Airbus v Boeing – advertising.

A nasty little spat between Airbus and Boeing has been concluded in favour of Boeing.

It all concerned an advert which appeared in Flight International, the international aerospace magazine,  in which the Seattle-based company claimed that the 747-8 was 8% more efficient than the A380 and had a 26% trip-cost advantage.  Airbus objected on the grounds that it was comparing a 467-seat 747 against a 555-seat A380 and that to achieve the same degree of comfort the Boeing would need just 405 seats.

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority was clear in its adjudication. “Regardless of any difference in comfort standards, we consider it was reasonable to make the comparison based on the standard seat layouts of the aircraft”.  Business Travel News  looked at Lufthansa as an example and found that the Airbus carried 526 and the Boeing 386 passengers.

John Leahy, effectively chief salesman at Airbus, seems piqued at the decision saying that “The Boeing seating assumptions are as outdated and obsolete as the 747”.  http://www.asa.org.uk

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