Have Your Say

Having recently flown (business class) on both B787 (both variants 800-900) and A350-900 on three flights within a 36 hour period in basically the same position (seat) on all flights I am in the unique position of being able to compare aeroplanes.
Without any doubt the A350 is superior.
Whilst it is noisy on take off, infact I’ve never heard a jet engine make so much noise, but when in the cruise it’s almost silent, the only perceptible noise in the cabin is that of the air rushing past the fuselage, no engine noise is heard.
The B787 is quieter on take off, but once in the cruise a low pitched constant throb/vibration can be heard and felt from it’s engine. This vibration, whilst not overly pronounced, was transmitted through the airframe and could be heard/felt anywhere.
Which is a bit odd as both aeroplanes (on my flights) use basically the same engine, RR Trent 1000 for B787 and RR xwb for A350, the xwb being basically a Trent 1000 with an extra compressor turbine.
It may well be related to the following comment.
The A350 feels stronger and more robust, whereas the B787 has a flimsy feel to it.
Vibrations caused by take off and landing turbulence and equipment like landing gear were also more pronounced in the B787.
Whilst there are design differences both technically and within the cabin the lack of centre overhead bins in the A350 Business cabin gives it a much more ‘roomy’ feel.
Technically (for which I am no expert) the A350 uses more traditional ‘air bleed’ powered systems over the ‘electrically’ powered system employed by Boeing in the dreamliner, the reliability of which will probably only be proven over time.
Traditionally hydraulic systems have been favoured over electrical because of reliability.
Both aeroplanes use composite materials, both have lower altitude pressurisation and higher humidity air systems but for some unknown reason to me the atmospheric comfort level in the A350 cabin was better, and that was the longest flight at 9+ hours where as the B787 flights were 2.5 and 5.5 hours respectively.
Some people may find, as I did, that the extra large windows in the B787 a little unnerving as they allow you to see more clearly just how far above the ground you are.
Note: Whilst the A350 windows are bigger than A330 windows, they are not as big as the B787 windows, and have traditional blinds rather than the ‘fadamatic’ B787 windows.
Just as a comment, the curved pilot/co pilot (front) windows on the A350 give it a unique look unlike any other modern jet aircraft, and is thus easily identified.

Unfortunately no surprise from Qantas with the announcement of seat layout for the 787 Dreamliner, at least not for economy class. 9 abreast like Jetstar as expected. An extra inch of pitch, big deal! Their research says passengers prefer more legroom rather than more shoulder room. Where do they do their research? If a tall passenger hasn’t got the legroom they want, they have another option. Buy a seat in Premium! Their comfort level only affects them. If the seats are too narrow, and a passenger is overweight, obese or just broad shouldered, it not only affects them, but also the passenger sitting beside them. As a passenger who is not tall and not large, I object to the the passenger next to me imposing on my seat space, which I have paid for. I will be choosing my next long haul airline based on seat pitch AND width, and I normally fly Qantas.

In reply to a comment made by a Chintan on 19th Sep 2016 about Air New Zealand not advising the traveller of VISA requirements. It is and always has been the responsibility of the traveller to ensure they have all the required documentation and VISA’s, not the Airline. Just because you can’t get your act together and ensure you have the required VISA’s, don’t blame the Airline.

Why do you think this is? My wife and I recently travelled around the world via USA, Germany, Ireland,
UK, Germany, Swissterland
Hong Kong and back to Australia.
My wife was always requested to remove her small loose fitting almost see thru summer scalf by security. Never once did I see a Moslem woman requested to remove her berka nor did I see any escorted to a private room to do so. Considering there were several berkas worn on every flight we went on how serious is airport security ?????

I’ve read Garuda rates/advertises as a 5 star airline through skytrax. I’m interested to know why they score low 3/7 on your website for safety, is your safety survey updated regularly/yearly or is the skytrax 5 star safety rating false advertising? Do Garuda pilots have extensive training such as Qantas pilots and other “5star” airlines, thanks

My husband and I travel overseas at least once a year. The seats on most airlines are so crammed, that for a tall or larger person, this is a concern. It is extremely uncomfortable and our major concern is that DVT would be more prevalent in this situation (given the aisles are also narrow). If you are unfortunate to be sitting next to a very large person who invades your space as a consequence,, apart from feeling angry at having paid for a full seat but only getting half, you often have no other option that to wander the narrow ailse, arriving at your destination frustrated, tired and determined to make this your last trip. The toilets are also small. For long journeys this means spending an extended period in confined spaces and I wonder long term what this poses for OHS for airlines. We now do not take longer journeys than 5 hours by plane for this reasons and cannot afford to go above economy. Also, in flight entertainment often means that the drop down TV is so far in the distance that you end up reading instead or trying to sleep. Shouldn’t the whole travel journey be a joy?!

MH370 certainly did not make a controlled ditching as asserted by the Canadian air accident investigator Larry Vance.

At 00:19.29 UTC MH370 had a rate of descent of 12,000fpm. Just 8 seconds later at 00:19.37 UTC it had accelerated to 20,000fpm – twice the rate of descent of Air France AF447 in 2009. Boeing’s Flight Manual cautions B777 pilots against exceeding 8,000fpm.

Larry Vance and I have both read the BEA report on the Flaperon which refers to damage occurring from a gradual process of erosion, not sudden shear forces. The dilemma whether this was a controlled ditching , or high speed impact as my friend Blaine Gibson believes is resolved by common sense.

MH370 broke up at altitude. The Right wing appears to have fluttered down like confetti with the Flaperon still attached for a soft entry. Wave action over the following weeks likely separated the Flaperon from the wing by fatigue, erosion & flexing, giving barnacles time needed to establish on a semi-submerged Flaperon until the wing sank and then the Flaperon broke free.

Mr Vance has fixated on just one aspect of the BEA report & taken it out of proper context to attract attention for his pet prejudice to blame the pilot. A B777 dropping at 20,000fpm is not heading for a controlled ditching.

It appears that your ratings are a bit flawed or just that it missed out on some airlines. I work for and am proud to be a member of Caribbean Airlines Ltd. Based in Trinidad and Tobago which by FAA and ICAO standards meet your requirements for one of the safest airlines in the world today.
Even before your ratings started, our predecessor BWIA had the best rating worldwide, better than Qantas and we had routes to both North America and Europe.

Please re-rate EgyptAir security rating because of the recent crash in the mediterrannean.

Flew in/out Alice Springs from Perth – 15/19 July, surprised to see Scoot 787 “parked”. I didn’t think they flew to Alice, was there an issue with this craft, seemed a waste new aircraft sitting idle middle of Australia.