MSGID: 1:135/250@fidonet 68f7060c   
   PID: C-NET AMIGA BBS 5.36b   
    On the subject of Combi...   
      
   Going in circles..   The primary reason was safety.  Even updated fire   
   supression on the main deck carying passengers carries it's own risks.  Since   
   the main method of fire supression in to starve the fire of oxygen.  What   
   happens if you have a system dump in the portion of cabin with passengers?    
   You either kill your self loading cargo, or in the event of a an actual fire   
   still have O2 being fed into the area (Mask dump).     
      
   There was other criteria the airlines and manufactures felt too constly to   
   implement.  It usually always comes down to cost.  With the surge in dedicated   
   cargo company's there was no longer a need for combi's.  They were a nice tool   
   for airlines to adjust their loads during seasonal passenger flux, but   
   companies can do that by carrying cargo in the holds anyway (Just limmited by   
   size).   
      
   The main reason remains.  Airbus engineered themselves into a corner.  It's   
   main purpose was a to develope a passenger aircraft, which they did.  The 747   
   was designed with a future role as a cargo aircraft in mind.  There is already   
   a certified after market conversion process for the 747, doing so with the   
   A380 would be starting from scratch as far as the conversion process goes.  As   
   a business which road are you going to take?  The cost effective one, or the   
   one that makes you the first to do so?   
      
   ** Yes I am aware of the fully staffed "Preighter" flights.  While it seems   
   like a waste of money, you are keeping your fleets active without having to   
   pay for the cost of storage prep, storage, then prepping them to return to the   
   line.  You are keeping your pilots in regs with flight time, you are keeping   
   your crew in regs with training and flight time, and making money moving   
   cargo, and with the vacines... a good public image.  The regs for FA staffing   
   comes from how the aircraft is certified for evacuation, and the number of   
   seats it is certified with.  (Even in the case of Korean Air, which removed   
   seats to be able to strap packages to the floor, where some airlines just   
   placed the packages in the seats..).   You also have a crew with a new side   
   hustle of cargo loaders (I bet they were not paid extra for that!).  If it   
   didn't help the airlines bottoms line during the pandemic, you know they would   
   not have done so.   
      
   Rug Rat (Brent Hendricks)   
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