Both A380 and 787 have bright futures

http://www.yeald.com/Yeald/a/33941/both_a380_and_787_have_bright_futures.html ^

[Conspiracy Guy]

The 380 has no market. The EU is forcing small countries to buy it. Most US Airports can't support it's size.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Morning and welcome to Free Republic.

[The Jitters]

Thank you and good morning.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Do you think the 380 has a chance?

[The Jitters]

I pretty much agree with the article above.

It won't be much use on Houston to Detroit, but it probably will on NY - LA.

And it certainly will on London - Tokyo and suchlike.

[Cronos]

The 380 has no market. The EU is forcing small countries to buy it. Most US Airports can't support it's size.

Ah, yes, but Airbus' market is the heavily populated Asian countries -- think of the route from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney or from Japan to Sydney or Bombay to Dubai or Sydney to London etc. These are always full and there are limited slots available. The Airbus 380 is selling THERE. The airlines there have bought into the A380 and will continue to do so. The A380 WILL sell big. Will it knock Boeing out of business? NO. Boeing's 747 will take a hit, yes, but it's other categories will sell. As the article states, these are not conflicting ideas of the future, rather, different options in the future and BOTH will do well.

[Conspiracy Guy]

But 1500 of them? No way.

[Conspiracy Guy]

No way that 1500 will be sold. Other than that I agree with the story.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Declining sales is not to be blamed on unfair competition, but rather, in my opinion, on management that has failed to reinvest in R&D and new product development. While Airbus’ 10 or so current models all have the same type rating, have extensive design commonalities, and are all based only two different fuselage cross-sections, Boeing’s line-up was as of two years ago a hodge-podge of 6 mostly different products, mostly poorly integrated, and, as mentioned, averaging 20 or more years of age.

Preach it from the mountain, brother! About time someone calls Boeing (or really, the old McDonnell-Douglas management) to account for it's missteps. The "EU subsidy" argument is getting tiresome.

[The Jitters]

I've no idea, but over a 30 year time span with lots of growth in airtravel (particularly from Asia), I can't rule it out.

[Conspiracy Guy]

I wish them luck but I don't see it.

[SW6906]

In the 30+ years of the 747, Boeing has sold something like 1200 of them, IIRC. They will continue to sell them for quite a few more years and they will continue to be operated for decades. Boeing may soon be coming out with an updated version of the 747, further extending the life of that aircraft line.

Seriously now, does anyone honestly believe that in the next 20 years Airbus will sell 300 more A380s than Boeing sold 747s over 30 years?!!? No way the market is that big. Even with population increases, there will not be that many people wanting to fly frequently enough on enough routes for it to be profitable to use the A380. It has its place, they will sell enough to make the airplane profitable, but it will not be the success the 747 was.

As a frequent flyer all over the world, I have to agree with Boeings vision: I want to fly from Seattle to Nice, not Seattle to LA on a 737 or A320, then LA to Amsterdam on an A380, then Amsterdam to Nice on another 737 or A320. I don't want to go through customs with 800 of my closest friends, let alone sweaty, tired, cranky strangers. I've gone through baggage claim and customs when two 747s landed at the same time. It is not something I want to do again.

[jaydubya2]

This could affect the Boeing deal if it happens to be true:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1334936/posts

[Uncle Fud]

The real crime is in the regional jet market. Embraer, Canadair, Dornier. Not a damn one made in the USA. How in the heck could our aviation industry so totally misread the demand??

[Rockingham]

I think that the necessary airport infrastructure changes will be made for the sake of the A380. The airlines flying it will insist. I surmise though that Boeing will produce a super jumbo of its own. Several years' experience with the A380 and further progress in materials science may permit Boeing to produce an even larger and superior aircraft.

[Rudder]

Does the A380 have a future? Airbus has built a plane that offers airlines better fuel efficiency

It gets zero miles on zero gallons. Fuel efficient? It doesn't even have an engine.

[TalonDJ]

Actually the 747 will not take much of a hit. They both fit into different market nitches and they both will sell. A few 747's might not get sold in places where people really wanted bigger but before there was nothing bigger. There are still many places where they want the size that the 747 is. The only time Aircraft REALLY compete for a market is when they are close to the same size and range and it is only a real fight if they are close in operation cost and price.

[KwasiOwusu]

"The 380 has no market. The EU is forcing small countries to buy it. Most US Airports can't support it's size."

Typical EU weasel behavior.
This so-called 380 wouldn't exist but for massive illegal subsidies from the rabid EU governments led by the evil French and the Germans.
These clowns should be called out and made to suffer heavy penalties.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Exactly.