What kind of safeguards? Like for example, an armed guard on board?

I hate window seats. I much prefer aisle seats. I hate to disturb people to get up for a bathroom run. (I take a lot of long flights of 14+ hours, so I take a lot of stretching time.)

With the extra leg room, people won't mind. I've taken the non-stop LA-Singapore flight and it's a dream. Economy is beter than many airlines' business class. Roomy, the seats relax, you have video on demand with dozens of selections, great service, a place to stroll and hang around in the back - and it's non-stop.

Window seats are for flying rookies.

And tjose are not the type of people likely to be on these type of flights. Business and first-class is where the $$$ is for the airlines.

Or for those who like to sit next to the window, and be able to sleep without getting up for those next to you. I prefer ther aisle, but my gf is adament about window seats. And we fly a lot. For example we've got a direct Paris - San Francisco flight in a couple weeks. And I'm stuck in the middle. Ugh.

you mean this big:

While the Boing flying wing design is wonderful (I can't wait to see it in the skies, it's going to be a stunning plane), the idea is an old hat.

The Junkers G38 flew first in 1929 and was planned as a flying wing aircraft, with the passengers siting in the wings themselves. Due to the relatively small power output of engines available at the time that concept didn't work out, although the two planes actually entering service were very well liked by both pilots and passengers.

BTW, here's an interesting A380 photo gallery; especially the following pic is interesting, as it shows a simulation of an A380 docked at one of the piers/satellites at Frankfurt airport:



Indeed, the A380 should help some quite congested airports around the world, with fewer aircraft movements for an equivalent number of passengers. If it is to remain some kind of luxury liner, however, I think the project has failed from the beginning: rather, it should become "an aircraft for the rest of us", and not some form of super-Concorde...

Well, it's nowhere near as fast as the concorde so you are in no danger of that happening.

But: One of the drawbacks of this airplane is the fact that many airports will have to be retro-fitted to accomodate it. Runways and bridges that the plane will traverse will have to be reenforced to handle the extra weight of this big bertha. New gates will have to be built to accomodate it's size.

One of the selling points of the Boing 7E7 is the fact that these things won't have to be done. (Boing is using the "smaller is better" line with their new luxury liner, the 7E7.

This airbus plane is midget sized compared to the hercules planes the military already uses, so your genius suggestion is not too bright.

Perhaps the french can sell them to the enemy. They don't need body bags though, just various "parts" bags, since their bodies are in 56 pathetic pieces.

WTF are you on about?

I'm talking about morons who blow themselves up of course.

Many gates just need to be retro-fitted.

Don't be jealous that they built a nice plane...

Also, since none of these planes are finished yet, I'll put my money on the Boeing plane. It looks futuristic. Americans innovate, the french immitate.

It doesn't look nice. It's just big, like a cargo plane or something.

Yeah but what relevance? We're talking about airplanes and you absolutely HAVE to throw in a jab at France and bring up suicide bombers.


Is no discussion safe from this kind of moronic chest thumping?

I'll tell you the relevance. Read the thread once more. My reply was a reply to something somebody else brought up. Ask that person about the relevance of their remark.

Idiot

1. The Airbus 380 is by far the most advanced plane in production today. That is not to say that Boeing builds bad planes, far from it, but currently they don't have anything to compete with the 380.
Their current official line 'smaller is better' is a rearguard action which I predict will be changed the second their own super large airline will hit production in about five years from now. By which time the A380 will have been in service for years.

2. The idea of the wing only aircraft was developed in 1920's Germany. So much for being futuristic and innovative.

3. Airbus is NOT a French company, but don't let your ignorance stand in the way of your prejudices. Airbus is a pan European company, with the major stake-holders being located in the UK, France and Germany and now also in the US.

There's an interesting difference between Boeing and Airbus, one that makes me personally prefer flying in Boeing aircraft - in an emergency situation Airbus tends to trust the computer overriding the pilot, Boeing tends to trust the pilot overriding the computer. I know this might sound weird, but I tend to go with Boeing on this one.


Edit: And as far as large planes are concerned, take a look at this baby:



This is the transport that Airbus uses to transport pieces of fuselage between factories.

Good ol' ownage.



Except when the "pilot" is a terrorist