Articles tagged “airbus”

Who says airlines don't prioritize passenger comfort? As long as carriers calculate passengers are willing to pay for a better experience, they will provide it.

So much can happen between now and 2021. David Neeleman's new airline may never get off the ground. But let's hope for the best. The U.S. airline industry could use its first new entrant since 2007 to stir up competition.

U.S. airlines can reach some Western European airports profitably with narrow-body aircraft. But even the best narrow-body aircraft have some range issues. If it wants to fly to Europe, JetBlue will need to decide whether it can do so with the A321LR, or whether it should wait for a longer-range aircraft.

You have to give Qantas some credit for its public relations strategy. It will be at least four years before the airline launches "hub-busting" flights to New York or London from Sydney but the airline already has almost everyone in the airline industry talking about its plans.

Yes, there's some innovation on display at the annual Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. But mostly, the three-day show is about networking and building relationships.

Once all the aircraft arrive, American will be the largest Dreamliner operator in the western hemisphere, according to Boeing. That's good for customers, considering the aircraft receives the highest customer satisfaction scores of any widebody in American's fleet.

We like United President Scott Kirby because he says what's on his mind. But something doesn't add up here. Is this the real reason United hasn't placed a new order for the A320 family of jets?

There have been so many advances in aviation in the past couple of decades that there are almost no routes between major world cities a modern airliner cannot fly. Sydney to New York and London are two of those routes. But perhaps not for long.

Will United Airlines ever take the 35 Airbus A350s it has on order? At one point, it had an acute need for the new long-haul aircraft. But times change, and United already has a worthy successor for its Boeing 747 fleet — the Boeing 777-300ER.

Is this a game-changer? No. But let's give Airbus some credit for making short-haul travel a little more pleasant. Too bad passengers must wait until 2020 to see the new cabins.