The perception of luxury - A380 and 787
For all their woes, Boeing and Airbus are doing something right.
My wife asked me the other day if people would have to pay extra to fly on the A380 or 787, if they are really that much nicer to fly in than older aircraft. That set me thinking..., for all the publicity that the 777 generated during its development in the 1990s, the press, the documentaries, the general coverage...., I can't remember ever hearing that kind of question. In fact, as interested as I was at the time (I was studying for a degree in Aerospace Engineering in the early 1990s) I can't remember ever thinking that the final product was going to be much different to actually fly in.
Same goes for the A340, A330 and family. I remember being interested in the technology in a geeky sort of way, but I can't recall ever imagining them feeling any different to be in.
So, apart from Concorde that I never got to fly in, are there any (wide-body) jetliners that actually are markedly different to sit in?