How 40-year-old tech is helping Airbus beat Boeing

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Chapters:
Intro - 0:00
Let's Do an Experiment - 2:36
Airbus Commonality - 3:39
Why Airlines Love It - 5:40
How Big Are the Savings? - 7:26
Another Big Benefactor - 9:40
What About Boeing? - 13:14
Outro - 14:31
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Boeing and Airbus dominate commercial aviation. The two have a functional duopoly - controlling 88% of the commercial aircraft market. And that market is huge - projected to reach a staggering $170 billion by 2030.

To capture as much of that pie as possible, both sides are constantly pushing the technological envelope. They’ve poured innumerable resources into R&D, exploring radical innovations like novel materials, hydrogen propulsion, and even folding wings.

Coby: But, what if I told you that the biggest competitive differentiator that Airbus has has nothing to do with crazy futuristic technology? In fact, this particular competitive advantage has existed for decades, and has helped Airbus win countless deals over the years. So, what is it? What exactly is this Airbus secret weapon? Let me explain…

#airbus #a320 #a330 #a350 #a380

[EinChris]

I think the biggest advantage of Airbus is the feeling that the company is not run by people managing it by an Excel sheet to gouge the last penny out of every corner, but by managing it from a drawing board perspective trying to win with the safest and overall best product. And the focus is on "feeling". Of course Airbus is a business which needs to bring in profits.

[thomasmacken]

Airbus's biggest advantage is Boeing's management/Board of directors.

[jeromejaykay]

The Airbus A380. To this day, I am amazed by how such a BUILDING can take to the skies. What a testament of modern engineering.

[TheRtHonPMSirLDOBSON]

Big A350 and A380 fan, but the A350 just takes the edge for me - had the pleasure of flying on both before and they both impressed, but higher cabin pressure on a carbon fibre airframe is something you can’t truly appreciate until you’ve experienced it, definitely landed feeling much more refreshed then I did on my return leg on a 777.

[sheykh]

As an Airbus engineer and Cockpit Systems Integrator, the most important and critical systems necessary for safely flying (manual and on autopilot), including cockpit aesthetics, are exactly identical across all Airbus aircrafts.. The differences are addition of new features and functions to increase pilot comfort and lower workload.. With newer generation of on-board systems and Airbus's retrofit policies, soon the mixed flying configuration will become seamless for the pilots.

[mihirshah]

I've only flown A320 and A380, but the A380 is so spacious inside, you forget you are in a plane. And from the ground, it has such a presence in the sky.

[lunyplayz]

The reason airbus is running so much money is because they remember to tighten the bolts

[JV-ootc]

My favorite airbus is by far the a380. I had the pleasure to fly it from LHR to SFO last year and it was amazing. The size and the comfort is just unique.

[teddythefire]

Better help is a scam. You deserve better Coby

[comet]

The A330neo is definitely my favourite Airbus airframe. It's accidentally gorgeous as the old A330 nicked the A340s wing after ETOPS happened, putting an already high aspect ratio wing on a smaller, lighter aeroplane produced an incredibly low induced drag setup, and the Neo rework cemented that with those beautiful blended sharklets, and simplified high lift system. You can usually tell when either an A330 or 787 is passing overhead, because its wake (evidence by contrails) is barely even there, it just whispers by...

[Oleks]

A350, the zorro mask and those beautiful curves connecting wing and winglet!!!

[RJCasey-gjlg]

I’m a recently retired B787 Dreamliner Captain so I’ve had a bird’s eye view of all the Airbus models taxiing and flying around various airports. I’ve been a passenger on A320, A340-200, A380, the first Airbus- A300 and A310. While the newest technology airliners B787 and its Airbus counterpart A-350 are technology wonders, 15 hour plus flights across the huge Pacific Ocean always made me think of how nice a 3 or 4 engine plane would be in case one of my 2 B787 engines were to fail and I would have to fly 3 or 4 hours on 1 engine to some unfamiliar Pacific Island airport at night and land. With that said, my vote for favorite Airbus model would be the A340-500. Unfortunately this model is no longer flown by any airline, but when one taxied by - it was a vision of the esthetically perfect airliner. It looked like the famous B707 on steroids.

[nichendrix]

I find very interesting when people talk about the 777-X folding wings as it it were some sort of new technology out of this world, aircraft carrier based planes have folding wings all the way back to the 1930s.

[elliottdalle]

huge A300 and A350 fan, I live next to the UPS World port and even though they have some super cool Boeing and MD planes like the 747-8 and MD-11 the A300 has a place in my heart for being the one that's often forgotten and the first airbus still loyally serving the big brown, also my grandpa was a huge avgeek and sent me a newspaper clipping in 2016 for the first A350 flight, I like to think its one of the reasons that got me into aviation

[mosy]

I think it's their consistency in quality and safety and not too much overzealous on making profit. With their calm working atmosphere where staff work with pride and respect and joy of actually achieving something noteworthy for themselves and their families.

[kurtkromer]

My favourate Airbus is the A340-600. It took me from Munich to Singapore - my longest best fligth ever. Smooth, quiet and very comfy.

[EinChris]

Everyone driving a Volkswagen car is quite familiar with that.
VWs core lineup (Polo, Golf, Passat, Tiguan, Tuaran, Bully) all use the same controls. Even Audi, Porsche, Skoda and Seat use the same controls (sometimes slightly modified in color or shape).

[OfficialSouthAfricanAirways]

To me, my favorite aircraft from the Airbus lineup is the A330ceo and A330neo aircraft. The A330ceo has been a workhorse for many airlines, known for its efficiency and range, while the A330neo builds upon that legacy with improved fuel efficiency and updated engines, offering even better performance. It's a favorite due to its versatility and reliability. Plus, the aircraft is by far, the ULTIMATE butter machine.

Please can I have the shirt? I have been watching your videos for years!

[SuperJumbone]

My favorite Airbus plane is easy. It's the A330. Not for a business metrics but because of the seating layout. While of course it can change from airline to airline I've always found even in Economy having the two-four-two setup lets me travel with my partner in comfort. Doesn't hurt that it's a nice modern plane and the NEOs having those great overhead bins.

Beyond that it is a super pretty plane and I love the curves of the wings down to the winglets.

[stevodakine]

Sounds like a common sense approach to the design. Getting a room full of engineers to agree on anything is almost impossible, so well done on this approach.