Originally Posted by
philbky
Emirates does well out of its A380s because they move volume through the Dubai hub in a way few other airlines are set up to do. The configuration of their fleet has the widest range of seating choices from the super expensive suites to the basic economy, yet with a certain cache at even the lowest prices and certainly offering more comfort in economy than on a single deck wide body. Taking pax from other carriers' direct services by competitive pricing over Dubai fills the cheap seats, offers a massive influx of shoppers to Dubai Airport's duty free shops and puts the airline in the top rankings in a region where being top dog carries weight.
Emirates on its own has the clout to push Airbus into either continuing the A380 as is or improving the breed and as slot constraints grow not only on runways but in airspace, Airbus would be foolish to kill the project as other carriers may have to follow suit, sooner rather than later.
Even though that is the story line from EK management, many expressed doubts about EK's ability to make money on many of its routes. Only time will tell.
EK is looking into Premium Economy as corporate travel spending is trending down.
If I understand correctly, Airbus already stopped (paper)work on A380NEO.
Name one slot restricted airport which badly needs
all A380s. Please note only 1% LHR movements are A380. Similar numbers with DXB.