Boeing's born-as-freighter 747F's have been significantly different aircraft than the passenger models: heavier flooring; PDU units to move pallets/containers; collapsible cockpit-upper deck stairs to facilitate through-the-nose loading; a side cargo door and, exclusive to the born-as-freighter 747's: nose-loading capability. A great many boneyard pax config aircraft were retrofitted to have PDU's and side-load freight doors, but the BCF conversions were never the same airplane. A dual version is a more expensive launch.

(Written on 2018/03/30)(Permalink)

Agree, as long as Boeing is price-competitive, - hard to determine that, since airframe manufacturers discount so heavily, and then there are the options clauses for additional tail numbers.

(Written on 2018/03/30)(Permalink)

There was never a "747-800" - it's always been the 747-8, often referred to as the Dash Eight. And Boeing is making tons of money. Developing/producing prototypes of new models is an enormous cash drain, ROI on initial projects a long (long) time coming. Boeing reacts, strikes, innovates when the moment and the model are right, or at least they have so far. Many a mega firm would enjoy "suffering" as they now do.

(Written on 2018/02/02)(Permalink)

What EK does has seemed inscrutable for the last many years. Doubtless a few egos ran amok in garnering attention with ordering more A380's than they ever reasonably needed - one can make a case for propping up any prognosis if you crunch the numbers you like long enough. That much said, making Dubai the hub it is has been a meritorious accomplishment, if not the stuff of miracles. And Trump's cynical moves in furtherance of Islamophobia in support of his chewing tobacco base was never going to result in good stuff. Confluence of narcissism, opportunism and idiocy.

(Written on 2017/04/22)(Permalink)

No U.S. carriers ordered a single A380. Many foreign flags obviously did, because it best served them and had optimum pax appeal. So be it. Airbus has announced A380 production (which only recently reached break-even), will come to a halt by 2018. Passengers have long proven they prefer frequency and the convenience of closer-in, intermediate sized airports to mega jumbos. The time for the latter was fun and glorious, but it's on the wane. Mid-sized twins obviously are cheaper to buy, operate and maintain, (not to mention their incurring lower landing fees). And when a U.S. carrier decides on an order, that only happens after exhaustive, mind-numbing number crunching - no one cares where it's made or by whom. And that's the way it ought to be.

(Written on 2016/07/29)(Permalink)