airbus a320 vs boeing 737

The 737 family and A320 family aircraft can carry anywhere between about 150 and 220 passengers depending on the model. Like high-wing versus low-wing or twins versus singles, the Boeing versus Airbus debate is among the most contentious arguments in modern aviation. They stated that despite the A320’s recent surge in popularity, the 737 was the better aircraft as it had been the best short haul aircraft since the 1970’s. Airbus starts out ahead with a fuselage width of 156″ and a cabin width of 146″. Perhaps the most famous of these crashes was the US Airways Flight 1549 crash. The below are list prices that most airlines don’t end up paying as they might get discounts based on the number of airframes ordered, the relationship they have with the manufacturer, and so on. The A320 has windows that built for adults to look out of whilst they’re sat in their seat, the 737 often doesn’t. However, there are some exceptions – most notably the A321XLR – which is the longest-range aircraft in this article, yet has high capacity. The A320 was the shortest of this family, designed for shorter routes than the A310. Vultee P-66 Vanguard: The US’s Forgotten WWII Fighter. After all, the past year has provided much skepticism over the safety of Boeing aircraft, especially the 737 family. However, there are rumors that the A320’s replacement will be an as yet unmentioned electric-fuel hybrid aircraft. Most commercial pilots fly either a Boeing or an Airbus, or perhaps a subsidiary like Embraer or Bombardier in that regard. Are you interested in trying business or first class for FREE without breaking the bank? Whilst this may not seem as though it is important, it is very noticeable when compared to the A320’s. However, our Editor-in-Chief Christopher Harrow, a former 747 and 787 pilot, naturally prefers the 737 as that is what feels more “natural” to him. They saw the success of the 737 in particular and saw the seeming monopoly that they had in the short haul market. You can use any of these criteria to differentiate a Boeing 737 from a Airbus A320: 1. Their seats are often a little bit wider and longer than their Boeing counterparts. The 737 was also a hit with passengers and became an essential part of pop culture- you weren’t a cultured person in the 1970’s or 1980’s if you hadn’t flown on a 737 or 747. And that’s a big deal because it means there’s typically more room for passengers, even though both planes are single-aisle. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. When it comes to comparing the two manufacturers, there are some categories of aircraft where the Airbus options are cheaper than Boeing, and there are some where it’s the other way around. This led to Lufthansa becoming the launch customer for the 737-100 who launched with a $150 million bid. However, as of the time of writing, Boeing hasn’t released anything as to whether they’ll do that. TODAY IN THE SKY: Happy birthday, 737!Boeing’s workhorse turns 50 | JetBlue takes delivery of first U.S.-built Airbus aircraft (photos below). At bottom, a Boeing 737, an -800 model with China Southern; at top, an Airbus A320, Beijing International Airport, November 23, 2015 (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) Boeing, too, has continuously updated the 737. Boeing needed an aircraft that could do short haul routes that wasn’t quite a regional jet but wouldn’t compete with the 727 in a negative way. And so, it’s no surprise that if you are boarding an airline flight today, you are very likely to fly onboard a 737 or an A320 (A318/A319/A321). For passengers, this often means a slightly wider seat, which is always welcome, even on short-haul. However, this is only the current plan and could be changed and/or altered in the coming years. ©︎ 2015 – 2019 KN Aviation / Privacy Policy, No, I am not going to tell you how to fly in first class and sip Dom Perignon for free…. As with many other Airbus jets, the A320 has its origins in the A300. The 737 is longer and taller than the A320 is, this results in the 737 having a higher lower number of seats when compared to the A320. However, most airlines only operate one variant or the other. This means that you can go down the aisle easier on a 737 than you do on a A320. However, more A320ceo aircraft are in service today than there are 737NG aircraft. John Cox. Both the A320 and 737 are very similar in terms of their specifications. As such, they have come up with a solution. Hi! My name is Keishi Nukina, and I am an aviation enthusiast, writer, and photographer based in Japan. In fact, newer variants of the A320 such as the neo or the ceo haven’t had a crash to date. The result was an aircraft that didn’t fly as far as the 727, but was still attractive to airlines. But, I am going to introduce you to a couple of ways you can experiment with to try a business class flight without having to spend thousands of dollars. As such, the 737 has become a family all on its own. More 737s than A320 family models were produced in total. As passengers, many of us have our preferences, be it the A320 or the 737. Airbus starts out ahead with a fuselage width of 156″ and a cabin width of 146″. Airbus will increase the A320 production rate to 50 aircraft per month at the beginning of 2017 and to 60 in 2019. This has caused many to wonder which of the two aircraft are truly superior. The Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737, both are mid sized, twin jet narrow body aircrafts. The 737 doesn’t come anywhere close to the A321 aside from the fact that they are both single aisle aircraft. Secondly, most 737 variants are much quieter than their A320 counterparts. This is mostly due to the fact that we are the ones at the helm of the aircraft that everyone is comparing. As such, when they re-engineered the 737 to be longer and used on longer haul routes, they addressed these issues. When it comes to comparing the 737 and the A320, we need to look at their safety record. As such, they began designing a short haul aircraft that was bigger than the DC-9/717 and was slightly shorter than the 737. Boeing B-17 vs B-29: The Best WWII Bomber? All rights reserved. The aircraft that is supposed to replace the 737 is the Boeing Y-1. The most common variant of the A320 is the A320-200. A look at the differences between the competing and seemingly similar aircraft of the Airbus A320 Family and the Boeing 737 Next Generation Family. like I did with the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 before, 737 MAX 7*, 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 9, 737 MAX 10*. At the end of last year, Airbus was more than 400 orders behind Boeing, but orders for the 737 have taken a hit from the controversy surrounding two high profile crashes, while the A320 … On KN Aviation, I share reviews of the flights I take and lounges I visit on top of many other aviation-related articles. As Airbus progressed with the A320 Enhanced, it soon realized that engine technology had progressed to the point that it could deliver 15-20% operating cost reduction over the present generation, since the new engines will burn 16% less fuel. See Airbus 320 photographs and spotting tips Shown in this chart is a side-by-side comparison of the narrow-body, single-aisle Boeing 737 (top) and the Airbus A320 (bottom). You can also look at the outer edge of the cockpit windows. The 737 is 0.009 Mach faster than the A320, despite this, the A320-200 actually has a higher range than the 737-800. Several unique identifiers are included to help in telling the difference between these two competing groups of aircraft while plane spotting. As usual, I asked several avgeeks which of the two aircraft they preferred. Throughout its history, the 737 has been mired in controversy. Most recently, the new 737 MAX has been grounded after two fatal crashes in only a few months. No matter what class you are in- economy or business class, the A320 seats are far bigger than their 737 counterparts. As such, the 737 is used in both an all economy configuration and a first class/economy configuration. See the pointy nose on the Boeing 737? The Airbus A320 has a wider cabin than the Boeing 737. Boeing too is fully aware that the 737 is becoming too old to be what airlines are looking for. Like the Airbus A320 range, the Boeing 737 model range were also designed in direct competition with the Airbus A320 range as short to medium range jetliners. It’s had four different types of engines and … However, the A320 is wider than the 737 and has a higher number of seats if out in an all-economy configuration. It’s a free guide that I put together detailing some of the ways I was able to do so myself. The A320 and 737 are the most common short haul aircraft. Looking at the specifics, we can see that the Boeing 737 MAX beats the A320 with a higher max payload (46,040 lb vs 44,100 lb) and a higher thrust power. The Boeing 737 is a bit smaller with a 148″ fuselage and only 139″ in the cabin. The dorsal-like fin leading up to the tail? Similarly, the A320neo is outperforming the 737MAX – both due to having been introduced to the market earlier as well as due to Boeing’s recent problems with the MAX series. I’m not going to get into too much detail here. Airbus is very clear that there will be no A320 replacement announced until at least 2024. This led to the usual vehement debate as is so common when comparing different Airbus and Boeing aircraft. The table below lists the highest capacity models: The lowest capacity models are as follows: Generally, the smaller versions of the A320 and 737 families can fly further. Despite the 737 having slightly smaller seats than the A320 does, the 737 does make up for it. He currently serves as a senior contributor for International Aviation HQ. Airbus is fully aware that the A320 will soon become too old and too fuel consuming for airlines to operate. And this is shared by most commercial pilots. As pilots, whenever there is an Airbus vs Boeing debate, we always get brought into this. With the A320, both legacy carriers and low cost carriers operate it. Airbus is well known for having much larger seats, and the A320 is no exception. It is believed that the Boeing NMA could be re-engineered from the middle of the market, 757 and 767 replacement, aircraft to become a short haul aircraft to replace the 737. Gareth Seagull is a traveler and former Airbus A320 pilot. As such, Boeing has two options- the Boeing NMA project (more commonly known as the Boeing 797) and the Boeing Yellowstone project (Boeing Y-1). The A320 was designed to compete with the 2nd Generation 737 2. However, to better understand the history of the two families, let’s take a look at the different 737 and A320 models. They are about the same size and look quite similar to the untrained eye. In first class, the 737 is often used in a “2-2” configuration. With more than 10,000 737 family aircraft and almost 10,000 A320 family aircraft produced to date, no other airliner family comes anywhere near the production volume of the two. 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