These three things – quiet, quick, low cabin altitude – all combine to make you feel better in the cabin and after the flight. (On a conventional aluminium aircraft, the cabin will be around 8,000 feet.) This helps with the effects of jet lag and how you feel after a flight too. On an Airbus A350, you can be flying at 35,000 to 40,000 feet, but the cabin will be at around 5,500 feet. Essentially that means that the cabin altitude is lower. The low cabin altitudeīecause the fuselage is made from a carbon-fibre composite plastic rather than aluminium, the cabin can be pressurised more. Speed is good because you’re spending less time in the aircraft by covering the same ground in a quicker time. The only thing that keeps up with it is the Boeing 747, like those in our freighter fleet. It’s faster than both the Boeing 777 and the Airbus A330. The Airbus A350 travels a lot faster than most of the widebody planes flying at the moment. Reduce the noise, and you ‘arrive in better shape’, to use an old Cathay Pacific slogan.
It’s quiet for passengers too – and this is great because one of the things that adds to jet lag and fatigue is noise. It’s raining and you’re being battered around a bit on approach, but on the flight deck you can talk at normal conversation levels. The Airbus A350 is noticeably quieter than other aircraft in the cruise, and I particularly notice it when coming into land through horrible weather.
