Building a monster of the skies

Independent Digital (UK) Ltd ^ | 02/23/2003 | Michael Harrison

[xm177e2]

(1) Imagine how long it will take to get on and off this monster. Given a choice, people will fly smaller planes.

Can they have more than two ways on and off? That would speed things up.

I admire this project because it is so difficult, but I would tend to agree with your criticisms. I would add also that at 555 passengers, the thing would be a massive terrorist target.

[xm177e2]

Could they be used for other purposes, aside from transporting people? If they are less expensive to fly than smaller planes, they might do well for cargo transport.

[eno_]

"But Airbus will need to sell considerably more than 250 planes if the taxpayers of the UK, Germany, France and Spain are to get back the $5.1bn in launch aid provided by their governments."

Well that should cure everyone's envy. $5B down a rathole.

[hchutch]

Perhaps, but something like this would be a great asset for strategic airlift. 555 passengers - that's a battalion of troops.

[biblewonk]

Don't forget, it's also made by the French.

[AdA$tra]

If it ain't a Boeing, I ain't going.

[justlurking]

Something like this might work OK with multiple boarding tunnels at a gate.

Southwest Airlines already has multiple jetways at a few gates (at a handful of airports). The second one extends over the wing to the rear door. They fly 737's exclusively, but their average leg length is so short that they save a lot of money just by shaving 5 minutes from the boarding time.

[N. Theknow]

Airbus planes are lousy.

I quit flying in them two years ago and refuse to fly on them. They are like flying in a tube of tin foil.

Only place this one is going to do any good is in the Pacific Rim and Southeast Asia.

[sphinx]

Has Airbus ever turned a profit?

[Dick Bachert]

Air Frog plans to devote the spacious new craft exclusively to moving radical islamist terrorists from their training camps to certain unnamed target nations with whom the Frogs have increasingly strained relations.

The Air Frog press release I saw indicates they propose to call the new service "Terror-Aire" and will develop an ad campaign based on the slogan "Terror-Aire: We Get Your Derriere There."

Kinda catchy, huh?

[holyscroller]

ROFLMAO Dick. Priceless!

[Experiment 6-2-6]

..transport them by sea to Bordeaux. From there they will be towed by special barge 100 kilometres down the River Garonne to the town of Langon...

Silly reporter. IT'S TOWED UP THE RIVER INLAND. IT'S TOWED DOWN THE RIVER TOWARDS THE SEA

It goes with the downstream thingy.. not north or south..

[irishtenor]

"May I have your attention, please. Flight # 4376 from Paris will now be offloading passengers at gates B4, B6, B8, B10 and C3."