Wirraway
5th Nov 2004, 16:42
Sat "Herald Sun"
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,394031,00.jpg
Trollies as usual: Emirates has decided against souvenir shops on its new A380 super jumbos.
Emirates' jumbo climb-down
Geoff Easdown
06nov04
EMIRATES Airlines has come down to earth about the internal layouts of its coming fleet of A380 super jumbos.
The Dubai-based carrier revealed this week it had turned its back on the marketing hype of aircraft maker Airbus.
The next generation big birds will have conventional fitouts in three-class seating arrangements.
Missing will be the onboard saunas, restaurants and souvenir shops that Airbus marketers had boasted.
"We're not doing anything like putting in saunas, running tracks or whatever," Emirates vice chairman and group president Maurice Flanagan said during this week's Melbourne stopover.
"It will be seating," he said, noting, however, there were parts of the internal layout where passengers would for the first time be able to shower on long-haul routes.
Pressed about why the souvenir shops and other like luxuries were axed, Mr Flanagan replied: "We'd be glad if the opposition did that, because the price would have to go up.
"Aeroplanes make their money from filling seats."
Emirates has ordered 45 of the cavernous A380s, which come into service in September 2006.
Each will be capable of carrying 135 more passengers than the current model Boeing 747-400 extended range airliner.
But for carriers such as Emirates, the A380 is expected to be less costly to fly and operate much longer legs than its Boeing rival.
Airbus claims the A380 will fly 1543 km further than a 747-400ER.
"When the aircraft is full there will not be much room for cargo, so we have had to buy freighters," he said.
"We make more money from carrying passengers, so it makes good economic sense to be doing this," he added, noting it would operate long haul routes.
These include direct Melbourne and Sydney services to Dubai, and to New York and Chicago non-stop from the carrier's home base.
"We will also have it on routes where at the moment we are pushed for slots.
"We can't expect to get more slots into London at the moment where we have seven flights a day."
And the route chosen for the first service?
"Probably Dubai-London," he replied.
And the first test flight by Airbus?
Mr Flanagan said these were expected this January with Singapore Airlines, because it had chosen an engine type that would be available earlier.
SIA is expected to receive its first of a 10-plane order in May 2006.
Qantas, too, has confirmed an aircraft order with Airbus for 12 A380s.
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http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,1658,394031,00.jpg
Trollies as usual: Emirates has decided against souvenir shops on its new A380 super jumbos.
Emirates' jumbo climb-down
Geoff Easdown
06nov04
EMIRATES Airlines has come down to earth about the internal layouts of its coming fleet of A380 super jumbos.
The Dubai-based carrier revealed this week it had turned its back on the marketing hype of aircraft maker Airbus.
The next generation big birds will have conventional fitouts in three-class seating arrangements.
Missing will be the onboard saunas, restaurants and souvenir shops that Airbus marketers had boasted.
"We're not doing anything like putting in saunas, running tracks or whatever," Emirates vice chairman and group president Maurice Flanagan said during this week's Melbourne stopover.
"It will be seating," he said, noting, however, there were parts of the internal layout where passengers would for the first time be able to shower on long-haul routes.
Pressed about why the souvenir shops and other like luxuries were axed, Mr Flanagan replied: "We'd be glad if the opposition did that, because the price would have to go up.
"Aeroplanes make their money from filling seats."
Emirates has ordered 45 of the cavernous A380s, which come into service in September 2006.
Each will be capable of carrying 135 more passengers than the current model Boeing 747-400 extended range airliner.
But for carriers such as Emirates, the A380 is expected to be less costly to fly and operate much longer legs than its Boeing rival.
Airbus claims the A380 will fly 1543 km further than a 747-400ER.
"When the aircraft is full there will not be much room for cargo, so we have had to buy freighters," he said.
"We make more money from carrying passengers, so it makes good economic sense to be doing this," he added, noting it would operate long haul routes.
These include direct Melbourne and Sydney services to Dubai, and to New York and Chicago non-stop from the carrier's home base.
"We will also have it on routes where at the moment we are pushed for slots.
"We can't expect to get more slots into London at the moment where we have seven flights a day."
And the route chosen for the first service?
"Probably Dubai-London," he replied.
And the first test flight by Airbus?
Mr Flanagan said these were expected this January with Singapore Airlines, because it had chosen an engine type that would be available earlier.
SIA is expected to receive its first of a 10-plane order in May 2006.
Qantas, too, has confirmed an aircraft order with Airbus for 12 A380s.
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