7 ms·

Hard not to feel nostalgic, as most of us on this forum probably associate the 747 with international air travel. However time marches on, and it’s also nice t

Hard not to feel nostalgic, as most of us on this forum probably associate the 747 with international air travel. However time marches on, and it’s also nice to notice how much nicer and quieter the 787 and A350 are, not to mention more efficient.

justinator 4y ago
I think I associate it with the film, Snakes on a Plane.
malermeister 4y ago
I miss A380s, to me they were the golden age of international travel. No other plane is quite as smooth!
- midoridensha 4y ago
  They haven't gone anywhere. ANA has a bunch of them.
  - malermeister 4y ago
    A lot of them are gone already and no new ones are being made :-(
  - lobochrome 4y ago
    ANA flies them exclusively between Hawaii and Japan with a fleet of 4 A380s. If you want to fly the A380 – Emirates is your friend, with over 80% of the fleet under operation (100+ planes). If you want to fly 747 - Lufthansa is your friend as the sole operator of the passenger version 747-8. Business on the upper deck is a delight in that plane, especially the window seat.
    - VBprogrammer 4y ago
      We flew to Heathrow to Dubai on our first leg to Thailand last week and I was again struck by just how little like flying the experience is. Even the acceleration down the runway doesn't feel dramatic in the same way (I imagine it's a bit slower than a A320 for a start). You don't even feel the expansion joints in the runway. We flew our second leg in a 777 and it was noticeably louder and more airplane like. The very first one was on one of their newest A380s which even let you pair my Bose Quiet Comforts with the in flight entertainment system over Bluetooth. That really was the dream.
    - gsnedders 4y ago
      > Lufthansa is your friend as the sole operator of the passenger version 747-8 Korean Air and Air China also operate the type, but Lufthansa does fly more than half of the 747-8I production, excluding VIP-configured aircraft.
      - lobochrome 4y ago
        I didn't know that - thank you. I'm exclusive to LH, NH & UA - which shows my bias, maybe.
- romski 4y ago
  Good thing they will be flying for the next 25 years!
- TillE 4y ago
  They're so quiet, and relatively comfortable. For years I've gone out of my way to take the A380 between JFK and CDG, because it's the only way to fly transatlantic in economy without it being a complete misery. I sort of understand the economics of why they don't work for shorter routes, but those long flights are still extremely necessary, and everything else is godawful.
- switch007 4y ago
  Emirates A380 every sector from UK to Oz and back in 2015 was a huge highlight of travel for me. They hadn’t done any obvious cost cutting and we got proper menus and silverware in economy. It was such a smooth flight and all the space on board to walk and stretch was fantastic.
silisili 4y ago
As a tall person, I miss the 747s if for nothing else the stairway area where you could stand and even walk around. They sure made sure to get rid of that nicety.
- VeninVidiaVicii 4y ago
  As a slightly above average height 6’1”, I’m finding it harder and harder to fit in most planes lately. Are they putting the seats closer together or something?
  - tjohns 4y ago
    In general... yes, they very much are. "Seat pitch" is the term you're looking for, and the airlines have been steadily reducing the seat pitch over the last ~decade to squeeze in an extra few rows. Some airlines are notably worse than others. Spirit and Frontier, in particular. https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-seats-shrunk-over-time-coach-flight-travel-2017-12 https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-seats-shrunk-over-ti...
  - adgjlsfhk1 4y ago
    it depends a lot on the airline. Also premium economy vs regular economy (in the US at least)
    - wahern 4y ago
      AFAIU, only a handful of major airlines are (partial) exceptions to the unrelenting trend of packing in more seats, decreasing both seat width and especially seat pitch. None of those airlines are in the U.S. I believe at least one is a Japanese carrier. Occasionally you hear about cabin layouts that provide more width and/or pitch, but these never come close to recovering the space that has been lost over the past 20 years. Airlines don't announce space reductions, after all. For them it's always quietly 3 steps ahead (less space), loudly 1 step back ("roomier" seats). Recently I read that Airbus was developing a revision to the A350 that would permit adding an entire additional row. Airbus had to do this because not only does the 777X support 10-abreast layout, but most customers have long moved to 10-abreast layout in the older 777 despite the 777 never being designed for 10-abreast. In fact, IIRC 1 or 2 major A350 operators had already moved to 10-abreast on the existing models, but they may be pushing the regulatory envelope, thus the need for Airbus to cooperate with some redesign work. I've generally preferred Airbus planes. For reasons I never really understood (perhaps by mere coincidence of their design process, coincidences in evolutions in cabin construction material, or maybe deliberate design by Airbus), economy coach layouts typically provided anywhere from 1/2 to 2+ more inches of seat width relative to the comparable Boeing plane and cabin. A Boeing 737 or 737MAX with even the newest cabin construction technology is always going to be a tighter squeeze (at least width-wise) than an Airbus A320, for example. Coach layouts for the A350 are likely going to shift from being some of the best to some of the worst in long-haul travel as the additional row comes half from accommodating thinner walls, and half from seats with less width. Same thing happened with the 777: when it first entered service it was one of the roomiest; now with 10 rows, and especially when invariably combined with reduced seat pitch (which I personally don't care quite as much about as others) it's soul crushing--metaphorically, figuratively, literally, actually, physically, all of the above.
rayiner 4y ago
I find the 787 a downgrade from the 747 or 777. The 787 is noticeably smaller and lighter which makes for a less smooth and solid-feeling ride in turbulence. Whenever I fly International I try to look for a 747 or 777.
- pb7 4y ago
  The 787 simulates a much lower altitude and has more humid air I believe which makes recovering from long flights much easier in my experience. I look forward to the 777X which has the features of the 787 with the space of a 777.
  - selectodude 4y ago
    I finally was able to snag a ride on a 787 a few days ago. Was floored at how quiet and comfortable it was. Made the 777 seem positively dated.
EamonnMR 4y ago
747 was synonymous with big jet aircraft when I was a kid.
dclowd9901 4y ago
I think I’ve flown on a 747 maybe once in my life in a cross-US flight from LA to Florida. I remember being completely dazzled by the sheer number of people on the plane. Recently I flew back from Europe on a 787 and that too was a wonderful experience. The plane feels like the future and was so comfortable and nice to be on.
kilroy123 4y ago
You think so? I would guess not. I'm in my late 30s. I only remember flying in one twice, and I fly way more than the average person. I'm going to assume many people here have never flown on one.
avidphantasm 4y ago
Agree with this. Flew to Australia in 2015 on a 777. The return flight was on a 787. The increased air pressure and higher humidity made a huge difference in comfort and fatigue.

justinator 4y ago

I think I associate it with the film, Snakes on a Plane.

malermeister 4y ago

I miss A380s, to me they were the golden age of international travel. No other plane is quite as smooth!

midoridensha 4y ago
They haven't gone anywhere. ANA has a bunch of them.
- malermeister 4y ago
  A lot of them are gone already and no new ones are being made :-(
- lobochrome 4y ago
  ANA flies them exclusively between Hawaii and Japan with a fleet of 4 A380s. If you want to fly the A380 – Emirates is your friend, with over 80% of the fleet under operation (100+ planes). If you want to fly 747 - Lufthansa is your friend as the sole operator of the passenger version 747-8. Business on the upper deck is a delight in that plane, especially the window seat.
  - VBprogrammer 4y ago
    We flew to Heathrow to Dubai on our first leg to Thailand last week and I was again struck by just how little like flying the experience is. Even the acceleration down the runway doesn't feel dramatic in the same way (I imagine it's a bit slower than a A320 for a start). You don't even feel the expansion joints in the runway. We flew our second leg in a 777 and it was noticeably louder and more airplane like. The very first one was on one of their newest A380s which even let you pair my Bose Quiet Comforts with the in flight entertainment system over Bluetooth. That really was the dream.
  - gsnedders 4y ago
    > Lufthansa is your friend as the sole operator of the passenger version 747-8 Korean Air and Air China also operate the type, but Lufthansa does fly more than half of the 747-8I production, excluding VIP-configured aircraft.
    - lobochrome 4y ago
      I didn't know that - thank you. I'm exclusive to LH, NH & UA - which shows my bias, maybe.
romski 4y ago
Good thing they will be flying for the next 25 years!
TillE 4y ago
They're so quiet, and relatively comfortable. For years I've gone out of my way to take the A380 between JFK and CDG, because it's the only way to fly transatlantic in economy without it being a complete misery. I sort of understand the economics of why they don't work for shorter routes, but those long flights are still extremely necessary, and everything else is godawful.
switch007 4y ago
Emirates A380 every sector from UK to Oz and back in 2015 was a huge highlight of travel for me. They hadn’t done any obvious cost cutting and we got proper menus and silverware in economy. It was such a smooth flight and all the space on board to walk and stretch was fantastic.

silisili 4y ago

As a tall person, I miss the 747s if for nothing else the stairway area where you could stand and even walk around. They sure made sure to get rid of that nicety.

VeninVidiaVicii 4y ago
As a slightly above average height 6’1”, I’m finding it harder and harder to fit in most planes lately. Are they putting the seats closer together or something?
- tjohns 4y ago
  In general... yes, they very much are. "Seat pitch" is the term you're looking for, and the airlines have been steadily reducing the seat pitch over the last ~decade to squeeze in an extra few rows. Some airlines are notably worse than others. Spirit and Frontier, in particular. https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-seats-shrunk-over-time-coach-flight-travel-2017-12 https://www.businessinsider.com/airline-seats-shrunk-over-ti...
- adgjlsfhk1 4y ago
  it depends a lot on the airline. Also premium economy vs regular economy (in the US at least)
  - wahern 4y ago
    AFAIU, only a handful of major airlines are (partial) exceptions to the unrelenting trend of packing in more seats, decreasing both seat width and especially seat pitch. None of those airlines are in the U.S. I believe at least one is a Japanese carrier. Occasionally you hear about cabin layouts that provide more width and/or pitch, but these never come close to recovering the space that has been lost over the past 20 years. Airlines don't announce space reductions, after all. For them it's always quietly 3 steps ahead (less space), loudly 1 step back ("roomier" seats). Recently I read that Airbus was developing a revision to the A350 that would permit adding an entire additional row. Airbus had to do this because not only does the 777X support 10-abreast layout, but most customers have long moved to 10-abreast layout in the older 777 despite the 777 never being designed for 10-abreast. In fact, IIRC 1 or 2 major A350 operators had already moved to 10-abreast on the existing models, but they may be pushing the regulatory envelope, thus the need for Airbus to cooperate with some redesign work. I've generally preferred Airbus planes. For reasons I never really understood (perhaps by mere coincidence of their design process, coincidences in evolutions in cabin construction material, or maybe deliberate design by Airbus), economy coach layouts typically provided anywhere from 1/2 to 2+ more inches of seat width relative to the comparable Boeing plane and cabin. A Boeing 737 or 737MAX with even the newest cabin construction technology is always going to be a tighter squeeze (at least width-wise) than an Airbus A320, for example. Coach layouts for the A350 are likely going to shift from being some of the best to some of the worst in long-haul travel as the additional row comes half from accommodating thinner walls, and half from seats with less width. Same thing happened with the 777: when it first entered service it was one of the roomiest; now with 10 rows, and especially when invariably combined with reduced seat pitch (which I personally don't care quite as much about as others) it's soul crushing--metaphorically, figuratively, literally, actually, physically, all of the above.

rayiner 4y ago

I find the 787 a downgrade from the 747 or 777. The 787 is noticeably smaller and lighter which makes for a less smooth and solid-feeling ride in turbulence. Whenever I fly International I try to look for a 747 or 777.

pb7 4y ago
The 787 simulates a much lower altitude and has more humid air I believe which makes recovering from long flights much easier in my experience. I look forward to the 777X which has the features of the 787 with the space of a 777.
- selectodude 4y ago
  I finally was able to snag a ride on a 787 a few days ago. Was floored at how quiet and comfortable it was. Made the 777 seem positively dated.

EamonnMR 4y ago

747 was synonymous with big jet aircraft when I was a kid.

dclowd9901 4y ago

I think I’ve flown on a 747 maybe once in my life in a cross-US flight from LA to Florida. I remember being completely dazzled by the sheer number of people on the plane. Recently I flew back from Europe on a 787 and that too was a wonderful experience. The plane feels like the future and was so comfortable and nice to be on.

kilroy123 4y ago

You think so? I would guess not. I'm in my late 30s. I only remember flying in one twice, and I fly way more than the average person. I'm going to assume many people here have never flown on one.

avidphantasm 4y ago

Agree with this. Flew to Australia in 2015 on a 777. The return flight was on a 787. The increased air pressure and higher humidity made a huge difference in comfort and fatigue.