Boeing OR Airbus? 737 OR A320?

Arequipa

Hi! Hope you are well! I am just back from a big trip & flew on a variety of aircraft en route.
I was wondering which aircraft would you prefer to travel on as a passenger: the 737 or a320?(in terms of comfort,smooth flight etc)
Then, if you were a pilot which would you prefer to fly? I have experienced many trips on the a320 & from talking to pilot mates who fly them, they seem to be quite boring to fly: basically you just monitor instruments...the plane flies itself! Nice job, nice office but quite boring actually: not very 'Top Gun!'
Are the 737 & other Boeing aircraft more fun to fly? Do they also use fly by wire!
Seems all US pilots prefer Boeing & I know they have a steering column as against the sidestick on the airbus. European guys plumb for the Airbus: not surprising really!

My humble opinion is that in the quest for greater safety, Airbus are taking all tge fun out of flying?!
Thanks for reading!

L1011

As a passenger I'm more concerned over what the airlines service is going to be when the choice is between the two most common short haul airframes in use.

Even brand new 737's are not totally fly by wire, the design is rattling towards 50 years old at core and the -NG varients are 1990s; the A320 was amongst the first fly-by-wire planes

lintdrummer

MYOB wrote: »

As a passenger I'm more concerned over what the airlines service is going to be when the choice is between the two most common short haul airframes in use.

Even brand new 737's are not totally fly by wire, the design is rattling towards 50 years old at core and the -NG varients are 1990s; the A320 was amongst the first fly-by-wire planes

If it aint broke, don't fix it.

Fishtits

Arequipa wrote: »

Airbus are taking all tge fun out of flying?!/QUOTE]

You have no idea how profound that statement is.

Its not just Airbus either...

If you go by current orders AB are outdoing Boeing by almost 4 to 1 this year. Given companies rather than pilots order airplanes it would seem logical that the AB is cheaper to run (...this last statement will generate one million arguments...)

There are so many variables when it comes down to analysing aircraft its impossible to generalise... like I have just done

As for travelling in them, the 747 is still my favorite, the general sense of space is unmatched.

Short haul/narrow body I like the Airbus, it seems a little bigger/modern etc.

Ride comfort is the same accross types in my experience - with the one exception of a sector between Jakarta and Kuwait on a A340 which seemed to have a regular/resonance shudder the whole way. I suspect it was an individual airframe issue rather than a type fault.

Well, you did ask...

pclancy

Fishtits wrote: »

As for travelling in them, the 747 is still my favorite, the general sense of space is unmatched.

Wow really, I've found all the777s i've been on feel way more roomy and modern then a 747. The a380 is the ultimate as pax economy have access to both decks via the rear stairs which makes for nice streching.

Between the A320 and 737 i've never had a preference except most airlines A320s i've been on have been newer and had nicer seats by and large. Air NZs fleet of 737-300s feel very dated now compared to Jetstars new A320s

murphym7

I don't really care about the narrow body aircraft really, whether I am on an Airbus A320 or a Boeing 737 - its all the one to me to be honest. Its 3 a breast on both, two wings, two engines and a few doors to get in and out. I am not tuned to the subtleties of either to compare them objectively.

However when it comes to wide body I have a preferance for the A330 over the Boeing offerings of 777 or 747, this is mainly down to the seat configuration. I am not a fan of the 3 a breast config, I mainly travel with my wife, and I am sick of having a stranger next to us for 10 odd hours.

An exception to this would of course be if you could get the rows of two near the back of the 747 - or fly buisness, like I was lucky enough to experience earlier this year.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 747, its an amazing aircraft. I would need to have the groups of two seats at the back though.

Flyer1

If it ain't Boeing then I ain't Going !

Arequipa

Thanks for your replies!

If you were a pilot, which would you prefer to fly?

Flyer1 wrote: »

If it ain't Boeing then I ain't Going !

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Recently travelled home with Aer Lingus and went up after to have a chat with the flightcrew.

Im used to the 737NG but f*ck me their flightdeck seemed nice!

Spacious, clean lines and ergonomics. Carpet on the floor :eek: and nice plastic panelling, fewer switches with a nicer(modern) look to them.

The Boeing is all metal and edges and rigid switches from a 1940's submarine.

So for me the airbus flightdeck is nicer than the pre-dreamliner Boeings.
How it compares to flying wise is another thing?!
I like the hands on feel and controls of Boeing's.....for now anyway.

Cessna_Pilot

One flies a Boeing, while another operates an Airbus.

mickdw

I know nothing about flying but from any planes Ive watched landing, the 737 appears to fly nicer right down onto the runway. The A320 seems to hang in the air once it gets within a number of feet of the ground presumably due to ground effect. I dont know which is regarded as the better but it just annoys me watching them when the airbus always seems to fly to near the ground and then they drift for 100s of metres just above the runway before touching down.

thecornflake

Flyer1 wrote: »

If it ain't Boeing then I ain't Going !

pray for us if its an airbus.

kevjob

I find the A320 to have a more spacious cabin and seems to be more pleasing as a passenger.

The flight deck of an A320 is more aesthetically pleasing and mordern than the B737. The A320 is blue / blue gray where as the B737 is a brown / beige colour.

i guess a lot also depends on the airline you are flying with and there cabin layout.

Kev