Depends on the configuration. Seat Guru

This one has 307 seats:
First Class: 14 Flat bed sleeping pods
Business Class: 66 Lie-flat Skybeds with no floor storage
Premium Economy Class: 40 seats with 9 inch recline and fixed armrests
Economy Class: 187 seats with 6 inch recline

The two class version has 412 seats:
Business Class: 56 Lie-flat Skybeds More Info
Economy Class: 356 seats with adjustable headrests and lumbar

Capt. K, the Qantas website is correct at 307 seats for the 4 class configuration on 744.
A 2 class QF744 with 412 seats would still be at a >50% seat disadvantage when compared to the Airbus recommended 2 class A380 configuration of 644 seats.

I just flew Dubai - Heathrow in one and had a very nice journey. Upstairs in the first row of business though it was quite awkward to go to the lav. They are in the back behind the bar. The one directly in front of me was for first class and the girls, though pleasant, didn't want to let us go forward. Everyone in the first 10 rows tried. In the end they did let most through though. Serving the number of business pax that they had meant that there was a trolley in the aisle virtually always and made it annoying. Sounds like a small issue but you have to make your way past nearly 30 rows of business class configured pax chairs.

The bar was very popular and at one point was standing room only. When disembarking I thought it could be a lengthy affair but I was very pleasantly surprised as I was on the road in a courtesy limo within 30 minutes of stepping off.

Commercial issues aside, it is certainly and ugly beast but it has brought something new to the mix. I'm not a beancounter but I would love to have a fly of the thing. Same way I'd love to have a burn in a 744 really.

Time will tell how the Beluga Whale works out in the real world. In the mean time I have no problem being loaded onto one. :ok:

If you go to the website you'll find most of the 744's have over 400 seats. I wasn't arguing about the economics btw, just the numbers. I have flown the aircraft...

Fly - Onboard - Seat Maps - Boeing 747-400 Longreach

Well I'm confused Capt Kremin!

Following your link to the Qantas website, they show 5 different configurations for the B744!

With the exception of one, all are under 400 seats!

Starting with the 747-400ER: Seating is 307, 353, 351, 307, and 412.

i think jetstar should buy a 744 then they can carry more pax than the 380 if they put rows of seats in the cargo hold. :ok: carry on luggage only. :}:}:}

If Captain K goes back to that website he will see 7 x QF744's have the 2 class 412 seat configuration. That is somewhat less than "most of the 744's".
This discussion was about the 4 class configured 744's and that has 307 seats.
The only thing wrong with the 380 is, we don't have enough of them.:ok:

Nor does the Qf744 have the standard Battlestar FTL drive. Thats got to be just as relevant in this thread.

Some facts don't change with time. The fact is A380 is a reliable a/c and is very popular among the pax.
SIA customers ask ?where is recession? on packed A380
It is a gas guzzler if you look simply at the amount of fuel it consumes. But if you look at the liters per pax per mile, then it's the most fuel efficient a/c out there at the moment. AFAIK, it is definitely making $$$ as far as SQ is concerned.

All new a/cs in service would have an increased amount of mx inspections to uncover latent problems and the A380 is not an exception. The dispatch reliability figures are remarkable considering it's a new a/c type.
As to whether the market can support the A380 in the long term, at the moment, it does look like a niche a/c as not many operators are ordering it. Some potential customers I've heard, are waiting for the A389 instead. Only time will tell.

A380_800 DRIVER

I don't want to sound pessimistic but after the next two oil spikes and the GW nonsense :ugh:I doubt if any of us will be flying in thirty years time unless you are a multimillionaire. I see airports as the homes of huge aluminium dinosaurs:uhoh: waiting to be turned into coke cans.:{:{

Well that will mean the end of the Globalization experiment won't it, how else can an integrated globalized market work without the cheap transport of goods?:ooh:
Buy local may become the new catch cry.:ok:

You want the truth.... YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH !
 

To all those A380 nay-sayers, read this report.
A380?s stellar performance undermined by ongoing technical issues: operators


The full report is in a link at the bottom.

380///744
 

seat guru:- if you go to the website you'll find most of the 744's have over 400 seats.
744 and 380 are both costly to operate.. lets wait for the orders.. to pile-up.. i doubt if the 380 will fly for too long..
just a thought..

coke cans..a' all
 

well i think the same way.. it will be wise to be lean and mean.. and fit than to fly the big birds and fall-apart..sad but true.. cheers..get your endorsements on the elephant while they fly..

Since the inception of aviation, airlines and manufacturers have gone to a lot of trouble to give the impression that you are in a bar,hotel or restaurant instead of an aluminium tube moving through the atmosphere at an unnatural speed.

QF's 747 initially had an upstairs bar and lounge until the bean counters decided that they could make more money by putting seats in the upper deck.Even today the their 747's have a self serve bar in business class.

Emirates A380's have showers for first class as well.

Todays caveat regarding the possibility of unexpected turbulence is certainly a warning but also a way for the airline to cover themselves legally.

I agree with you aiming point that it does have a contradictory interpretation and with our litigation happy society the airline would want to have a good legal department.Especially on flights in and out of the US:E

I think that is a slight mis-quote. The one I hear most often is:

"The Captain has now turned off the Fasten Seatbelt sign. However, we would like to remind you to keep your seatbelt fastened at all times when seated."

A small but important difference.

The biggest problem with the A380 at Qantas is that there are only 4 of them. If one goes U/S the other 3 are likely at opposite ends of the earth, and all of a sudden you have cut the fleet by 25%. Doesn't matter what kind of plane it is, cut out 25% of a fleet and the network will struggle and it will become "news".

Air France superjumbo grounded again
 

PARIS, Dec 17, 2009 (AFP) - The sole A380 superjumbo operated by Air France was grounded for the second time in a week on Thursday because of a technical problem, officials said.

The plane, due to fly from Paris to New York's JFK airport, suffered a "small technical incident" that force the airline to cancel the flight and place passengers on another plane, a spokesman for the airline said.

"Technicians are in the process of determining the cause of the fault," he added.

On Monday the same plane was grounded in New York because of a technical glitch.

Air France started flying the giant double-decker jet, the world's largest passenger plane, on November 23.

Another A380, flown by Singapore Airlines, had to return to Paris on Wednesday due to an electrical fault.

by Dan De Luce © 2009 AFP

That's what happens when you've only got one of something!

No it doesn't.
It would be better for an airline if it does only have one of a new type in their fleet.
If an airline is having problems with a new aircraft type then the more of that type they have in their fleet the more problems and cancellations they will have.
If the problem is systemic then the more aircraft you have the more problems you are going to have.
Try dealing with multiple cancellations especially at this time of the year.