First A380 delivery

I read about Singapore Airlines taking delivery (finally) of its first
A380. The article said the plane was configured with 471 seats, which
I found odd seeing as the plane's 550-pax capacity has been pitched by
Airbus since day one (never mind the 800-pax max density seating aka
cattle truck) I realize every airline will configure the plane to fit
their own needs, but that sounds like a big drop in seat count. Makes
me wonder why they didn't just buy more 747-400s.

Kingfish,

Makes
me wonder why they didn't just buy more 747-400s.


The seats are different. Very. Wait for the pics.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

On Oct 15, 10:11 am, Thomas Borchert
wrote:
Kingfish,

Makes
me wonder why they didn't just buy more 747-400s.

The seats are different. Very. Wait for the pics.

???

Does that justify spending bazillions on new aircraft? I thought the
whole point of A380 was more bodies onboard, then SIA only puts in 471
seats? Does't make sense to me.

Kingfish schrieb:

Does that justify spending bazillions on new aircraft? I thought the
whole point of A380 was more bodies onboard, then SIA only puts in 471
seats? Does't make sense to me.

The point is to have more room. It's up to the airline what they want to
do with that room: Fill in more meat or offer more luxury. I would guess
that Singapur Airlines knows better than I or you what they can sell in
Singapur.

Kingfish wrote in news:1192456533.874457.213800
@i38g2000prf.googlegroups.com:

I read about Singapore Airlines taking delivery (finally) of its first
A380. The article said the plane was configured with 471 seats, which
I found odd seeing as the plane's 550-pax capacity has been pitched by
Airbus since day one (never mind the 800-pax max density seating aka
cattle truck) I realize every airline will configure the plane to fit
their own needs, but that sounds like a big drop in seat count. Makes
me wonder why they didn't just buy more 747-400s.





Because then they wouldn't be able to do this:

I don't think singapore has signed up for this program yet, but they
certainly will. They're one of the worlds worst aviation employers and
having people they could control more easily would be a godsend to them.






Financial Times FT.com
Airlines call for reinforcements in the cockpit

By Raphael Minder
Published: October 7 2007 22:09 | Last updated: October 7 2007 22:09

It will take just over a year for Christine Lopez, a 26-year-old
Filipino, to complete the transition from catwalk to the cockpit of an
Airbus A320.

If all goes to plan, the former model will become the fastest person to
qualify as a commercial airline pilot, under a revolutionary training
scheme - the multi-crew pilot licence (MPL) - that was approved last
November by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the sector's
regulatory body. She says: "I started to think that I wanted to fly
during my high-school days but I never thought that, once I decided to
do it, it could happen this quick."

Ms Lopez will receive her licence from a new aviation school opened on
the grounds of a former US air base in Clark, north of Manila. It will
qualify her for a job at Cebu Pacific, the largest domestic carrier in
the Philippines, which has sponsored her training.
Clark is one of three schools - the others are in Denmark and Australia
- pioneering the MPL. It reduces schooling time by tailoring the
training to a specific type of aircraft and using flight simulators more
than planes.

The streamlined MPL is addressing the dearth of pilots, particularly in
Asia, the world's fastest growing aviation market. In India, more than
6,000 pilots will be required to meet the anticipated doubling of
passenger traffic over the coming 10 years. Last month, the General
Administration of Civil Aviation of China warned that it only had the
capacity to train 7,000 of the 9,000 pilots required by the country's
airline industry by 2010.

The story of MPL's creation illustrates how companies finding themselves
facing a recruitment crunch can use a combination of technology and
smart training methods to fill the gap.

Rick Norman, a former pilot who is now flight operations manager at
Clark, says: "This is a course that gets you straight to where you want
to be. The day after you get the licence, you should be flying from
Manila to Bangkok, with 180 passengers behind you."
The Clark school was established by Alpha Aviation, a privately held
British group, in partnership with Cebu, which is sponsoring 59 of the
104 students. Alpha is talking to several Asian airlines about
replicating its joint venture model and expects to open 10 more schools
in the region over the coming five years.

Mr Norman says: "The blueprint that we have developed in Clark is
clearly very attractive to lots of Asian and Middle Eastern airlines
that are facing the same need to find more pilots."

Demand has risen just as the pool of available pilots has dwindled due
to the decision by many Asian countries to reduce their air forces - a
traditional training ground for commercial aviation. The profession has
also become less financially attractive as airlines such as Cathay
Pacific have gone through bruising battles with pilots to cut staff
costs. Andy Law, a senior Cathay captain, admits: "The people who go to
our cadet school are capable of doing plenty of other things ... Cathay
is finding it difficult to attract people from the local community,
which is a bit of a concern."

The timing of MPL's introduction therefore is opportune, but it has
sparked criticism from pilot unions and industry pundits that it could
lead to lower standards, just as crashes in Indonesia and Thailand have
put safety levels under the spotlight. Jim Eckes, an aviation consultant
and former commercial pilot, points out: "You can do amazing things with
a simulator, but it's really only when you're up there, flying alone,
that you can build up the confidence."

Clark certainly doesn't lack rigour. Students in freshly pressed pilot
uniforms stand to attention when visitors enter the classroom. Their 12-
month course involves a minimum of 70 hours of flying, including 30
hours solo, as well as at least 180 hours spent on a simulator. However,
the bulk of the course is in class, with much of the learning coming
from computer coursework. That helps explain why the Clark licence, at
$80,000 for the year, is relatively cheap by industry standards.

In Asia, where being a pilot has been prohibitively costly, the MPL's
arrival is a welcome opportunity. As Marsha Bell, vice-president at
Alteon, Boeing's training subsidiary, says: "The dream of flying is not
something that everybody in Asia has been exposed to. This (MPL) makes
it accessible, as well as more advantageous."

Bertie,

Makes
me wonder why they didn't just buy more 747-400s.


Because then they wouldn't be able to do this:
...

You don't really make sense (to me). Care to explain?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Kingfish,

Ok, I'll spell it out.

I thought the
whole point of A380 was more bodies onboard, then SIA only puts in 471
seats? Does't make sense to me.


More seats CAN be the point of buying an A380 for some airlines. More
SPACE in the same number of seats can be an excellent point of that
investment for another. If you look at SIA, they try to have a
high-class, luxury image. Which of the two options above makes more
sense for their market segment?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Thomas Borchert wrote in
:

Bertie,

Makes
me wonder why they didn't just buy more 747-400s.


Because then they wouldn't be able to do this:
...

You don't really make sense (to me). Care to explain?


Did you read the attached? It's pretty much self explanatory.
you can teach someone to push buttons in 70 hours flight time and 180 sim,
but they won;t be able to fly..


And you have to fly a 747 wheras with the A380 you couldn't if oyu wanted
to.

Could the answer be "freight"? With 471 full seats what is the remaining
payload capability?
Jim

"Kingfish" wrote in message
oups.com...
I read about Singapore Airlines taking delivery (finally) of its first
A380. The article said the plane was configured with 471 seats, which
I found odd seeing as the plane's 550-pax capacity has been pitched by
Airbus since day one (never mind the 800-pax max density seating aka
cattle truck) I realize every airline will configure the plane to fit
their own needs, but that sounds like a big drop in seat count. Makes
me wonder why they didn't just buy more 747-400s.

"Jim Burns" wrote in
:

Could the answer be "freight"? With 471 full seats what is the remaining
payload capability?
Jim

Nah, it's just a load of beds in first or a full sized badminton court or
some such. they wouldn't be running the #1 bus in a QC or combi config.

Bertie