MAS A380 - Fleet to be Retained

[Ja Singh 2]

Thumbs up to Mh,very good layout on A380

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

Has MH firmed the powerplant order for the 6 A380s? MH is choosing Rolls Royce engines, the same type with involved in a worldwide headline grabbing incident with QF yesterday.

[flee 5]

I think that PMB has already signed the order.

 

However MH would now have valid reasons to revisit the S&P agreement and seek assurances from RR. If MH decides to cancel the order, it may delay the delivery again as EA might need some extra time to deliver the GP 7200 engines (which seem to have better fuel burn than the Trent 900).

 

History has shown that whenever there are problems with aero engines, they tend to be fixed (e.g. the GE CF-6 engines on the DC-10) and the additional development going into the engine actually made them better than the initial design.

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

A MH A380 in the new livery.

 

 

http://www.cardatabase.net/modifiedairlinerphotos/photos/big/00013642.jpg

[jani 0]

I'm so sad because it's so ugly..

[Anthony Koo 0]

i was close to booking a FSE session ( 40 mins) but i wanna be sure that the A380 sim will be up and running soon? i'll be in KL in late DEC, anyone reckon it'll be ready?! i'm being very optimistic here....!

[Gavin Andrew David 6]

In terms of readiness , I think for sure it will be ready , but whether they will let you use it with their FSE program , I have my doubts

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

I think that PMB has already signed the order.

 

However MH would now have valid reasons to revisit the S&P agreement and seek assurances from RR. If MH decides to cancel the order, it may delay the delivery again as EA might need some extra time to deliver the GP 7200 engines (which seem to have better fuel burn than the Trent 900).

Guess what, MH is PROBABLY going to change the A380s' powerplants from RR to EA after all.

 

MAS: Premature to make any decisions on A380s

By Presenna Nambiar Published: 2010/12/07

http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/pmt1/Article/

 

MALAYSIA Airlines' (MAS) (3786) chief says it's premature to make any decision on the purchase of its six superjumbo jets (Airbus 380s), but is monitoring the situation "very" closely.

 

The A380 was in the spotlight again last week as Qantas Airways filed a claim against engine maker Rolls-Royce over faulty A380 engines and loss of business.

 

This is after the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) concluded that a design fault was the likely cause of a mid-air engine failure on an A380 last month.

 

"We believe investigations on this matter are still under way. As such, it is still too premature to make any decisions at this point. "However, we are monitoring the situation very, very closely and in touch with both Airbus and Rolls- Royce for further developments," MAS chief executive officer and managing director Tengku Datuk Seri Azmil Zahruddin told Business Times via e-mail when asked if it would consider either cancelling its order or changing engine manufacturers following recent reports.

 

While the national carrier has stated before that it was still on schedule to receive its A380s, recent problems faced by Qantas with its Rolls-Royce engines could at the very least make MAS decide to go for the alternative A380 engine maker for its fleet.

 

Apart from Rolls-Royce, the only other engine manufacturer for the A380 is Engine Alliance, a joint venture between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney.

 

Rolls-Royce's troubles started when Qantas grounded its six-strong fleet of A380s last November, after one of the jumbo jets made an emergency landing due to engine problem, prompting an investigation by the ATSB into the incident.

Personally, I would prefer MH to go for EA over RR actually.

[Timothy 1]

something just came to mind ... since this a380 sim is new (june/july) but has the old livery and 9M-MXA , the 738 was painted in Nov. Can it be inferred that this livery change was more of a rush job than part of a long term strategy ?

[BC Tam 2]

..... part of a long term strategy ?

Doubt if that exists within MH's corporate psyche ......

One exception though, those long term flying hardware still in evidence

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

TG's probable layout for their A380s.

 

 

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/aviation/210196/more-fun-aboard-starting-2012

[Andrew K 0]

Here's the full article.

More fun aboard starting 2012

Published: 8/12/2010 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Business

 

"Passengers flying Thai Airways International (THAI) starting in 2012 may be forgiven for thinking they are flying with Singapore Airlines or Emirates Airlines instead.

 

 

Semi-private suites in first class, flat-bed seats in business and television screens for each economy class seats - in-flight features that passengers of the world's leading airlines have taken for granted for quite some time now - will become THAI's new hallmark.

 

The flag carrier is spending billions of US dollars on a radical makeover of its seats, in-flight entertainment and other passenger amenities as it tries to play catch-up with the competition.

 

 

THAI executives admit the airline's current in-flight products that many passengers joke about such as rolled-up video projector screens hung on the walls are obsolete and turn away many potential travellers.

 

"The current in-flight products are indeed our weak point. They're inconsistent from aircraft to aircraft, route to route, and they impede our ability to move up the ladder of the world's best," said Rangsiman Mokkhasmit, THAI's director for product development.

 

The in-flight product revamp, now in progress, will be instrumental to the national carrier's ambitions of entering the top five of the Skytrax rankings and enhancing its appeal in the premium long-haul segment.

 

THAI ranked ninth in the Airlines of the Year 2010 survey, up from 10th in last year's poll conducted by the British aviation research body.

 

"Despite not having modern in-flight products, THAI is already among the top 10, so it should not be too difficult to climb up to the top five any time soon," said Mr Rangsiman

 

THAI last rolled out a cabin upgrade, along with an overall improvement plan, in 2004, but that was based on technology from earlier in the decade due to the long lead time in receiving approval and procurement.

 

 

THAI’s new business class is a slightly toned-down version of Emirates’.

 

The airline lags behind the world's other major airlines, especially the cash-rich Middle East carriers, which have been going the extra mile to lure passengers, particularly premium ones, with the latest offerings while charging the same or even lower fares.

 

For instance, while other leading airlines now offer full-flat seats and 17-inch TV screen with more than 600 channels of entertainment (in the case of Emirates) in business class on medium- and long-haul routes, THAI's long-haul passengers have to be content with tilted "angled flat" seats and 10- or 15-inch screens with limited entertainment options.

 

"Even though our new in-flight products are not the latest and do not have any new trend-setting features, they don't really look too bad," said Mr Rangsiman. "Passengers should be pleased."

 

The plan is in line with THAI's policy of being a "premium service network airline" in the same league with other major carriers including Lufthansa, Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Emirates.

 

THAI's new first class will feature full-flat seats in a mini-suite format, largely resembling what Lufthansa offers, with leg rests and seat-back screens of at least 23-inches in size. The new business class seats and arrangement resemble a slightly toned-down version of Emirates', with a minimum 15-inch screen.

 

Premium cabins will also feature a sharply improved audio-video on demand entertainment system offering up to 100 movies, 150 TV programmes and 500 CDs along with quality noise-cancellation headphones.

 

These are all a far cry from THAI's current offering of 48 movies, 45 TV programme and 80 CDs.

 

And featured in the new economy class will be individual TV screens of at least 10 inches in size on the seat backs.

 

Future premium passengers will soon be able to make on-board calls from their mobiles, access the internet and watch live TV with USB connectivity.

 

The in-flight product revamp, which will also feature an overall "look and feel of Thainess", will be introduced to not only THAI's new jetliners, but also the existing fleet under a retrofitting programme that may last until 2023.

 

The package of new features will herald the arrival of a fleet of new wide-body jetliners - six A380-800 superjumbos and seven A330s - to THAI's fleet starting in February 2012. Work has already begun on existing aircraft."

 

Flew in one of their A300s lately and it was like flying in the 80's.

Edited December 28, 2010 by Andrew K

[Josh T 0]

I am so pleased about the flat bed seats in business on the A380. I really hope we get to see flat bed seats in the business class cabin of their new A333 and conversion of the business class seats on the B772 to flat beds too, so there's consistency in their premium long-haul product.

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

An interesting analysis by Flightglobal of MH's A380s seating configuration. http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/asian-skies/2010/11/a-look-at-the-mas-a380-seating.html

 

A look at the MAS A380 seating configuration

By Will Horton on November 1, 2010 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0) |ShareThis

 

Configurations of in-service A380s as well as MAS' expected configuration.

 

While poking around the MAS website I stumbled upon the carrier's configuration for its A380, a nifty find considering its first bird is not due until April 2012 and airlines have so far liked to keep their configurations closely-held.

 

MAS will seat 420 in economy (the same as Lufthansa), 26 in its new premium economy, 54 in business, and 8 in first for a grand total of 508.

 

Location, location, location

MAS says economy will be split between the lower and upper deck. Premium economy will be on the upper deck, business on the upper deck, and first class on the lower deck.

 

We can reasonably expect first class to occupy the first zone (between the two main entry doors) on the lower deck and economy to fill the rest. But that will leave a small section of economy seats left for the upper deck, creating a small, intimate economy cabin like that found on the upper deck of some 747s.

 

It seems logical to place that small cabin at the back of the upper deck where the rear stairs will connect it with the rest of economy. I can't see MAS wanting to sandwich business class, so business could presumably start at the front of the upper deck, leaving premium economy to be in the middle.

 

What does this all mean?

The 5 carriers currently operating A380s have an average of 495 seats, so MAS is at the upper end. The two newest A380 operators, Air France and Lufthansa, had large configurations: 538 for Air France and 526 for Lufthansa.

 

As the A380 becomes more standard and its allure dies down, we'll continue to see the aircraft shift from an all bells and whistles aircraft to a practical piece of machinery that can haul a lot of passengers. Eventually, Air Austral will operate the aircraft with 840 seats. Before then, Korean Air has promised its A380 will be in the least dense configuration yet.

 

First class

There have not been huge discrepancies yet with the number of first class seats and Malaysia Airlines, with Lufthansa, will have the least number of first class seats. Malaysia's 9 seats will be suites with a seat that converts to a full-flat bed, a 23" LCD PTV, a guest seat, and dining table. There will also be mood lighting.

 

Business

MAS sets a new benchmark for the least number of business seats at 54. Previously Singapore had the least with 60 seats. MAS' 54 seats will have a 75" pitch in a 2-2-2 configuration with a 17" LCD PTV. There's also mood lighting in this cabin.

 

Premium economy

MAS becomes the second carrier to feature premium economy, a cabin that has grown in popular with corporate travelers no longer permitted to fly business while economy passengers look for a more comfortable cabin without going to business.

 

Qantas, the first carrier to have premium economy on the A380, will feature more premium economy seats on its next batch of A380s and will also retrofit its 747-400s to have premium economy. Elsewhere in the Oceania region Air New Zealand and V Australia prominently feature premium economy, with V Australia saying during its launch that premium economy would be its best-selling cabin.

 

Economy

Finally, in economy MAS has the second highest number of seats along with Lufthansa.

 

IFE

Although MAS' new A330-300s and 737-800s will have the Panasonic XSeries IFE, the A380 will have the Android-based Thales TopSeries, which includes a USB media player, e-books, and very interestingly, 3D games.

 

You may recall MAS considering offering the iPad as IFE on some flights, but likely not on the A380.

 

Before we come close to seeing MAS accept its first A380, China Southern and Korean Air will place into service their A380s, which we do not yet know the configuration of. As they say, watch this space.

[Josh T 0]

I can't wait to fly in the business and first class cabin on MH's A380s!

[Pieter C. 5]

MH 508 seats

KE 407 seats

 

hmmmm, quite a difference !!!

 

Korean Air will dedicate the entire upper deck of its new Airbus A380s to business class, beating a rumoured refit by Singapore Airlines to become the first A380 with a single deck for premium passengers.

 

The upper level will be set aside for 94 of Korean Air’s lie-flat Prestige Class business seating with 74 inch spacing (although that’s well under the 80 inches on a Qantas A380).

 

The cabin will also feature “extra large seat partitions”, according to the airline, to deliver what Korean Air senior vice president Walter Cho describes as “the comfort and privacy reserved for First Class passengers on other airlines. (Passengers will) feel exclusivity like they’re travelling in their own private jet.”

 

Downstairs on the Korean Air A380 adopts a more familiar layout with 12 first class suites at the pointy end and 301 economy seats (with 34 inch spacing, or three inches more than cattle class on a Qantas A380).

 

That brings the total capacity to just 407 seats, the least of any A380 to date: by comparison, Qantas has 450 seats, Singapore Airlines 471 and Emirates 489, with capacity maxing out at a packed 538 on board an Air France A380.

 

The Korean flag carrier’s first superjumbo will take to the skies in May 2011, with another four to follow throughout the year and five more slated by the end of 2014.

 

The A380s will initially ply short-haul but high density routes from Seoul to Japan and East Asia, before expanding to US and European routes in August.

 

While there's been speculation that Singapore Airlines will extend the business class cabin on all new Airbus A380s to run the entire length of the upper deck, beginning with the May 2011 arrival of SQ’s 12th superjumbo, the airline has refused to confirm the new layout – although it hasn't refuted the plans or slapped down the rumour.

[KK Lee 5]

I can't wait to fly in the business and first class cabin on MH's A380s!

 

What about F and J on QF, SQ and EK?

 

MH 508 seats

KE 407 seats

 

The upper level will be set aside for 94 of Korean Air’s lie-flat Prestige Class business seating with 74 inch spacing (although that’s well under the 80 inches on a Qantas A380).

 

Downstairs on the Korean Air A380 adopts a more familiar layout with 12 first class suites at the pointy end and 301 economy seats (with 34 inch spacing, or three inches more than cattle class on a Qantas A380).

 

MH A380 EY seat pitch will be 31 inch?

[Josh T 0]

What about F and J on QF, SQ and EK?

 

MH A380 EY seat pitch will be 31 inch?

F on QF and SQ is simply too expensive to justify paying for it. The same goes for paying in C and upgrading to F (although this is not out of the question for QF). I wouldn't have much of an opportunity to fly EK, as I don't have any frequent flyer loyalty to them, except for the C class run between SYD and AKL (which you can get for about AUD1400 return).

As for MH's A380 EY pitch being reduced to 31", it truly is sad, as MH was well-known for it's generosity in EY in that department...

[KK Lee 5]

MH 508 seats

KE 407 seats

 

by comparison, Qantas has 450 seats, Singapore Airlines 471 and Emirates 489, with capacity maxing out at a packed 538 on board an Air France A380.

 

Due to high seats density, MH A380 CASK will be among the lowest. However, can MH fill these seats on KUL/LHR, KUL/SYD?

[c.lee 0]

MH A380 EY seat pitch will be 31 inch?

The article is comparing KE's A380 with QF's A380. May I know from where you got the info that MH's Y class seat pitch will be 31 inches?

[Mohd Azizul Ramli 2]

The article is comparing KE's A380 with QF's A380. May I know from where you got the info that MH's Y class seat pitch will be 31 inches?

That is quite simple to figure out.

 

So that makes our tally to (as of 29 December 2010):

 

SQ - 12R, 60J, 399Y = 471 seats (9V-SKA - 9V-SKL)

SQ - *New configuration is to be announced for 13th (9V-SKM) and subsequent A380s, rumoured to be 12R, 88J, 311Y = 411 seats

EK - 14F, 76J, 399Y = 489 seats 'Ultra Long Range'

EK - 14F, 76J, 427Y = 517 seats 'Long Range' (A6-EDG, ...)

QF - 14F, 72J, 32Y+, 332Y = 450 seats

AF - 9F, 80J, 449Y = 538 seats

LH - 8F, 98J, 420Y = 526 seats

KE - 12F, 94J, 301Y = 407 seats

MH - 8F, 54J, 26Y+, 420Y = 510 seats

For MH to offer 34 inch of seat pitch in Economy Class is for it to apply the same layout as KE, i.e. only 301Y seats on the Main Deck. However, MH will configure its Economy Class with 420 seats, identical to Lufthansa. LH's Economy Class seat pitch on the A380 is 31 inch. Although the 420Y seats on MH A380 will spread out on the Main Deck and Upper Deck as opposed to LH (LH's all 420 seats are on the Main Deck) maybe we can discount that MH's seat pitch is slightly better at 31.5 inch or 32 inch the most but definitely not 34 inch for sure.

 

[c.lee 0]

For MH to offer 34 inch of seat pitch in Economy Class is for it to apply the same layout as KE, i.e. only 301Y seats on the Main Deck. However, MH will configure its Economy Class with 420 seats, identical to Lufthansa. LH's Economy Class seat pitch on the A380 is 31 inch. Although the 420Y seats on MH A380 will spread out on the Main Deck and Upper Deck as opposed to LH (LH's all 420 seats are on the Main Deck) maybe we can discount that MH's seat pitch is slightly better at 31.5 inch or 32 inch the most but definitely not 34 inch for sure.

Thanks for the insight MAR.

[Josh T 0]

32" seat pitch can be quite reasonable and comfortable enough if the seat itself is designed well.

[Robert 0]

32" seat pitch can be quite reasonable and comfortable enough if the seat itself is designed well.

 

But not if you are 6 ft +

[Josh T 0]

But not if you are 6 ft +

Well, if you're of average height it would be! But I don't think 6 ft + counts as average height...