Farewell to the Queen of the Skies

[Devil's Advocate]

I happened to be watching a YT video last night that showed Emirates still flying several A380's. Apparently they had mothballed them with expectations of having new 777X's to replace them, but the Boeing 777X project is way behind schedule so they had to put the 380's back in service.

All Nippon Airways*, Asiana Airlines, British Airways*, Emirates*, Etihad*, Korean Airlines, Lufthansa*, Qantas, Qatar Airways*, and Singapore Airlines* are still flying A380's. Unsurprisingly most of these [*] are also customers of future 777X deliveries. With the demise of the A380, the pending introduction of the 777X, and record-breaking orders for B787's and A350's it seems extremely unlikely that we will see another three or four engine widebody passenger aircraft enter production. That said, between recently built freighter models, future presidential transports, and a large established aftermarket the B747 is certain to outlast the A380 and continue flying for decades to come.

 

[jis]

Yeah. Zero chance of another 4 engine wide body coming into existence. slightly better chance of a two engine double decker happening but possible not by much.

 

[west point]

If an airline wants to fly from Australia <> South America a four engine airplane is going to be needed for ETOPS.

 

[jis]

If an airline wants to fly from Australia <> South America a four engine airplane is going to be needed for ETOPS.

There is ETOPS 330 now which eliminates the necessity for a four engine craft for travel from Australia to South America along a great circle route. ETOPS 285 requires a slight detour well within the range of the likes of the 777LR.

 

[BlackDiamond]

I guess that means I have a chance of seeing a 380 one of these days. Certainly impressive looking, like a cruise ship with wings when compared to the usual run of the mill 320/737's that make up the bulk of the airport traffic these days.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I guess that means I have a chance of seeing a 380 one of these days. Certainly impressive looking, like a cruise ship with wings when compared to the usual run of the mill 320/737's that make up the bulk of the airport traffic these days.

I think the A380 is pretty ugly if I'm being honest but I feel the same way about the B747 and I cannot deny that they're both iconic and unique.

Here is a list of US airports that can handle A380's...

ANC - Anchorage International Airport
ATL - Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport
BOS - Boston Logan International Airport
DEN - Denver International Airport
DFW - Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport
HNL - Honolulu International Airport
IAD - Washington Dulles International Airport
IAH - Houston Intercontinental Airport, Texas
JFK - John F. Kennedy International Airport
LAX - Los Angeles International Airport
MCO - Orlando International Airport
MEM - Memphis International Airport
MIA - Miami International Airport
ORD - Chicago O'Hare International Airport
SDF - Louisville International Airport, Kentucky
SFO - San Francisco International Airport

Here is a link to active A380 flights...

https://flightaware.com/live/aircrafttype/A388
I was pretty neutral toward the B747 experience. Maybe movies and television led me to unrealistic expectations or things had changed for the worse by the time I was able to fly long haul. Quad jets make no sense economically or emissions wise but as a passenger the A380 lived up to the hype (IMO).

 

[basketmaker]

DEN receives a 346 from LH? I thought they were only being used East of ORD. The largest scheduled passenger aircraft at my hometown airport is some variant of 737 or A320, and many flights are nothing but regional jets, so I'd take an A340 or 787 in a heartbeat. We used to receive passenger and VIP 747's undergoing heavy maintenance and interior upgrades but that market dried up years ago.

Been a A343 running for the last couple of months from FRA. And an A359 from MUC on the route today.

 

[basketmaker]

I wonder what happened with the A380, which was supposed to be Airbus' answer to the 747? Apparently there are only a few left flying. Airbus apparently lost their shirts building this plane. I don't think I've ever seen one in the flesh so to speak.

Here's a screen shot of A380s flying as of 1855 MST/10MAR2023

 

[jis]

I guess that means I have a chance of seeing a 380 one of these days. Certainly impressive looking, like a cruise ship with wings when compared to the usual run of the mill 320/737's that make up the bulk of the airport traffic these days.

Since Emirates alone has 93 A380s in active service, if you wish to see A380s I'd say head out to Dubai. But closer to home, you'll see plenty of them in London (Heathrow) too, since BA has a bunch and most other 380 operators send at least one to London.

 

[Tlcooper44]

I guess that means I have a chance of seeing a 380 one of these days. Certainly impressive looking, like a cruise ship with wings when compared to the usual run of the mill 320/737's that make up the bulk of the airport traffic these days.

On certain days, you might see an A380 flying into Logan with BA.

 

[Asher]

British Airways​

Serving the most US cities with its A380 fleet, British Airways will operate the superjumbos to eight cities globally this week. These cities are:

• Boston Logan
• Dallas-Fort Worth
• Washington Dulles
• Johannesburg
• Miami International
• Chicago O'Hare
• San Francisco International
• Vancouver International

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Timely and topical video from a few days ago...

 

[railiner]

British Airways​

Serving the most US cities with its A380 fleet, British Airways will operate the superjumbos to eight cities globally this week. These cities are:

• Boston Logan
• Dallas-Fort Worth
• Washington Dulles
• Johannesburg
• Miami International
• Chicago O'Hare
• San Francisco International
• Vancouver International

I don’t see JFK or LAX on that list…surprising…

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Not just Braniff's:

View attachment 31449

I have no memory of Canadian Airlines other than seeing them featured in some early episodes of the original Airport television program. Were they good?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Airlines
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport_(TV_series)

I don’t see JFK or LAX on that list…surprising…

From JFK all BA flights seem to be using B777's for some reason.

 

[jis]

From JFK all BA flights seem to be using B777's for some reason.

BA's JFK - LHR service opts for frequency instead of fewer larger flights. They have something like 8 777 flights a day! Additionally they have 3 777 flights from Newark. There really is no room for a 380 with that sort of frequency.

LAX they choose to operate 2 777 flights rather than one 380.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

BA's JFK - LHR service opts for frequency instead of fewer larger flights. They have something like 8 777 flights a day! Additionally they have 3 777 flights from Newark. There really is no room for a 380 with that sort of frequency. LAX they choose to operate 2 777 flights rather than one 380.

I get the frequency angle but I would have assumed that JFK and LAX would have some of BA's highest value customers willing to pay a substantial premium for the best hard product in the fleet. In that context it seems odd that not even one cycle features an A380.

 

[jis]

I get the frequency angle but I would have assumed that JFK and LAX would have some of BA's highest value customers willing to pay a substantial premium for the best hard product in the fleet. In that context it seems odd that not even one cycle features an A380.

Here is an interesting analysis of this very issue, though a bit dated...

https://speedbirdspotter.com/why-no-ba-a380-jfk/
I was not aware of how small BA's 380 fleet is - only 12 aircraft, and also that Terminal 7 at JFK had no 380 capable gates.

The JFK - LHR leg is also relatively short, so the wonders of A380 would not be as huge a differentiator on this route, just like ti would also not be on the JFK - SFO route either. And yet of course they do operate it to BOS though I suspect other considerations are involved.

 

[jiml]

I'm currently considering a reroute offered by Air Canada on Singapore's A380 via JFK to Europe. It's not ideal but my inner AVGeek, having never flown on a 380, may win out.

 

[jiml]

BA's JFK - LHR service opts for frequency instead of fewer larger flights. They have something like 8 777 flights a day! Additionally they have 3 777 flights from Newark. There really is no room for a 380 with that sort of frequency.

LAX they choose to operate 2 777 flights rather than one 380.

It's also important to remember that AA and BA essentially operate as one airline from JFK, increasing the frequencies even more.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I'm currently considering a reroute offered by Air Canada on Singapore's A380 via JFK to Europe. It's not ideal but my inner AVGeek, having never flown on a 380, may win out.

Nothing is guaranteed but the odds of a good flight on an SQ A380 would be really high so I say go for it. Plus, with many A380's being decommissioned just before their second D Check you never know how much longer we have before it becomes impractical to fly them to/from North America.

 

[blueman271]

Here is an interesting analysis of this very issue, though a bit dated...

https://speedbirdspotter.com/why-no-ba-a380-jfk/
I was not aware of how small BA's 380 fleet is - only 12 aircraft, and also that Terminal 7 at JFK has no 380 capable gates.

The JFK - LHR leg is also relatively short, so the wonders of A380 would not be as huge a differentiator on this route, just like ti would also not be on the JFK - SFO route either. And yet of course they do operate it to BOS though I suspect other considerations are involved.

BA is now located with AA in terminal 8. Also AA has numerous JFK-LHR flights which adds to BA’s total due do the JV.

 

[jis]

BA is now located with AA in terminal 8. Also AA has numerous JFK-LHR flights which adds to BA’s total due do the JV.

At least Terminal 8 appears to have one or two A380 capable gates. So that is not an impediment any more.

 

[railbuck]

Here's are some highlights of my history with the 747 (I may do the 380 in, ahem, another thread):

1996: El Al, JFK-TLV; -200 outbound and -400 return. The -400 had seatback video screens which we thought were the coolest. Probably about the size of my phone screen now.
2000: BA EWR-LHR
2007: KLM YYZ-AMS round trip
2011: United NRT-SFO
2013: KLM ORD-AMS, and several more legs on that route over the next few years when they were flying the 74M with cargo on the rear part of the main deck
2014: Air France MEX-CDG, cash upgrade at the airport to an extra legroom seat on the upper deck
2015: BA JFK-LHR, business class on the upper deck in a rear-facing window seat

 

[snaebyllej]

My 747 history, best as I can remember:

1976: World Airways: MSP -> LGW, LGW -> MSP
1978: Pan Am: DTW -> LHR, IST -> THR, THR -> DEL, DEL -> HKG, HKG -> NRT, NRT -> HNL, HNL -> SEA
1980: Northwest: BOS -> PIK
1980: British Airways: PIK -> JFK
1981: Metro International: JFK -> ATH, ATH -> JFK
1982: Pan Am (charter): JFK -> LGW, LGW -> JFK (N653PA - "Clipper Unity")
1984: PeoplExpress: EWR -> LGW, LGW -> EWR (N602PE)
1985: Korean Air: LAX -> SEL (HL7468, crashed 8/6/97 on Guam), SEL -> HKG
1986: British Airways: LHR -> ORD
1988: TWA: JFK -> LHR, LGW -> STL
1991: EL Al: LHR -> JFK (4X-AXA)
1992: Air New Zealand: LAX -> AKL
1994: Northwest: MSP -> AMS, AMS -> MSP
1996: TWA: LGW -> STL
1998: Northwest: MSP -> NRT, NRT -> BKK, SIN -> NRT, NRT -> MSP
2000: KLM (Combi PH-BUK): AMS -> MSP
2001: United: ORD -> NRT, NRT -> SIN, SIN -> HKG, HKG -> LAX
2002: Northwest: FRA -> DTW
2004: United: ORD -> LHR, LHR -> ORD
2004: Air France: CDG -> JNB, JNB -> CDG, CDG -> PHL (???)
2005: United: ORD -> OGG, OGG -> DEN
2005: Northwest: MSP -> NRT, BKK -> NRT, NRT -> MSP
2005: Korean Air: NRT -> SEL (HL7489), SEL -> SGN
2007: United: SFO -> HNL, HNL -> DEN
2014: QANTAS: LAX -> SYD
2015: United: ORD -> NRT

I really miss them; flying hasn't been half as fun since.

The KLM Combi previously mentioned was an odd one; the economy cabin forward of the cargo section was only on the left side, as shown here:
https://pointmetotheplane.boardinga.../2018/12/20181024_021416000_iOS-1920x1261.jpg
Supposedly the one that I flew on is now in a museum:
https://simpleflying.com/klm-boeing-747-final-journey-barge-2004/

 

[jis]

On certain days, you might see an A380 flying into Logan with BA.

Lufthansa is restoring 380 service to Boston Logan and New York JFK.