The question also concerns private jets, since Boeing and Airbus produce business jets, transforming almost every plane in their range into a private jet. While it is true that most people do not pay much attention to the type of aircraft on which they fly, the fact remains that there are significant differences between Airbus and Boeing, which share almost 95% of the airliners market.
I make the comparison between the Boeing 737 Max and the Airbus A320Neo, the two best-selling jets of the two aircraft manufacturers.
Objective data
Cabin dimensions
All experts say the cabin of the Airbus A320Neo is more spacious, being seven feet or 18 cm wider. What’s more, its fuselage is less curved, allowing better comfort for passengers seated next to the window. The latter is located higher than that of the Boeing 737 Max, allowing to look outside more easily, without bending over if you are tall. whatever seats are the responsibility of airlines, which arrange airplanes each in its own way, the wider cabin generally allows seats about half an inch, or 1.25 cm wider.
The engines of the two jets
There is very little difference, both being able to be equipped by CFM Leap, of French-American production, since it is general electric and Safran who manufacture them together, or then the Canadian Pratt & Whitney for the Airbus A320Neo.
Steering systems
There is a big difference. The Airbus A320Neo is highly computerized, a sophisticated computer translating any action by pilots into electrical impulse. This is noted by the noises that you can hear for a few seconds coming from the floor in the center of the aircraft, once or twice during each flight. On the other hand, the Boeing 737 Max has more manual piloting. I asked flight attendants about the opinion of the pilots. All seem to agree that opinions are divided: there are some who prefer the more direct sensations that the Boeing gives them, while others prefer the precision and stability of computerized piloting. Apparently, there is a lot more room in the Airbus cockpit, which some pilots appreciate very much
Security
It’s hard to deny that there is an advantage for the Airbus A320 Neo. An Airbus successfully landed in the Hudson River after losing both engines to birds, without loss of life. Last year, another also lost both engines due to a flight of birds, landed in a cornfield near Moscow, did not break, no fire, no lives lost.
Two 737 MAXs plunged into the ground in 2019. The 737 Maxs had all kinds of other problems related to manufacturing defects.
My personal opinion
Having lived a year in the USA, and having driven a lot of American-made cars, I prefer European or Asian cars. I find that the USA is very advanced in IT, electronics and everything that includes productions that require creativity and constant innovation. The production of cars, and that of airplanes, on the other hand, requires a consolidated know-how, technicians and engineers who remain in the same company for decades, as in Europe, while in the United States there is much more mobility. So I may be biased, but I find that Airbus has a better definition quality compared to Boeing, if only for the oval windows while those of the Boeing are more rectangular. I also have the feeling that an Airbus is more stable, I believe what some experts say, that the Airbus A320Neo can land at a speed about thirty kilometers lower than that of the Boeing 737 Max. Finally, I find the Airbus A320Neo to be slightly quieter and more stable.
And you, what do you think?
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