A380 Production Sadness

[jb747]

The real revenue is in economy seats unfortunately and so that’s what drives it.

Not really. It’s in the premium seats, and perhaps full fare economy, but most certainly not in any form of discount economy.

You could axe 300 economy seats, and just run the front end. Much smaller aircraft. Much lower costs.

 

[RooFlyer]

As I said the answer will come down to pure economics. ie cost per passenger seat mile. If an option is dearer than another it will quickly fall by the wayside.
The real revenue is in economy seats unfortunately and so that’s what drives it.

So will we see some airlines stripping out J and F and just have an all-economy A380?

 

[JohnK]

You could axe 300 economy seats, and just run the front end. Much smaller aircraft. Much lower costs.

Didn't someone already try that and fail?

 

[Forg]

Didn't someone already try that and fail?

Not with an A380, Air Force One is (usually) a 747.
[OK OK, I know, a VC-25]

 

[daft009]

oh so sad..

Didn't MH do an all economy version during Ramadan or something when everyone wants to goto Mecca?

 

[Forg]

Didn't MH do an all economy version during Ramadan or something when everyone wants to goto Mecca?

Yeah I just Googled that. It was part of MH just about giving up on being a world airline & focusing on being a regional one; and they were trying to sell off all their aircraft. They weren't able to get rid of the A380's (refer the rest of this thread - nobody wants 'em who ain't got 'em), so instead they've converted them from the original 3-class (4-class?) configuration to a 700-seat all-economy setup for charter flights. They reckoned that the chartering would really only be happening during the aforementioned pilgrimage.

There were some older stories, French airline Air Austral (based out of the French territory of Reunion in the Indian Ocean) ordered a number of 840-seat all-economy A380's for flights to/from Paris … but it seems in 2014 they gave up on that idea as a Bad Plan because they needed the revenue from the more exxy travel classes.

 

[Quickstatus]

so instead they've converted them from the original 3-class (4-class?) configuration to a 700-seat all-economy setup for charter flights.

No they haven't -
All of the 6 A380 9M-MN(A-F) are operating on routes to NRT and ICN and less frequently JED.
I reckon there is enough premium pax on these routes.
We had seats in J KUL-NRT last week on 9M-MNC

Not really. It’s in the premium seats, and perhaps full fare economy, but most certainly not in any form of discount economy.

You could axe 300 economy seats, and just run the front end. Much smaller aircraft. Much lower costs.

QF A380 has 484 seats:
Of total seats
F:2.89%
J:13.23%
W:7.23%
Y:76.65%

QF B787 has 236 seats
F:0%
J/F:17.80% (4 more seats)
W:11.86% (3 more seats)
Y:70.34% (15 seats less)

Assuming 1J = 2W = 4Y (seat fare) , the potential revenue uplift would be:
4*4+3*2-15 = 9Y equivalent.
Removing 8 Y seats causes potential revenue to uplift by 9 Y seats.

Additionally this has the effect of reducing the number of available seats in deep discount fare buckets
(Seat economics are obviously more complicated than this)

 

[JohnK]

Not with an A380, Air Force One is (usually) a 747.
[OK OK, I know, a VC-25]

I was referring more to the all premium config SQ had and another carrier from Europe to USA also tried.

 

[Forg]

No they haven't -
All of the 6 A380 9M-MN(A-F) are operating on routes to NRT and ICN and less frequently JED.
I reckon there is enough premium pax on these routes.
We had seats in J KUL-NRT last week on 9M-MNC

So they said they were gonna, but didn't?

 

[Must...Fly!]

I was referring more to the all premium config SQ had and another carrier from Europe to USA also tried.

LaCompagnie still operate Orly-Newark.

 

[Quickstatus]

So they said they were gonna, but didn't?

I guess not. As with all journalism take what is written with a large amount of salt. Fake news.

 

[odysseus]

I guess not. As with all journalism take what is written with a large amount of salt. Fake news.

Not fake news, or bad journalism.

Just a plan/proposal that didn’t go ahead – and MH had a few of those around that time

 

[Quickstatus]

Not fake news, or bad journalism.

Just a plan/proposal that didn’t go ahead – and MH had a few of those around that time

Was it a plan/proposal or just spin that MH gave the journalists who uncritically reported it?

 

[odysseus]

Was it a plan/proposal or just spin that MH gave the journalists who uncritically reported it?

Does the distinction matter? Also, those reporting internationally (rather than local analysts) are more likely to just be reporting the 'facts,' not challenging the company on viability.

In any case for comparison, airlines make bold claims often. As a couple of examples, look at Joyce's initial unrealistic demands for Project Sunrise (or further back Qantas' spin about the features of the A380). Should journalists not report that because it wasn't viable?

 

[woodborer]

Was it a plan/proposal or just spin that MH gave the journalists who uncritically reported it?

They were plans, but sometimes plans don't work out....

 

[Quickstatus]

Does the distinction matter? ?

Of course it matters. And yes report it but verify, be critical, be skeptical

Journalism is not just reporting facts
Journalism is the "truth about the facts"




What makes journalism different than other forms of communication? - American Press Institute

They were plans, but sometimes plans don't work out....

Or just MH media spin?, like a lot of news from other airlines...
Remember when the A380 was planned and lots of the media just spewed out what Airbus and the other airlines were spinning out about the inclusions in the A380? Like bowling alleys, cinemas...

Back to topic. Are the public announcements from Airbus relating to the A380 accurate reflection of the internal views of the company?

 

[fairbasa]

RIP superjumbo: Airbus axes the A380

 

[Berlin]

RIP superjumbo: Airbus axes the A380

I am literally shattered. So so sad- the nicest plane ever, just getting axed. Airbus never really gave it a proper chance lately in my eyes. Emirates and others for so long asked for an updated version and Airbus just didn’t have the guts. Or their bean counters rather disn’t. From a customer point of you- this is a really bad and shortsighted decision but it has been a long time in the making. Sad, sad, sad.

 

[33kft]

I wonder what the final tally in terms of bottom line losses to Airbus will be come 2021 when the final A380 rolls out?

I spent years flying SQ A380s back and forward and have a strong personal affinity for the aircraft, but it does seem that the economic landscape has shifted greatly in that time.

 

[cvmceg]

very sad news