I’m getting ready to start my first long haul flights and was wondering about the pros and cons of different WBs. I’ve done the aircraft type eval, but that obviously doesn’t mention cargo. How does the A350 compare to the 787 in that regard? The 350 is pretty popular, but from the outside the flexibility of the 787 smaller size and two versions makes it seem a better choice.
I’m assuming there’s no compelling reason to look at the older families.
Thoughts?
A330/A340 are good if you want get them cheap and that they are one maintenance category and cover the sizes from A330-200 to A340-600 for the extra tight routes. A310/A300 are good if you want really small wide bodies as the 313 is better than the 762 and the A300-600 is pretty good. They also share the same maintenance category. I have structured my long haul only airline around three families the 757, A310/A300 and A330/A340. When looking at long haul never look at cargo as it wont bring much revenue and personally I fly my long haul cargo at minimum price just to get it filled. 767s especially the 400ER is also a good plane. All planes mentioned so far is if they exist and are cheap. Otherwise if i would order brand new I would clearly get 787s as they are smaller have more sizes and are very efficient. A great long haul starter. The A350 might be a bit too big for some routes. A380s are neither that bad if you can fill them. I fly some on congested short haul flights and they do great.
Excellent, thank you. I guess I should have mentioned I’m on quimby, so only looking at new builds. 787 here I come!
787 was my choice due to flexibility and returns are very good
I use 787 for Europe - West Coast USA routes as it can do a return flight in a day due to its higher speed, and I tend to use the A350-900 for larger long haul routes.
Looking forward to the A350-1000 mid this year meaning I can have a larger long haul aircraft in the same maintenance category 
I run both 787 and A350. I'm well aware that the A350 and 787-9 are comparable-on-paper, but with my choice of seating configurations, I can fit more seats into the 350 than the 787-9 due to the fuselage width.
I run both 787 and A350. I'm well aware that the A350 and 787-9 are comparable-on-paper, but with my choice of seating configurations, I can fit more seats into the 350 than the 787-9 due to the fuselage width.
Yes, if you do the cost comparison with comfort+ in econ the A350 gets quite an edge over the 789. Unfortunately I had no experience in LH ops, and didn’t know what my final config would be when I was checking for costs.
The 350 wasn't in service when I started but I love the 788 for it being able to work really well on more niche long haul routes. Can make a lot of money even with a premium configuration.
788 has lower risks than A350. A380 and B747 are very high risks!
If you buy one of them and can filled flights well, then you may ignore these risks :)