Top sites for Travel

1. USA Bus Charter %7C Free Charter Bus Quote  2. Travel & Tourism Schools  3. ORBITZ: Save on Travel & Stay a Step Ahead  4. All the Travel Tickets  5. Student Travel  6. All the Cheap Airfare  7. BusRates.com  8. Students  9. All the Airfare 10. Travel Deals

Our feature story

A lengthy trip
Boeing is stretching things. In response to the mega-aircraft challenge thrown down by the Airbus A380, the Seattle giant is rolling out its own contender. Rather than go to the expense of developing a brand new family of aircraft though, Boeing plans to put its venerable 747 design on the rack, producing a stretch limo for the skies.

The ultimate offspring of the lengthening project will be a 747 capable of flying over 14,000 km with 660 passengers along for the ride.

Things won't start off quite that grand though. The first "big" 747 will be no greater in physical dimensions that the existing models. In fact, the Longer Range 747-400 (also known as the 747-400ER) was launched at the end of last year with an order from Australian airline Qantas. The first specimens are already being built. What the 747-400ER will have over conventional jumbos though is an increased range. The new version has a 10 percent increase in takeoff weight (up to 412,770 kg), allowing enough extra fuel to fly about 805 kilometers farther, or carry additional payload in the form of cargo or passengers.

A few years further down the track will come the first truly larger model, to be known as the 747X. While only about 3 meters longer than existing 747's, there will be a further increase in range and takeoff weight. What will really make a difference though is an incremental change in seating layout, particularly in the form of an extended upper deck. The 747X will be able to bear about 440 passengers, with a major increase in business and first class seating, the highest revenue stream for carriers.

When it's introduced, the 747X will become the world's longest-range aircraft, capable of flying more than 16,600 km.

Big plans
If all that goes to plan, sometime in the middle of this decade, the 747X Stretch will then make its debut. Another 10 meters longer than its predecessor, the Stretch could seat up to 660 passengers (if all seats were wedged in as with US domestic flights), but will more likely be outfitted to carry just over 500. The design probably represents the limit of how big a 747 could possibly get without a more fundamental review. Any longer, for example, and the aircraft wouldn't be able to pull its nose up for takeoff without the tail striking the ground!

The 747X Stretch will be Boeing's main hope against the bigger Airbus A380. Part of the reason, besides cost, that Boeing is relying on its 747 airframe is that the Stretch will probably beat the European behemoth to market. In the early 90's, Boeing had looked at starting its own programme for a completely new high-capacity airliner. Concept designs looked something like an extremely wide-bodied 747. In 1997 however, Boeing announced it would not pursue these plans, stating that the development of such a plane would be economically unviable. The company's analysts were confident that there was unlikely to be enough potential customers to recoup the ruinous development costs, which in the case of the A380 have been assessed at $12 billion.

Rather than spend that much, Boeing prudently decided that the world's most famous passenger aircraft would be the ideal market spoiler.

Plenty up top
But how do you convince airlines to buy what is essentially an aircraft designed in the 1960's?

Like Airbus, Boeing is making much of the high-end facilities that their baby can offer to wealthy passengers. Unlike existing 747's, the Stretch makes very good use of the wasted space above the economy cabin. Company graphic artists have therefore been busy drawing up luxurious looking first class accommodations that look like spacious hotel suites. A full-scale mock up of a passenger berth with a double bed has also been built, exactly as Airbus has done in France.

Besides all these frills, which make good PR but are quite unlikely to be implemented by most carriers, Boeing is hoping that the Stretch's cargo capacity will also win customers. They claim that compared to the A380, the American aircraft will be a more efficient freighter for the following reasons:

• It can carry an equivalent payload on one deck instead of two.
• It is a much lighter aircraft, thus saving money in fuel.
• It can be loaded through the nose.
• The long, single deck layout means it can carry taller and longer items of heavy freight.
• It can utilise common ground servicing equipment with the existing 747 freighter fleet, which is responsible for 45 percent of the world's cargo capability.

The first point, single deck loading, is a debatable advantage. Airbus, justifiably, argues that its double decks allow more cargo to be loaded simultaneously, thus improving aircraft turnaround time.

Frightfully common
It's commonality though that is the Stretch's real marketing point. Ground facilities won't have to be adapted that much to accommodate the big bird. To fully exploit the A380, airports will have to build double-decker boarding ramps and maybe purchase new servicing vehicles. Larger areas will also be required to berth the aircraft. The 747X-Stretch won't require such special treatment, though the thought of having to pass 660 passengers through a single door and boarding ramp doesn't seem a recipe for happy travelling and on-time departures.

As far as maintenance and operation go, the use of the 747 design will ensure that mechanics and aircrew will be able to look after the Boeing Beast with a minimum of extra training. Carriers won't have to hire on extra staff specialised in some exotic aircraft. Since that represents a real cost saving over the A380, it's bound to be a tempting pitch.

And with Airbus needing to sell about 700 of its giants over the next 20 years to turn a profit, the proven pedigree of the old warrior might be enough to send its arch-enemy packing.

Home | Top Deals | Airline Safety | International Travel | Future Air Travel
© 2001 airlinelounge.com | Contact