So Qantas IS interested in the 747 Advanced
Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, November 9, 2005
That’s what The Australian reports, anyway. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17202886%255E23349,00.html The national newspaper of the Land Down Under takes a long look at Boeing’s proposed 21st century jumbo jet in this article, which looks at the hotly contested campaign to sell as many as 100 long-range widebodies to Qantas — with as many as 20 being A380s or 747-As
Key Quote: “The company has devoted considerable effort to giving the interior a radical makeover to match the A380 … The 747 Advanced will have an entry more like that of a cruise ship … In the ceiling above the staircase are three windows, enhancing the feeling of being on a spaceship. The entry area also features a domed ceiling and a concierge station that doubles as a mini-lounge … From the 777 comes the sculptured interior (and) … a great deal more storage space, while the aircraft borrows the 787’s space-age toilets. The currently vacant crown space in the 747 has come in for special attention, with Boeing proposing to use the area for Sky Suites and a business centre.”
I’ve seen the Sky Suites mock-up — it’s very cool. You couldn’t sit in those spaces during take-off and landing, but Boeing’s proposing them as sort of a premium business class option: sit in a regular business or economy sit at the begining and end of the flight, then head upstairs to your bunk for the duration.
This is the first time I’ve seen any public discussion of Qantas being interested in the 747 Advanced, and now some of Boeing’s cageyness on whether/when it will launch the program makes a little more sense. You gotta know Boeing would absolutely LOVE a 20-jet order from a blue chipper like Qantas — which at one point, you may recall, operated an all-747 fleet — to launch the 747 Advanced. Come to think of it, a 20-jet order would be one of the biggest in the history of the whole 747 program. Boeing Salesman-in-chief Scott Carson, no doubt, has got his selling shoes on.
Meanwhile, the PR battle goes on, with Boeing offering up The Flight of the Worldliner as a publicity coup to rival Airbus’ plans to fly an A380 down to Australia next week for a Down Under tour.
News.com takes a look at that visit http://finance.news.com.au/story/0,10166,17176312-462,00.html in the context of the Airbus/Boeing struggle for the big Qantas order.
Key Quote, from Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon: “‘Qantas … is looking at options to strengthen its competitive position and provide for future growth opportunities, including medium-haul routes in Asia, as well as services into the US and Europe bypassing traditional hubs,’ he said.”
