THR RED is at about 1500ft, isn't it?
Would having the packs off up to this height cause discomfort to PAX?
Change in Pressure is not the problem... rate of change is. As with most things on the 'Bus, pressurisation schedules are comlpex. 1 pack at a time causes less rapid Cabin V/S => greater comfort (= less discomfort
).
do you guys use Packs off on finals on the Bus, in the case of a go around?
No need. This is a "cost" issue, not really performance, esp at Landing Wt
Saves fuel, improves performance on a TOGA take-off and reduces maintenance costs as EGT is reduced. A little extra FLEX goes a long way to improving engine life especially if only a small thrust reduction from TOGA is being applied.
Doubt it "saves (much) fuel"
It lets you use a higher "flex" => longer engine life, and/or reduced costs, especially if you have an engine maint contract based on cost v Flex.
In my Airbus flying, we always did packs off takeoffs in the A340 (needed the perfomance!), and very rarely in the BA A320 series (it's there e.g. out of ABZ if we need another ton or so MTOW)
NoD