Newsstand - Yet More A380 Hype, and Delta's WiFi

This week in Patrick Smith's ASK THE PILOT on Salon.com:

Delta goes WiFi. Why is this one of the most impressive moves by a U.S. airline in recent memory? Plus, Emirates presents the Airbus A380. Will the hype never cease?


An excerpt:

"...I resent the A380's aviation-historical pretensions, most of which pertain to its size. The pane is enormous, yes, but revolutionary it is not. When the 747 debuted in 1970, it was more than double the size of any existing competitor, and its economies of scale changed air travel forever. The Airbus is only about 30 percent larger than a 747 overall, and in some configurations will carry *fewer* passengers. Then we have jet's glaring physical shortcomings The 747 is one of the most elegant icons of industrial design, dignified in the fashion of a grand ocean liner. The A380 is big for the sake of big, a steroidal beluga with a malformed forehead. ....

.... The fact that virtually all overseas carriers, from Air Canada to Ethiopian Airlines, outclass their U.S. counterparts is something many Americans still fail to grasp. That, maybe, is one reason these A380 puff pieces have so much traction. Full-flat sleeper cubicles in business class? Wide-screen personal video in coach? A gleaming airport (Singapore's Changi) with a complimentary movie theater and swimming pool? It all seems so decadent, so unlikely, so... foreign. That being said, I believe that *two* recent announcements rank as perhaps the most impressive efforts by any U.S. contender in recent memory...."

You can read the whole thing here...
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2008/08/15/askthepilot286/

Entry is free.

Last time in ASK THE PILOT: Airplanes and doors. The facts and fallacy of an inflight decompression...

http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2008/08/01/285/

Interesting piece of writing! I agree for the most part. US airlines and airports are appalling in comparison to foreign counterparts, hands down. DL's new seats and wi-fi are definitely steps forward, although it's too little too late. The new seats are only for longhaul flights, the WiFi is only for domestic flights. And what about all the other majors? What about the fact that there are too many really old planes still flown by US carriers (MD's, DC's and such, even old 767's)?

The A380 may not be pretty per se and it certainly lacks the iconic 747 hump. It may not be as revolutionary as the 747 was, but it is important because there is finally a competitor for 747s, and as such it is an incentive to produce better, more efficent planes. The attention to detail in areas where the 747's are sloppy (IFE, windows, efficiency) makes is an imporant step forward.

(PS: I'm neutral when it comes to the Airbus-Boeing competition - I can't say that I like one over the other.)