MSGID: 1:135/250@fidonet 68f7060c
PID: C-NET AMIGA BBS 5.36b
 On the subject of Combi...

Going in circles..   The primary reason was safety.  Even updated fire
supression on the main deck carying passengers carries it's own risks.  Since
the main method of fire supression in to starve the fire of oxygen.  What
happens if you have a system dump in the portion of cabin with passengers? 
You either kill your self loading cargo, or in the event of a an actual fire
still have O2 being fed into the area (Mask dump).  

There was other criteria the airlines and manufactures felt too constly to
implement.  It usually always comes down to cost.  With the surge in dedicated
cargo company's there was no longer a need for combi's.  They were a nice tool
for airlines to adjust their loads during seasonal passenger flux, but
companies can do that by carrying cargo in the holds anyway (Just limmited by
size).

The main reason remains.  Airbus engineered themselves into a corner.  It's
main purpose was a to develope a passenger aircraft, which they did.  The 747
was designed with a future role as a cargo aircraft in mind.  There is already
a certified after market conversion process for the 747, doing so with the
A380 would be starting from scratch as far as the conversion process goes.  As
a business which road are you going to take?  The cost effective one, or the
one that makes you the first to do so?

** Yes I am aware of the fully staffed "Preighter" flights.  While it seems
like a waste of money, you are keeping your fleets active without having to
pay for the cost of storage prep, storage, then prepping them to return to the
line.  You are keeping your pilots in regs with flight time, you are keeping
your crew in regs with training and flight time, and making money moving
cargo, and with the vacines... a good public image.  The regs for FA staffing
comes from how the aircraft is certified for evacuation, and the number of
seats it is certified with.  (Even in the case of Korean Air, which removed
seats to be able to strap packages to the floor, where some airlines just
placed the packages in the seats..).   You also have a crew with a new side
hustle of cargo loaders (I bet they were not paid extra for that!).  If it
didn't help the airlines bottoms line during the pandemic, you know they would
not have done so.

Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)
Blog and Forums  - www.catracing.org
IMAGE BBS! 3.0   - bbs.catracing.org 6400
C-Net Amiga BBS  - bbs.catracing.org 6840
--- CNet/5
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