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Which aircraft is best for an overnight flight: Airbus A330, A350, Boeing 777 or 787?

26 replies
pointyendmark

pointyendmark

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pointyendmark

Qatar Airways

Member since 06 Jul 2016

Total posts 15

IMHO the 787 is far superior to any there aircraft because it's the only one with clean, fresh cabin air. All other places take the air from an engine bleed.

787, A350 and A380 have the 6000ft cabin altitude, which is superior to 8000ft because it contains more oxygen and water vapour.
Each of the above are quiet, but I find noise a red herring because the brain adjusts to ignore background ambient noise.
For me, a major influencer on sleep quality is the cabin temperature. Usually it's too high, so I ask the crew to set it to 21 degrees in my part of the cabin. On my last flight on a QR A350 the purser claimed they can control temperature a few rows at a time, not just in different cabins.

Selfie

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Selfie

British Airways - Executive Club

Member since 18 May 2017

Total posts 1

One additional thing I’d suggest is worthy of consideration is cabin temperature and the availability of individual air nozzles at every seat.


Asian carriers like Cathay tend to keep their cabin warmer compared to western carriers. Sometimes they also do not have individual air nozzles at each seat (I experienced this on Cathay’s A350, A330 and B777 recently).

While I enjoyed the quietness of the Cathay A350 overnight BNE-HKG leg, I actually slept poorly because i found it hot and stuffy. I slept better on their 777 and A330.

I’m not sure if this was just because they had the cabin temperature set higher on the A350 or if the A350’s higher humidity had something to do with it.

Worth some research if you’re prone to overheating!

Ourmanin

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Ourmanin

Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer

Member since 08 Jun 2018

Total posts 144

Just done two flights in the last week in the A350 Qatar business. Easy winner for me. Also every flight is made better with decent noise cancelling headphones.

johnhyde

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johnhyde

Member since 12 Dec 2016

Total posts 2

IMHO the 787 is far superior to any there aircraft because it's the only one with clean, fresh cabin air. All other places take the air from an engine bleed.
787, A350 and A380 have the 6000ft cabin altitude, which is superior to 8000ft because it contains more oxygen and water vapour.
Each of the above are quiet, but I find noise a red herring because the brain adjusts to ignore background ambient noise.
For me, a major influencer on sleep quality is the cabin temperature. Usually it's too high, so I ask the crew to set it to 21 degrees in my part of the cabin. On my last flight on a QR A350 the purser claimed they can control temperature a few rows at a time, not just in different cabins.

Agree. 787 is much better than the A350. Never feel tired and I reckon it's much quieter.

Notso Swift

Notso Swift

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Notso Swift

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 06 Oct 2016

Total posts 32

Same with the others 350, 787, 330, 777

It’s not just noise and cabin pressure but the 350 and 787 are also noticeably smoother ...the 777 feels like a bus compared to a limo

bl812

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bl812

Emirates Airlines - Skywards

Member since 11 Mar 2015

Total posts 9

stay away from the galleys as they make a lot of noises plus the crew marching up and down like elephants sometime-had this glorious experience on qantas first class-never again!

parishiltons

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parishiltons

Member since 18 Sep 2015

Total posts 27

stay away from the galleys as they make a lot of noises plus the crew marching up and down like elephants sometime-had this glorious experience on qantas first class-never again!

One of the great things I find about SQ is that the cabin staff are very considerate towards those trying to sleep - cabin lights are dimmed sooner rather than later, the cabin crew tread softly and don't bump the seats, they shush anyone making loud noises and they don't insist on waking you up in the morning - you can emerge back into the world at your own pace so long as you do the right thing and be ready for when they prepare the cabin for landing.

travelalot

travelalot

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travelalot

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Member since 28 Jan 2016

Total posts 11

The noisiest aircraft in any cabin IMHO is the B777. However, an excellent seat in business class may offer some compensation...

Ian_from_HKG

Ian_from_HKG

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Ian_from_HKG

CX

Member since 05 Jun 2012

Total posts 61

IMHO the 787 is far superior to any there aircraft because it's the only one with clean, fresh cabin air. All other places take the air from an engine bleed.
787, A350 and A380 have the 6000ft cabin altitude, which is superior to 8000ft because it contains more oxygen and water vapour.
Each of the above are quiet, but I find noise a red herring because the brain adjusts to ignore background ambient noise.
For me, a major influencer on sleep quality is the cabin temperature. Usually it's too high, so I ask the crew to set it to 21 degrees in my part of the cabin. On my last flight on a QR A350 the purser claimed they can control temperature a few rows at a time, not just in different cabins.

Agree. 787 is much better than the A350. Never feel tired and I reckon it's much quieter.

Utter nonsense. The A350 is 5dB quieter than the B787 in-flight overall, and up to 15dB quieter at the front of the aircraft (ie where business class is). Not opinion - fact.


The trope about bleed air being contaminated is equally nonsense since bleed air is taken before the combustion zone (ie it is still fresh air). The more important question is how well the air is filtered and how often it is replaced, and the cabin pressure. Filtering levels and cabin pressure are similar on both aircraft, but the air on the A350 is replaced more frequently. Consequently the conclusion is that air quality on the A350 is superior (plus it allows airlines the ability to adjust humidity on a per-cabin basis, so if you are lucky with your airline, your business class seat will have higher-than average humidity).

Add the extra 10cm of cabin width (no, it's not a lot, but it does still mean a little more space per person) and to me the A350 is a clear winner.
Private Pilot

Private Pilot

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Private Pilot

Member since 26 Sep 2017

Total posts 6

My order of preference would be A350, B787, then toss a coin between the A330 and B777, at that stage it more comes down to the actual business class seat as well as where you are sitting in the cabin, eg away from galleys and lavs.

I avoid overnights from SIN because it's so hard to get anything resembling a decent sleep, which means flying with SQ in order to be on a daytime flight.

I'd agree with that order of preference. You can really tell the difference between an A350 and B787 when it comes to cabin noise!


Agree...A350 is more comfortable than B787. Also slightly more roomy.

Rod H

Rod H

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Rod H

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Member since 06 Mar 2015

Total posts 274

Lets face it , they are all better than the DC3 but without any doubt the A350 is the best by far!!!



brettepi

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brettepi

Member since 10 Jul 2017

Total posts 86

certainly not a 747, freezing and loud

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