US Airways wants A321 Neo

[strangiatotheme]

About the same time as the mythical A350 - if it ever gets off the drawing board.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/03/18/354540/picture-german-plant-produces-largest-a350-panel.html

Does anyone really want to fly a A321 to europe or hawaii aside from Tempe? Really- if given a chioice?

A lot of people said that about the 757 when airlines first started flying them in those markets, and in general I don't think the flying public cares either way.

So if the A321s are going to be flying europe and hawaii, then how is the A350 going to be utilized?

Probably to places the A330s can't reach, like Asia.

 

[A320 Driver]

About the same time as the mythical A350 - if it ever gets off the drawing board. That is - If the delivery dates arent deferred again by Tempe.

Last time I checked the A350 was coming right along but whether it flies on time or not, I wouldn't bet the two quarters in my pocket that you would ever see one with US Airways painted on the side of it.

Driver B)

 

[Glucose Intolerant]

The 330s can already make it to Asia. DAL does it everyday. But they prefer putting larger aircraft on those routes.

 

[strangiatotheme]

Anyone with a choice prefers a twin aisle aircraft on a long haul flight.

Well unless your a fan of deep vein thrombosis or your a masochist.

I take it you've never been on one of LH's 747s?

For me, it all depends on how they're configured. There are plenty of twin-aisle planes that are more uncomfortable than a single-aisle. If US installed seatback IFE and an Envoy cabin on an A321 and flew it transatlantic, I probably wouldn't think twice about taking that flight. Would they actually do that? Probably not. 🙂

The 330s can already make it to Asia. DAL does it everyday. But they prefer putting larger aircraft on those routes.

Not from the east coast, or any of our hubs in a reasonable fashion. Delta sends one to Narita from SLC with a scheduled weight restriction, and that's 300 miles shorter than from PHX.

I have my doubts about US actually taking delivery of the 350s as well (2017??), but just for the sake of speculation, they would open up routes pretty much anywhere except deep Southeast Asia and Oceania. As for a hypothetical A321 NEO, they'd probably deploy them to many of the smaller, seasonal-type Euro destinations that the 757s serve/have served. They cost substantially less to operate than a 757, and if one is to believe the range numbers that Airbus claiming, that opens up a lot of destinations for US.

 

[Glucose Intolerant]

I take it you've never been on one of LH's 747s?

For me, it all depends on how they're configured. There are plenty of twin-aisle planes that are more uncomfortable than a single-aisle. If US installed seatback IFE and an Envoy cabin on an A321 and flew it transatlantic, I probably wouldn't think twice about taking that flight. Would they actually do that? Probably not. 🙂



Not from the east coast, or any of our hubs in a reasonable fashion. Delta sends one to Narita from SLC with a scheduled weight restriction, and that's 300 miles shorter than from PHX.

I have my doubts about US actually taking delivery of the 350s as well (2017??), but just for the sake of speculation, they would open up routes pretty much anywhere except deep Southeast Asia and Oceania. As for a hypothetical A321 NEO, they'd probably deploy them to many of the smaller, seasonal-type Euro destinations that the 757s serve/have served. They cost substantially less to operate than a 757, and if one is to believe the range numbers that Airbus claiming, that opens up a lot of destinations for US.

The only reason US flies the A321 is because what it lacks in it's dismal performance, it more than makes up for in fuel savings (with roughly the same load). A bean counters paradise that looks good on a spreadsheet
Until it's hot or operates out of a short field. NEO or not- I doubt it could make the westcoast wit in-seat IFE system much less Europe.. Anemic performance couldn't even tackle the loop departure out of LAX when we first got them (before the butchers at AWA jammed more seats on)

I agree - we will probably never see the 350. That was just another empty promise to make the merger fly and get cash from Airbus.

I have only ridden on a LH whale a time or two and in economy only once - it was not completely full and it was tolerable. I am 6'4" so to me everything is just tolerable.

What is not tolerable:
the last row on the 733/734
the narrow body Airbus in coach after AWA configuration
any seat in economy on the 330 after AWA configuration

Anybody over five feet is usually in pain after flying on one of these. But it looks good on spreadsheet.