the A318 to NYC from London city used to be amazing, right in heart of London to NYC, full business layout, and such a cute plane to cross the Atlantic on. shame that BA cancelled it
Great video! As someone who flies from Paris to Florence at least two or three times a year, I had not realised that flying on the A318 was such a novelty!
Fascinating video with all the history. I was supposed to be on the A318 BA service to LCY from JFK twice during and after the volcanic activities in Iceland Never actually flew it, but at least I was on BA1 Concorde twice.
I totally get why you wanted to fly this unique variant, it's a neat part of aviation - when I look at my personal airline flight history, one of my prouder ones is a flight on an AF A318 between Munich and CDG in 2006, and I've tried to fly on them since but they're so rare so I'm glad I at least have the one
Great video! I flown with Air France business class on the A220-300, the experience was great, the premium check-in was really fast and the lounge was fantastic, also they served champagne to us. But the seat was like economy but was reclining and there was a bit of more space.
Very good video. I always enjoy getting to travel on airplanes at the end of their service. I took a Lufthansa flight a bit ago and got a 747-8 one way and an A340 home. Probably last time for me. My father is a retired united pilot and when I was a kid I remember when he was a 727 captain. Our family was always flying back and forth to Hawaii on DC-10s, DC8s and 747s with a lounge upstairs! Good times. Thanks for sparking some memories.
That’s awesome! It’s definitely fun to try out these aircraft before they are retired, although the 747 and A318 are cool for very different reasons… still fun though!
I flew a few back when I used to fly from southern France to Paris on a semi regular basis. You really had to be an aviation nerd to notice the difference between the 319 and 318, but, especially with Airbus's rounded nose design, they look adorable. At least, back in those days, the seats all reclined.
Great video! I've always wanted to fly the tiniest 'bus. I also thought that the lack IAE engine option on the A318 put existing A32X operators off who used that engine. The A318 came with a P&W engine option instead, but this faced development delays which didn't help aircraft sales either (I am sure this was also reason for the TWA cancellation).
I flew an A318 from Denver to Los Angeles on Frontier once. It was the first flight of the day and a Sunday. There were only twelve of us on that flight, although the flight attendant said it would be a full flight coming from Los Angeles back to Denver. It was a good plane, but too small to be efficient and too big for the smaller airports they wanted to use it for.
I flew on F-GUGP a few months ago. Didn't realize the A318 was such a rare sight nowadays, damn ^^ Got the same chocolate cake as you, too. It was delicious, didn't get it again since then... their other cakes are good too, but not as much, bummer :/
I think NOT! When I looked at bookings via CDG to LIS, they occassionally had the A318 but it would change to A220 or A320. I could dream to take that BA A318 flight. The very first time I watched you I was like "wow his videos are all so long like 30 mins" and this one being 15 I was like "wow this is so short" Lol
I flew last year on this between TLS and CDG in an even better way! In the last row of economy on the left there are two seats instead of three. I was lucky that no one sat next to me, and I was treated as if I was in business class by the crew (even with free champagne!) because I gifted them chocolate. Hopefully one day I'll be able to publish the video on that flight, as I still have a huge backlog :( I love the A318 and I hope of being able to fly on it again soon!
3:20 It think the inspiration is the grand rail station of the late 1800’s / early 1900’s with their expansive glass and forged steel structure over the tracks. An airport being the natural evolution from trains, and the brutalist concrete adds modernity to the otherwise trainshed aspect of the building.
The TW order was interesting. The A318s were intended for point-to-point service. Bypassing the STL hub, those flights would be exempt from Carl Icahn's horrendous Karibu deal.
You should know that LaGuardia is the oldest and most central of NY's current airports and is restricted by a "perimeter rule" prohibiting most non-stop flights to or from destinations greater than 1,500 mi. This helps with both congestion and noise by larger aircraft. White Plains Westchester County Airport is 33 mi from Manhattan not really appropriate for a London City service.
15:08 Hold on, both the ERJ and the CRJ are out of production, and the ERJ sold 705 fewer planes than the CRJ. The CRJ's main competitor was the E-jet, not the smaller ERJ series.
Well idk about other parts of the world, but in North America, CRJs are disappearing and the routes are being served with ERJs. Most regional carriers are shifting to an E175 fleet as they’ve become the preferred aircraft
@ ah, I see the misunderstanding now. The E175 is part of the Embraer E-jet family, and the ERJ family consists of planes like the ERJ135 and ERJ140. Unless we're comparing the CRJ200/100 with the ERJ145, the two series weren't competitors.
Operating efficiency is not the same as performance efficiency, if you only based efficiency on the engine plant then is performance, but when it comes to operation the A318 is better, while I worked with British Airways on the ops area they always said the a318 is the best one ever made for the european routes, not sure if TAROM is still using them
Avianca had the A318 when Mexicana broke and they used them to replace the F100s. The A318 always felt like too much for what it could offer, if you know what I mean
LaGuardia has a "perimeter rule" that prohibits any direct flights over 1500 miles from using it with a special exception for flights to and from Denver. So you won't see any flights to the West Coast from LGA either, even though they're domestic.
10:08 Crazy you never flew internationally until 2 1/2 years ago given how many countries you’ve been to. I’ve been travelling internationally (from YYZ) since I can remember… lots of 747’s!
I flew BA’s LCY-JFK route once. It was later in the day so the Shannon pre-clearance was not available (still made the fuel stop obviously) but what a fun experience. Only 10 other passengers on the flight.
Alaska Airlines lounge at SFO is very nice and the Untied Lounge near the A gates at Denver is the best lounge I’ve ever been in, including Polaris lounges. Lufthansa’s lounges at Munich and Frankfurt suck.
As per why BA never used White Plains (HPN) or LaGuardia (LGA)… Well… BA never had operations there, so getting a gate, a slot, employees, and a lounge is not feasible for just 2 flights a day, flights already flying at a loss. LGA also has distance restrictions (perimeter rule) on most days, so 1,500 miles is the maximum a flight can be on Sunday-Friday. White Plains also has no lounges or room for them.
I mean yea it would have taken some work, but would have given some options. Could have been interesting. LCY is the most convenient airport for London, and I’ve found LGA to be more convenient than JFK, so it could have made it better on both ends. Plus LGA has history with AA and OneWorld so it’s not entirely out of the question imo… but all speculation at this point
@@PatrickSheaAviation no you were feeling your mental illness that is the result for your addiction to social media and need for views and money from it without having to break a sweat which is the opposite of the people that run and work for the airline , while they beak their backs to keep the airline running , all you run is your mouth because it is all you can do , i would love to take you up for an introductory flight ,,, you will never bad mouth aviation again and if you don't want a non budget airline feel free to book a flight on Emirates first class
🙂Another cracker vid, Patrick. 0:50 "Bop"... brought a smile to my face. Haven't had a bop since I was at uni; don't know whether the meaning's the same in American English🕺🤺😁
Let's answer a few things. Narrowbodies were flying across the Atlantic before I was born many decades ago and continued with aircraft such as the 757, take a look at the CO route network before the UA merger, due to financial reasons, CO relied on the 757 as they could not afford more widebodies. Concorde prices were driven to high, leading to it's retirement. No, the reason for it's retirement was Airbus withdrawing support for it. The 318 could not make LCY - JFK non stop, hence the stop at SNN. Semi correct, what it could not do is make the flight consistently, the amount of fuel it could take onboard at LCY and still get off the ground in time meant that if the winds were not "Just Right" a stop would be needed, better to plan ahead and just drop into SNN on every flight. The A221 is LCY certified AND can do LCY-JFK non stop, however, the 318 could at least share crew and maintenance with the BA 320/321 fleets, not something the 221 can do. LGA has a perimeter restriction, 1500 miles with a few exceptions. Looks like a standard inter Europe flight, in other words, unless it's to long route to take a train, take a train. I'm going to be bouncing all over Europe in June, starting in AMS and ending in FRA, for the 12 cities i'm going to be with the exception of the last pair (get to that in a second) i'm taking a train, same travel time, far more comfort and less expensive, the last leg is ZUR-FRA and i'm flying that leg because the airline paid me $300 to do it, yep the fare was $300 less going ZUR-FRA-LAS than FRA-LAS.
@ The terminals are poorly designed. It can take up to an hour to connect from the Schengen to non-Schengen gates, security and immigration lines are long, the corridors are narrow and bottlenecks develop during peak times, and it's inadequately cooled in summer.
passing through security is also a PITA; loud and rude personnel, queue bottlenecks for small shit my backpack got pulled aside, and inside my headphones with their cases got tested for substance/narcotics 😅😅
Cash is tough to justify. Points are much better, but I honestly experience most when I’m connecting to a long haul. So I can live with it for an hour or two
@PatrickSheaAviation exactly. I've done it twice, all of which were long haul international biz connecting to intra Euro biz. Each time I missed US domestic biz 🤣
Lounges in the USA, are worthless with exception of the new United lounge at Denver International. It's one of the few decent ones, hopefully it will be the new standard
Is that your 1st time flying Air France's last actual Airbus A318 in 2024, if so, you almost accomplish your goals of flying old planes that almost don't fly anymore in the 21th century?
Wow! 🤩 🤯 What a GREAT video Patrick! The Air France 🇫🇷 Airbus A318 HAS TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE videos of yours EVER! I hope to fly the A318 someday not because of the superb product or the great airline experience but as you said I want to fly one just for the novelty of it! I love the A318 for its rarity and because of the history of such a rare and unique old jet! Cheers 🥂 Patrick I really enjoyed this one! Also I’d NEVER pay cash for European Business Class as it is CERTAINLY a TOTAL WASTE only ever miles and I’d debate that use of them… 😂 -Caleb
The route was reduced to once daily from twice daily in 2017 when BA retired one of its two A318s. Then the pandemic killed off the route completely. I do wonder if it could be revived using A220s, but it seems BA isn’t interested.
Airbus didn't need the A318 anymore after they acquired the A220 program, although the A318 has the same advantage over the A220 as over the Boeing 737, the A318 can carry freight containers in the belly which was a huge advantage 20 years ago when airlines aimed to minimize transit times at the airport because containers can be removed much faster than normal luggage . But then with all these low cost airlines and premium airlines using the same policy nobody used a suitcase on short haul routes anymore because customers had to pay extra. The A320 family lost their big advantage over the A220 and Boeing 737 and Boeing came uo with the infamous 737 Max 😞 By the way, the fuel stop in Shannon for the BA001 all business class flights was necessary due to the limited weight when using the short runway at LCY. With full fuel the A318 could have easily flown nonstop to New York. I agree with you on La Guardia , why didn't they use this Airport? It is so much closer to Manhattan.
They didn't use La Guardia probably because their operation is focused on JFK, lounges etc probably played a part and TBH at that time La Guardia was terrible for passenger experience
A318s only have a bulk hold (no container capability), just like the A220s and 737s. The A319-A321 can hold specialized containers called AKH (not LD3). As for LGA, they have a perimeter rule that limits their flights to 1,500 miles 6 days a week.
Yeah - maybe they're a failure but thank you Airbus. They're cute. And were particularly dashing in the BA livery before it got killed off by COVID. Yeah, I don't understand how European airlines have managed to get away with Business being so mediocre.
I flew British Airways A318 from JFK to LCY once. Absolutely luxurious experience. And I make sure I fly Air France A318 a few times every year, so far only once in business class as domestic A318 flights are all economy. It's not as comfortable as the A220 which is their usual aircraft on most of the European routes, but for a Baby Bus fan, that's not a big deal. And I've just found out that my next flight to Paris has been changed from A220 to A318, so lucky!
No and nope. The "Same (A318) JFK slot" can NOT be used for A380. Even when Airbus lies in their marketing "to be a direct replacement for previous aircraft types", the A380 needs double slots (as the strong wake turbulence behind it does not allow the usual minimum vertical spacing). Then again, the A318 is a crappy design, even A319 is way too small for any legacy carrier. Those are both horrible product mistakes due to their huge owning/operating costs per seat. The ex-Bombardier A220 is still a lot better product for thin routes, nobody should ever plan for crappy A318-A319 babies.
@@sm6allegro I think you don’t understand how flying works. These two airlines work as one. They have joint ownership and a single award points program. They need to fly between their hubs not for those who travel between the hubs directly, but for those who are connecting through them.
@@afcgeo882 Of course I know. I'd argue they'd be better off expanding their AIRail connections. At least AMS already has direct trains to Paris, and CDG can be reached with a change in Brussels.
‘Horrible european breakfast options’ well I’m sorry we didn’t serve a stack of 35 pancakes slathered in maple syrup and processed bacon that instantly clogs up your arteries… Americans 🤣
Jeez can you be anymore negative and judgement. I thought you people were suppose to give unbiased reports keeping your personal opinions to yourself There are was to present a report encompassing all points of view without being detrimental. You need to sort your reporting out.... These are people's jobs and livelihoods, clearly you don't give a crap. Maybe you should do a days work instead of sponging of people to travel the world
Londan City is a brilliant airport, get there 30 minutes before your flight and you'll still be on the plane.
For connection to The Netherlands it's great. Rotterdam-London City and back both require hardly any time in boarding process.
I definitely gotta try LCY on one of me future trips! It’s fascinating considering I’m usually dealing with Heathrow
@@PatrickSheaAviationdon’t fly London city😂 fly Gatwick or Heathrow is much better😊
It reminds me of Canberra airport in Australia! You could arrive 10 mins before your flight and make it through security in seconds
the A318 to NYC from London city used to be amazing, right in heart of London to NYC, full business layout, and such a cute plane to cross the Atlantic on. shame that BA cancelled it
That sounds awesome, just flying across the entire Atlantic city center to city center in a plane spacious enough yet small enough to actually do it
Great video! As someone who flies from Paris to Florence at least two or three times a year, I had not realised that flying on the A318 was such a novelty!
I flew on the A319 to Florence, I hoped it would be the 318 on the return flight but it was the 319. I know they use the 318’s sometimes there
I’m jealous! Getting lots of time in this cool airplane before it’s retired!
Fascinating video with all the history. I was supposed to be on the A318 BA service to LCY from JFK twice during and after the volcanic activities in Iceland Never actually flew it, but at least I was on BA1 Concorde twice.
British Airways Mexicana and Frontier all used the A318 at one point or another. Fine video man
I totally get why you wanted to fly this unique variant, it's a neat part of aviation - when I look at my personal airline flight history, one of my prouder ones is a flight on an AF A318 between Munich and CDG in 2006, and I've tried to fly on them since but they're so rare so I'm glad I at least have the one
Definitely! I’ve missed out on some cool airplanes that have been retired, so I gotta get these ones in while I can
Great video! I flown with Air France business class on the A220-300, the experience was great, the premium check-in was really fast and the lounge was fantastic, also they served champagne to us. But the seat was like economy but was reclining and there was a bit of more space.
Interesting. I'm sure i'll end up on one of their A220s eventually
Deltas are great. Bombardier did an amazing job with the CSeries aircraft
Very good video. I always enjoy getting to travel on airplanes at the end of their service. I took a Lufthansa flight a bit ago and got a 747-8 one way and an A340 home. Probably last time for me. My father is a retired united pilot and when I was a kid I remember when he was a 727 captain. Our family was always flying back and forth to Hawaii on DC-10s, DC8s and 747s with a lounge upstairs! Good times. Thanks for sparking some memories.
That’s awesome! It’s definitely fun to try out these aircraft before they are retired, although the 747 and A318 are cool for very different reasons… still fun though!
I was similarly excited to ride the A318 between CPH and CDG last summer. It really is cute as a button.
I flew a few back when I used to fly from southern France to Paris on a semi regular basis. You really had to be an aviation nerd to notice the difference between the 319 and 318, but, especially with Airbus's rounded nose design, they look adorable. At least, back in those days, the seats all reclined.
I’m stoked. I have one booked from de Gaulle to Munich in March. I hope it’s not swapped at the last minute.
Have fun, I'm going in April from CDG to AMS 😀
BA’s LCY-JFK flight could not have operated to LGA due to LGA’s perimeter rule that would prohibit the flight on every day except Saturday
I was so lucky to take the ba 001 LCY to jfk via Shannon on its last year of service in 2019
Great review again Patrick! And also nice that you almost landed in my backyard! 😅
Happy travels, also in 2025 😁👍🏼
Thanks! I should have waved to you from the skies, ha!
I love that the video's length matches the A318s side, ahah --- another great video, cheers! Can't wait for the next!
Ha! Thanks man!
Great video! I've always wanted to fly the tiniest 'bus. I also thought that the lack IAE engine option on the A318 put existing A32X operators off who used that engine. The A318 came with a P&W engine option instead, but this faced development delays which didn't help aircraft sales either (I am sure this was also reason for the TWA cancellation).
Thanks! That may have helped the TWA decision, but at least "officially" it was because AA didn't want them when they acquired TWA
I flew an A318 from Denver to Los Angeles on Frontier once. It was the first flight of the day and a Sunday. There were only twelve of us on that flight, although the flight attendant said it would be a full flight coming from Los Angeles back to Denver. It was a good plane, but too small to be efficient and too big for the smaller airports they wanted to use it for.
Yea Denver to LA ain’t the route for an A318. Still fun to have flown it though!
Checkin’ in. Another great vid Patrick 🤙🏽
Thanks brodie!
I flew on F-GUGP a few months ago. Didn't realize the A318 was such a rare sight nowadays, damn ^^
Got the same chocolate cake as you, too. It was delicious, didn't get it again since then... their other cakes are good too, but not as much, bummer :/
Loved the cake fs! Also fun to fly on these while they’re still around, even though Air France makes them feel like normal
"What in Ryanair is going on here?....what in Spirit Airline is going on here?" lmao..lol 😂😂😂
A318 from Paris to…Amsterdam ahhh I expected to see Nice haha! Great vid Patrick!
Nice would be cool but Amsterdam is much more convenient for getting home to SFO
I Love Whe Air Craft Air Vents.Great Video And Info
Totally! Thanks!
I think NOT! When I looked at bookings via CDG to LIS, they occassionally had the A318 but it would change to A220 or A320. I could dream to take that BA A318 flight. The very first time I watched you I was like "wow his videos are all so long like 30 mins" and this one being 15 I was like "wow this is so short" Lol
I flew last year on this between TLS and CDG in an even better way!
In the last row of economy on the left there are two seats instead of three.
I was lucky that no one sat next to me, and I was treated as if I was in business class by the crew (even with free champagne!) because I gifted them chocolate.
Hopefully one day I'll be able to publish the video on that flight, as I still have a huge backlog :(
I love the A318 and I hope of being able to fly on it again soon!
Glad you mentioned the A318's moderate success as a business jet, the ACJ 318. 19 passengers and plenty of space.
Totally! We still see them around the US. They serve great markets and smaller airports real well
The a318 a failure? Maybe, but as you mentioned, a lot of the r&d was done previously. So maybe more of a boutique plane??
3:20 It think the inspiration is the grand rail station of the late 1800’s / early 1900’s with their expansive glass and forged steel structure over the tracks. An airport being the natural evolution from trains, and the brutalist concrete adds modernity to the otherwise trainshed aspect of the building.
The TW order was interesting. The A318s were intended for point-to-point service. Bypassing the STL hub, those flights would be exempt from Carl Icahn's horrendous Karibu deal.
Would have been interesting to see… oh well… I guess AA didn’t like the plan 🤷♂️
You should know that LaGuardia is the oldest and most central of NY's current airports and is restricted by a "perimeter rule" prohibiting most non-stop flights to or from destinations greater than 1,500 mi. This helps with both congestion and noise by larger aircraft.
White Plains Westchester County Airport is 33 mi from Manhattan not really appropriate for a London City service.
The only exception to this rule is on Saturdays
15:08 Hold on, both the ERJ and the CRJ are out of production, and the ERJ sold 705 fewer planes than the CRJ. The CRJ's main competitor was the E-jet, not the smaller ERJ series.
Well idk about other parts of the world, but in North America, CRJs are disappearing and the routes are being served with ERJs. Most regional carriers are shifting to an E175 fleet as they’ve become the preferred aircraft
@ ah, I see the misunderstanding now. The E175 is part of the Embraer E-jet family, and the ERJ family consists of planes like the ERJ135 and ERJ140. Unless we're comparing the CRJ200/100 with the ERJ145, the two series weren't competitors.
Very interesting Patrick thanks
Thanks!
The A318 has a better operating efficiency than the A220? Even considering their geared engines, which are on par with the engines used on the NEOs?
Operating efficiency is not the same as performance efficiency, if you only based efficiency on the engine plant then is performance, but when it comes to operation the A318 is better, while I worked with British Airways on the ops area they always said the a318 is the best one ever made for the european routes, not sure if TAROM is still using them
@@manugarcia19It WAS the best one, UNTIL the A220 came around. The A220 beats the A318 in all parameters.
No, it doesn’t. It beats the A319 easily, but not the A220 or even the E190E2.
@@afcgeo882 I'm talking about the revenue not the performance, by revenue it's by far much better
The A220 is better in BOTH.
Cute little plane shame it didnt do very well for airbus would be nice to see one go to a museum
Avianca had the A318 when Mexicana broke and they used them to replace the F100s. The A318 always felt like too much for what it could offer, if you know what I mean
The airport design looks like an upside down ship keel, perhaps? Great video as always!
Thanks! Love the take on the architecture... I was hoping someone would know what it was, but for now I'm loving the theories
LaGuardia has a "perimeter rule" that prohibits any direct flights over 1500 miles from using it with a special exception for flights to and from Denver. So you won't see any flights to the West Coast from LGA either, even though they're domestic.
10:08 Crazy you never flew internationally until 2 1/2 years ago given how many countries you’ve been to. I’ve been travelling internationally (from YYZ) since I can remember… lots of 747’s!
I wish I had more 747s! Took too long for me to start traveling. It was always a dream, but took 2 jobs to make a reality
@ Ahhh I see! Hopefully you can get a few more LH’s in, and perhaps the KE 748 before they are sold. An Atlas Air special invite would be crazy!
Thank you Patrick for another great business-class trip report.
Thanks man!
I flew BA’s LCY-JFK route once. It was later in the day so the Shannon pre-clearance was not available (still made the fuel stop obviously) but what a fun experience. Only 10 other passengers on the flight.
Interesting! I’m super bummed I missed out on that adventure before it was retired
Love this vid! COOL!
Thanks!
🎉🎉🎉🎉 Fantastic video
Thanks!
oh, I remember flying on the LAN A318/A319 back in time
Alaska Airlines lounge at SFO is very nice and the Untied Lounge near the A gates at Denver is the best lounge I’ve ever been in, including Polaris lounges. Lufthansa’s lounges at Munich and Frankfurt suck.
So cute airplane!
As per why BA never used White Plains (HPN) or LaGuardia (LGA)… Well… BA never had operations there, so getting a gate, a slot, employees, and a lounge is not feasible for just 2 flights a day, flights already flying at a loss. LGA also has distance restrictions (perimeter rule) on most days, so 1,500 miles is the maximum a flight can be on Sunday-Friday.
White Plains also has no lounges or room for them.
I mean yea it would have taken some work, but would have given some options. Could have been interesting. LCY is the most convenient airport for London, and I’ve found LGA to be more convenient than JFK, so it could have made it better on both ends. Plus LGA has history with AA and OneWorld so it’s not entirely out of the question imo… but all speculation at this point
@ I agree, but that pesky rule made it impossible. LGA would have been ideal for transcons to LA as well.
you should keep adding those fun meme clips when you can lol
Ha… it’s a fun surprise 🤷♂️🤣
Awesome video
Thanks!
How can you feel knees though the tray table?
Because unless you’re 8ft tall, your knees are below the table…
@@PatrickSheaAviation below the table is also hard plastic mold , and i happen to be an airline pilot , so you the narrator are just fibbing
@ …guess I was just feeling the ghost of Christmas past then huh
@@PatrickSheaAviation no you were feeling your mental illness that is the result for your addiction to social media and need for views and money from it without having to break a sweat which is the opposite of the people that run and work for the airline , while they beak their backs to keep the airline running , all you run is your mouth because it is all you can do , i would love to take you up for an introductory flight ,,, you will never bad mouth aviation again and if you don't want a non budget airline feel free to book a flight on Emirates first class
Emily in Paris gave a raving review about the lounge😂
🙂Another cracker vid, Patrick. 0:50 "Bop"... brought a smile to my face. Haven't had a bop since I was at uni; don't know whether the meaning's the same in American English🕺🤺😁
What do u think a bop is bruh
Let's answer a few things.
Narrowbodies were flying across the Atlantic before I was born many decades ago and continued with aircraft such as the 757, take a look at the CO route network before the UA merger, due to financial reasons, CO relied on the 757 as they could not afford more widebodies.
Concorde prices were driven to high, leading to it's retirement. No, the reason for it's retirement was Airbus withdrawing support for it.
The 318 could not make LCY - JFK non stop, hence the stop at SNN. Semi correct, what it could not do is make the flight consistently, the amount of fuel it could take onboard at LCY and still get off the ground in time meant that if the winds were not "Just Right" a stop would be needed, better to plan ahead and just drop into SNN on every flight.
The A221 is LCY certified AND can do LCY-JFK non stop, however, the 318 could at least share crew and maintenance with the BA 320/321 fleets, not something the 221 can do.
LGA has a perimeter restriction, 1500 miles with a few exceptions.
Looks like a standard inter Europe flight, in other words, unless it's to long route to take a train, take a train. I'm going to be bouncing all over Europe in June, starting in AMS and ending in FRA, for the 12 cities i'm going to be with the exception of the last pair (get to that in a second) i'm taking a train, same travel time, far more comfort and less expensive, the last leg is ZUR-FRA and i'm flying that leg because the airline paid me $300 to do it, yep the fare was $300 less going ZUR-FRA-LAS than FRA-LAS.
CDG is the worst hub airport in Europe. I don't care how nice the lounge is...I avoid AF because connecting through CDG is a deal breaker for me.
Why, i will connect there for the first time in September
Yeah… but FRA isn’t far behind.
@ The terminals are poorly designed. It can take up to an hour to connect from the Schengen to non-Schengen gates, security and immigration lines are long, the corridors are narrow and bottlenecks develop during peak times, and it's inadequately cooled in summer.
@ Other than the last one, all are true of FRA, LHR and others. Big airports are big hassles, usually.
passing through security is also a PITA; loud and rude personnel, queue bottlenecks for small shit my backpack got pulled aside, and inside my headphones with their cases got tested for substance/narcotics 😅😅
Why does it matter if it were classified as a "regional jet"? How would that change things for airlines?
Cost - mainline pilots earn more than regional pilots, the rest of the crew probably do as well
Airbus thought the A318 would be charged airport fees like a regional jet. Without that, the economics of the A319 were better.
Euro Biz is a scam. I'd never pay cash for those seats 😢
Cash is tough to justify. Points are much better, but I honestly experience most when I’m connecting to a long haul. So I can live with it for an hour or two
@PatrickSheaAviation exactly. I've done it twice, all of which were long haul international biz connecting to intra Euro biz. Each time I missed US domestic biz 🤣
@@PatrickSheaAviation Not worth it for any amount of money or miles.
i was hoping on something like florence
Maybe next time…
I flew one with AF to Naples .
Awesome!
"What in the Ryanair is going on her" 😅 thumbs!
What in the "Ryanair" & "Spirit Airlines" is going on here? 🤣🤣
"What in the Ryanair is going on here?"
I'll remember this line.
I’ve seen a British airways A318 at Heathrow airport from an Airbus A350
Lounges in the USA, are worthless with exception of the new United lounge at Denver International. It's one of the few decent ones, hopefully it will be the new standard
I gotta check out the Denver one. I’ve heard good things. Although I’ll die on the hill that SFO’s Polaris Lounge is one of the best lounges out there
Is that your 1st time flying Air France's last actual Airbus A318 in 2024, if so, you almost accomplish your goals of flying old planes that almost don't fly anymore in the 21th century?
It was my first time! Fun to try out another plane nearing retirement
Nice. Good luck. You should fly Delta and Hawaiian, Boeing 717 still flying before they retire.
Wow! 🤩 🤯 What a GREAT video Patrick! The Air France 🇫🇷 Airbus A318 HAS TO BE ONE OF MY FAVORITE videos of yours EVER! I hope to fly the A318 someday not because of the superb product or the great airline experience but as you said I want to fly one just for the novelty of it! I love the A318 for its rarity and because of the history of such a rare and unique old jet!
Cheers 🥂 Patrick
I really enjoyed this one! Also I’d NEVER pay cash for European Business Class as it is CERTAINLY a TOTAL WASTE only ever miles and I’d debate that use of them… 😂
-Caleb
smol bebe bus plen 🥺🥺
What happened to the A318 Concorde replacement flight with a hop in Ireland?
The route was reduced to once daily from twice daily in 2017 when BA retired one of its two A318s. Then the pandemic killed off the route completely.
I do wonder if it could be revived using A220s, but it seems BA isn’t interested.
COOL
You forgot that TAROM Romania’s national Airline also uses the A318
retired
@ I know they retired them from service but no once he mentioned it
The baby bus 😊
The inside is and features is not Airbus fault it's air Frances it's what they choose
Honestly it’s kinda the European standard for short to medium haul… so not entirely Air France’s fault either in my opinion
Airbus didn't need the A318 anymore after they acquired the A220 program, although the A318 has the same advantage over the A220 as over the Boeing 737, the A318 can carry freight containers in the belly which was a huge advantage 20 years ago when airlines aimed to minimize transit times at the airport because containers can be removed much faster than normal luggage . But then with all these low cost airlines and premium airlines using the same policy nobody used a suitcase on short haul routes anymore because customers had to pay extra. The A320 family lost their big advantage over the A220 and Boeing 737 and Boeing came uo with the infamous 737 Max 😞 By the way, the fuel stop in Shannon for the BA001 all business class flights was necessary due to the limited weight when using the short runway at LCY. With full fuel the A318 could have easily flown nonstop to New York. I agree with you on La Guardia , why didn't they use this Airport? It is so much closer to Manhattan.
They didn't use La Guardia probably because their operation is focused on JFK, lounges etc probably played a part and TBH at that time La Guardia was terrible for passenger experience
A318s only have a bulk hold (no container capability), just like the A220s and 737s.
The A319-A321 can hold specialized containers called AKH (not LD3).
As for LGA, they have a perimeter rule that limits their flights to 1,500 miles 6 days a week.
did he just call european breakfast options horrible???
compared to…. „merica“?
😂😂😂👍😉🤠
From Paris to Amsterdam Air France A318.
Yeah - maybe they're a failure but thank you Airbus. They're cute. And were particularly dashing in the BA livery before it got killed off by COVID. Yeah, I don't understand how European airlines have managed to get away with Business being so mediocre.
Yea they definitely are a fun looking airplane. Too bad they weren't more successful.
I flew British Airways A318 from JFK to LCY once. Absolutely luxurious experience. And I make sure I fly Air France A318 a few times every year, so far only once in business class as domestic A318 flights are all economy. It's not as comfortable as the A220 which is their usual aircraft on most of the European routes, but for a Baby Bus fan, that's not a big deal. And I've just found out that my next flight to Paris has been changed from A220 to A318, so lucky!
Is my favourite plane
I like European breakfasts
European Breakfast > American Breakfast... everytime
absolutely not. european breakfast is more bland.
@@mirak3050 British Breakfast > no one else comes close
Nah I’m taking bacon and eggs over cold cuts of meat and cheese every day
The American mind can’t comprehend with their destroyed palette 😂
it babey 🥺
1:27 Gol in Paris?
No and nope. The "Same (A318) JFK slot" can NOT be used for A380. Even when Airbus lies in their marketing "to be a direct replacement for previous aircraft types", the A380 needs double slots (as the strong wake turbulence behind it does not allow the usual minimum vertical spacing).
Then again, the A318 is a crappy design, even A319 is way too small for any legacy carrier. Those are both horrible product mistakes due to their huge owning/operating costs per seat. The ex-Bombardier A220 is still a lot better product for thin routes, nobody should ever plan for crappy A318-A319 babies.
Sell them to Spirit Airlines and call it the short bus.
Ever heard of the 707-320c?
I will always remember de Chubby and tender A318 as F.A ... In Avianca Colombia. Comfy and powerful.
A220-100 ITS real smallest airbus not A318
Wait, they still fly between Paris and Amsterdam? 🤦
Why wouldn’t they? It connects the two AF/KL hubs.
@afcgeo882 I guess it's more of a damning indictment of Eurostar/ex-Thalys if a one hour flight can still compete with a 3 hour train ride
@@sm6allegro I think you don’t understand how flying works. These two airlines work as one. They have joint ownership and a single award points program. They need to fly between their hubs not for those who travel between the hubs directly, but for those who are connecting through them.
@@afcgeo882 Of course I know. I'd argue they'd be better off expanding their AIRail connections. At least AMS already has direct trains to Paris, and CDG can be reached with a change in Brussels.
@ Literally NO ONE will do that. Flying becomes HOURS faster, less security checks, not needing to retrieve/re-check baggage, etc. Just stop.
WRONG THE SMALLEST AIRBUS AIRCRAFT IS A HELICOPTER
‘Horrible european breakfast options’ well I’m sorry we didn’t serve a stack of 35 pancakes slathered in maple syrup and processed bacon that instantly clogs up your arteries… Americans 🤣
Bro I’m taking bacon and eggs over cold slices of meat and cheese every day 👀
@ Pastries etc are there too, and bacon and eggs are awful for you.
Que aburrido
The A318 looks like a child toy
Jeez can you be anymore negative and judgement. I thought you people were suppose to give unbiased reports keeping your personal opinions to yourself There are was to present a report encompassing all points of view without being detrimental. You need to sort your reporting out.... These are people's jobs and livelihoods, clearly you don't give a crap. Maybe you should do a days work instead of sponging of people to travel the world
Ha aight homie…