Originally Posted by
forgot to bid
Really it's the only way to go. We'll already have a fleet of nearly 450 A320s/319s/321s (mostly 321s) plus 350s and 330s. Just go all in.
Airbus can just say, "we tried."
And then you can have them before the C-Series would have been ready.
I say this because a bunch of reasons but I walked into the sim the other night, it's small. I know it's a smaller plane but 319 is same cockpit for 2 dozen more seats. And the screens are pretty and all but its not as spectacular as the 350 right across from it.
You're entitled to your opinion. For me, while there are some innovations, much of the 350 cockpit is a rehash of the earlier Airbuses. Clearly that is done in order to allow for familiarization and cross flying between fleets. In Asia, pilots fly both the 330 and 350 at some airlines.
Meanwhile, the ProLine Fusion on the CSeries is truly innovative in comparison. Better use of color, decluttered PFD so that you can focus better, much better Nav displays, more intuitive menus, etc. Too bad Delta will likely not take advantage of the HUDs - you should see the phenomenal things they do with the HUD on the Global 6000 (incorporated with the PL Fusion). At the same time, fancy bells and whistles don't pay the bills - I get that....
I don't think Airbus has a single order for the A319 NEO. The CASM still trails the CS100 CASM and the product is undifferentiated and boring. I know we have discussed this before, but I think Delta's Marketing department recognizes the CS100 as an opportunity to present something new and fresh to the business traveling community. SWISS has seen a lot of very positive feedback so far.
And some good news for the CSeries program:
https://worldairlinenews.com/2017/12/23/korean-air-becomes-the-third-operator-of-the-bombardier-cs300/