They’re also doing tours:

I’ve said it before, but Airbus needs a better video production team. Their videos are so damn dull. The second video, the one with the kid, was kind of cute and it gives us a look at some of the different options for airlines. But how about even some text overlays telling us what we’re looking at? And better music guys, that flight operations video made me feel like I was in an elevator – in the 70s. Boeing’s videos are so much better than this, generally.

It is pretty, but I have to wonder if the timing has anything to do with Boeing about to begin delivering B747-8 Intercontinental’s to airlines. The first B747-8I is expected to be delivered to Lufthansa by the end of April. (They delivered one last month, but it is for an undisclosed VVIP operator – reportedly the government of Qatar. And it is off for a couple of years of customization before entering operation.) One of the claims that pops up in the video is that the A380 is the most efficient wide body. Which I believe is true – until the B747-8I enters service, as Boeing claims it is more efficient.

The A380 has never quite looked right to me. I mean, it is an impressive aircraft and a fantastic feat of engineering, but the height of the double-decker fuselage in ratio to the length makes it look kind of stubby. It reminds me of something you’d see as a super-deformed design in anime. It’ll just take some getting used to.

XWB is a silly marketing thing which stands for eXtra Wide Body. Quick history: Boeing introduced plans for the B787 (after dropping plans for the Sonic Cruiser). Airbus dismissed it as no big deal and said they’d just update the A330. This didn’t go over well with airlines and aircraft lessors, so Airbus steadily revised their stance to increasingly radical updates to the A330, finally giving in and admitting they needed a new aircraft, the A350, to compete. But to try to give it more pizzazz they highlighted the design’s fuselage width with the ‘XWB’. Rolls-Royce jumped on the bandwagon with their engine naming, instead of giving this new model of a Trent family a number like the others.

So, right, the Trent XWB is a new engine being developed specifically for the A350. The A350 is sized between the B787 and B777, overlapping with the larger B787 models, and the smaller B777 models. Boeing and Airbus do that – rather than compete head to head, they stagger their lines. The A320 family overlaps the B737 extensively, but is slightly larger overall. But the single-aisle market is so large that they can afford to split it more directly.

The wide body market is a different story, there aren’t as many sales to go around and no one wins direct shootouts (see DC-10 vs. L-1011). The B767 is the first rung in the twin-aisle ladder, and then the A330/A340 pair are next. Then the B777, the B747, and the A380 fill in the next market segments. The B787 is replacing the B767 in the Boeing lineup, but will be larger – more directly competing with the A330/A340 market. But the A330 is being replaced by the A350, which is also larger, maintaining the staggered pattern. (The A340 is being killed off already due to low sales.)

There’s nothing dramatic in the video, which is good since dramatic test videos mean something bad happened. But it does provide for some nice eye candy of the A380 in flight. As much as I tend to prefer Boeing aircraft, it would be nice to fly on an A380 sometime. And I’m sure the A350 will be a remarkable aircraft when it flies as well. (JetBlue is my favorite domestic airline, and they only fly E190s and A320s.)