give you the most legroom. In general, the Airbus product for each segment (A320 vs 737, A330/A350 vs 787) is slightly wider than the Boeing product so if you're a big bloke it might be important to you. For me, I've flown the 787 and the A380 but I actually like the old (Qantas) A330 best, for the simple reason that I like the window seat, and the less dense 2-4-2 configuration means I only have to climb over one person when I want to stretch my legs!