What Air Line Has Newest Fleet Of Planes

[bing]

Arriving in Bangkok there are a multitude of airlines to choose from. Which airline has the newest fleet of planes? It seems that the older planes seem to have to most problems. I understood that the planes that fly from NYC to Bangkok nonstop were newer, but reading what guys are saying about the poor condition of the planes, I am wondering which airline has the newest fleet. It could make the difference in which airline I choose. I have frequent flyer miles on a few airlines but am willing to try whatever airline has the newest planes on the USA to Bangkok. I usually go with lowest fare, but like the amenities of individual TV screen on seat in front of me and a clean well cared for airplane. Years ago I had a great experience with Thai Air. The flight crew were the most attentive group, I had ever experienced, but the food was Thai and a bit exotic for my taste, so the food was the weak link in the flight. But that is my prob. Again, am open to hearing about the better planes to choose from when planning next flight to BKK.

[TrongpaiExpat]

www.airsafe.com/ (http://www.airsafe.com/)

[Smiles]

Also a good website here: http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/?file=rechop
Just plug in the airline name and up pops the average age of their entire fleet.

For instance, two airlines I've flown on recently have average fleet ages of 13.7 yrs (UNITED), and 6.9 yrs (SINGAPORE).

Cheers ....

[jinks]

Every year I fly to Thailand with Emirates 5.7 years.

This answer is wrong IMHO Iberia 8.2 years

Worse still.. I fly twice a year with Monarch 12.8 years

Some REALLY interesting results for Virgin !!!! look yourself :clown:

[fedssocr]

of course average age doesn't mean a whole lot depending which particular aircraft you end up on. You could be on a brand new 777 or a 20+ year old 747. Most major airlines have pretty good maintenance programs and they refurbish their airframes on a regular basis. So there's not necessarily anything inherently dangerous about an old plane if it has been well maintained and upgraded through the years.

I wouldn't base my choice on the average age of the fleet. I would care much more about comfort and convenience of the flight times/connections. I would prefer a refurbished "old" plane with a nice new interior and IFE product over a 4 or 5 year old plane with a worn out, uncomfortable seat any day of the week. Some routes/carriers have nicer aircraft than others.

The TG 340-500s are only a few years old in any event. If you are flying JFK-BKK it is a good option if you can stand to be on the plane for 17 hours. The layout of the plane is as good as you will find on an international flight. The business class is pretty comfy altho the seats do not go 180 degrees flat which is a drawback. The premium economy product is pretty good and only a couple of hundred dollars more than regular economy. The regular economy itself is not terrible. I think the pitch is 36" which is pretty much unheard of in Y. The ground staff at JFK are contract staff and not especially nice which is a shame.

I flew on ANA last year and will do so again this year from IAD. The schedule isn't great with a 22:45 arrival in BKK, but ANA fly fairly new 777s on their North America routes with similar business class to TG and the lounges at NRT are pretty nice for the wait between flights. I believe the 777s on these NA routes are among the youngest in the air, some were brand new over the course of the last year or so. Of course when you change planes at NRT you will end up on a somewhat older 777 for the rest of the ride to BKK.

[bing]

Thanks, AirSafe and AirFleets are both neat sources.

[fedssocr]

Some REALLY interesting results for Virgin !!!! look yourself :clown:

are you surprised by how old Virgin's fleet is or how new? I think it said something like 10 years average. They have a bunch of old 747s that they would like to retire but since Boeing and Airbus keep falling behind and pushing back all of their new deliveries VS has gotten stuck flying an older fleet than I think they would prefer.

[Diec]

I have a feeling 99% of people will purchase their ticket on price alone, regardless how old the aircraft is. The airlines will also not disclose how old the particular plane you are flying is anyway. If the captain and crew feel confident flying one particular plane...then so do I.

Some REALLY interesting results for Virgin !!!! look yourself :clown:

are you surprised by how old Virgin's fleet is or how new? I think it said something like 10 years average. They have a bunch of old 747s that they would like to retire but since Boeing and Airbus keep falling behind and pushing back all of their new deliveries VS has gotten stuck flying an older fleet than I think they would prefer.

Virgin is what you end up with when you try to run an empire on hype. Singapore and Emirates have no problem whatsoever in getting brand new planes.

If want to get the absolute cheapest fare, I still think Kuwait Airways beats everyone in this regard. This last, a most sadistic and cynical suggestion!

Flying on hype - yes, considering that the single largest shareholder in Virgin Airlines is Singapore Airlines. Mr Branson seems to be very good at selling his brand without investing too much.

He's as cunning as they get.

[allieb]

Qatar Airways 66 aircraft average age 4 years

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I boarded my 11:55 pm flight BNE to BKK last February........I had to look out the window to see if it had propellors!
The OLLLLLDDDD business class seat and lousy service.......I'll be looking at other airlines next trip.

[Jamez777]

Its hard to belive but Lao Airlines have the newest planes in the sky. They have just received a new aircraft from China, so it has virtually no miles on the pld speedo clock !!! Most of their other plans are failry modern as well, so why no jump on one and visit Vientiane !!!

[allieb]

Qatar Airways 66 aircraft average age 4 years

Good, thats who I am flying with in July. And the prices are good too!

Very good service too. Seats in Economy 34 inch pitch, full personal entertainment system, 3 choices of meal and endless wine and spirits all the way. I pushed the service button in my seat and two stewardesses arrived one from each end of the aircraft as if it was a race to get to me first. Transit at Doha is also easy its a small airport. The airline is heavily subsidized by the Qatar government as the are determined to stay in the top three 5 star airlines.

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[Shuee]

i would say whoever has bought the new A380 airbus has the newest planes, singapore airlines are & were the 1st to have these, & the only ones still i think to date, one of their routes is london-singapore

Buying a couple A380's does not mean that your overall fleet is new.

New isn't always better.

Some aerospace engineers try to avoid flying a new plane design until it has at least 5 years proven service.

[bing]

I have looked up Qatar Airline in USA, they don't seem to fly from many places in the USA. I did check their fare from JKF to BKK. Wow Qatar was $3,775.00 and using other airlines the ticket would be from $1,275.00 to $1,418.00. Guess I will wait to fly Qatar. Air Thai non stop from JFK to BKK was $1,435.00. Again thanks for all the useful information provided.

[billyhouston]

Its hard to belive but Lao Airlines have the newest planes in the sky. They have just received a new aircraft from China, so it has virtually no miles on the pld speedo clock !!! Most of their other plans are failry modern as well, so why no jump on one and visit Vientiane !!!

So now they have five aircraft! I had a full and frank discussion with Lao Airlines regarding a seven hour delay at Vientiane, about which they failed to phone me, caused by one of their MA-60s going 'technical'. We discussed the arrival of their third MA-60 but my guess is they will work it as hard as the others, with no spare capacity if things go wrong.

Have a look at what ECCR, their Passenger Sales Agent , have to say about them ECCR (http://www.laos-airlines.com/)

I purchase my air ticket based on: 1. price, 2. my past experince, 3. mileage program loyalty
Between U.S. and BKK, my choices will be:
1. ANA: ANA wins my hear with thier services (both ground and in-flight service, food is awesome)
2. Singapore airlines (their in-flight VOD system is top of the line)
3. Asiana (robotic FAs, but well programmed)
4. Thai airways (I feel I am in Thailand already as soon as I step in their airplane :-))
5. Eva (99% of the time, Eva is the cheapeast among my choices of airlines)
6. United (well, their mileage program is good. And so many flights to choose from, but bad food, very very bad)

[fedssocr]

So now they have five aircraft! I had a full and frank discussion with Lao Airlines regarding a seven hour delay at Vientiane, about which they failed to phone me, caused by one of their MA-60s going 'technical'. We discussed the arrival of their third MA-60 but my guess is they will work it as hard as the others, with no spare capacity if things go wrong.

Have a look at what ECCR, their Passenger Sales Agent , have to say about them ECCR (http://www.laos-airlines.com/)

Thanks for the Lao Airlines info. Since they are the only game in town for flights between Luang Prabang and Vientiane I am scheduled to fly with them in November. Hopefully it will all work out.

[Brad the Impala]

So now they have five aircraft! I had a full and frank discussion with Lao Airlines regarding a seven hour delay at Vientiane, about which they failed to phone me, caused by one of their MA-60s going 'technical'. We discussed the arrival of their third MA-60 but my guess is they will work it as hard as the others, with no spare capacity if things go wrong.

Have a look at what ECCR, their Passenger Sales Agent , have to say about them ECCR (http://www.laos-airlines.com/)

Thanks for the Lao Airlines info. Since they are the only game in town for flights between Luang Prabang and Vientiane I am scheduled to fly with them in November. Hopefully it will all work out.

If you haven't done it before, it's worth thinking about doing this journey with a car and driver. A bit more expensive than Lao Air, but worth it for the fantastic scenery and opportunity to stop off along the way.

[billyhouston]

If you haven't done it before, it's worth thinking about doing this journey with a car and driver. A bit more expensive than Lao Air, but worth it for the fantastic scenery and opportunity to stop off along the way.

Excellent suggestion! I fly Vientiane-Luang Prabang-Chiang Mai twice a year. A couple of years ago I was persuaded to visit Vang Vieng, en route to Luang Prabang, which necessitated a bus. Neither Vang Vieng (the town, not the scenery which was great) nor the bus impressed me but I vowed that some day I would do the journey by car. The scenery along Route 13 is absolutely stunning, especially north of Kasi.

From JFK to BKK, I will pick Thai, mainly due to the non stop service with pretty new planes! Much as I love Singapore Airlines, I think it does not make sense to transit, unless of course your time is unlimited.

From JFK to BKK, I will pick Thai, mainly due to the non stop service with pretty new planes! Much as I love Singapore Airlines, I think it does not make sense to transit, unless of course your time is unlimited.

I agree. From New York, TG is the clear choice for its nonstop connections and the new planes on those routes. The fares, though, are often quite a bit higher than on airlines that require a connection.