Introducing the New Superjet Set

THE era of the super jet has so far been dominated by a single craft, the giant Boeing 747. Some 250 of them are already cruising the skies, carrying an average of 325 seats each. Now a whole new set of superjets is coming into service, a fleet that will introduce the marvels and frustrations of wide-bodied planes to travelers taking much shorter trips than the 747 ordinarily makes. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (see color) has just begun commercial flights, and in 1974 U.S. and European airlines plan to start using at least four other superjets.

For most passengers, the superjet era will provide a slightly smoother ride and perhaps longer baggage waits, at least until airline unloaders become accustomed to handling the suitcases of hundreds of people at once. The most visible contrast to standard jet-age travel, of course, will be space--the experience of sitting in a cruise-ship-sized cabin, with nearly 300 other passengers and 14 stewardesses. Until the airlines are able to snap out of their current economic doldrums and begin filling their new planes, much of that extra space will be used to pamper the passenger, with roomy lounge and bar areas in economy as well as first-class sections.

One Step Ahead. There will also be innovations in aeronautics and economics. The superjets, including the 747, are equipped with radical new landing systems that will allow virtually fail-safe touchdowns in any weather. The captain of a DC-10 can literally keep one step ahead of himself during landing procedures by referring to a Honeywell computer on board that shows exactly what the aircraft will do next. Superjet engines, while three times more powerful than those of standard jets, are quieter, more pollution-free and more efficient. Meals served aboard the DC-10, some 747s and Lockheed's forthcoming L-1011 are stored and warmed in a galley located below the passenger level, in the plane's cargo hold. When the food is ready for serving, a stewardess will put it on electric elevators connecting the two levels. Among the most important new superjets: THE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS DC-IO was put into service last month by American and United airlines. By next year, it will also be flying for National, Continental, Northwest and Delta. Designed to carry up to 345 passengers over medium distances (1,000 to 1,500 miles), the three-engine ship is already handling traffic between Chicago and Los Angeles and later this year will make Pittsburgh-to-Miami and Chicago-to-Cleveland runs. On the Chicago-L.A. run, it is giving Boeing's 747 its first superjet competition. Eventually, McDonnell Douglas engineers expect to produce a "stretched" model--a slightly larger and more powerful version--of the DC-10 that will give it a range of as much as 4,000 miles and thus encroach even further on the 747 markets. (Not to be outdone, Boeing designers are also applying the "stretch" principle to the 747; one plane on their drawing boards would carry 1,000 passengers.) McDonnell Douglas currently has firm orders for 127 DC-10s, which cost about $20 million each, including spare parts.

THE LOCKHEED L-1011 is scheduled to begin service with TWA and Eastern next spring. Like the DC-10, with which it will be in direct competition, the three-engine L-1011 holds 250 to 345 passengers and will specialize in runs of 1,000 to 1,500 miles. Last week Lockheed won a major battle in its long fight to keep the L-1011 from being swallowed in the company's financial plight. In Washington, the Emergency Loan Guarantee Board, created by Congress in July, voted to guarantee a $250 million loan for the L-1011's completion.

Still, its costs are rising: the board demanded a 2% "guarantee fee." In addition, if the new import surtax is still in effect when its British-built Rolls-Royce engines begin arriving next February, the plane's price might well rise above that of the DC-10. At present, Lockheed has firm orders for 103 models of the L-1011, at $20 million each. THE EUROPEAN AIRBUS, known as the A300B, was designed by a consortium of French, British, Dutch and German firms for five European carriers. When it becomes operational in 1973, the two-engine airbus (a term that U.S. planemakers deem unglamorous and seldom use) will have a capacity of 212 to 259 passengers for trips of 1,300 to 1,650 miles--workhorse runs between European cities. It will be powered by the same engine used on the DC-10, General Electric's CF6-6, and will contain some other U.S.-built parts. Its customers might well include some U.S. airlines, which will use the airbus to supplement their longer-range superjets. Cost: $19 million.

THE SUPERSONICS will soon become a fact of travel. The Anglo-French Concorde is scheduled to be put into regular service by Air France and British Overseas Airways Corp. in 1974. The plane cruises at 1,400 m.p.h., and will cut the present flight time nearly in half; for example, it will travel from New York to Paris in 3 hrs. 20 min. But it has a seating capacity of only about 112, which makes travel aboard the Concorde very expensive (New York to Paris: about $525 one way). The effects of the SST on the environment are a matter of continuing and unsettled debate. At present, the Concorde exceeds legal noise levels at U.S. airports, but the ultimate question of landing rights is still considered open. Just as severely at question is whether the Concorde, with its small payload and high-priced tickets, will be economically viable. For now, U.S. airlines are playing it safe: every major overseas carrier has taken an option on at least one Concorde, which sells for about $30 million, but none have made a final commitment to buy it.

The Soviet Union is also deeply involved in the supersonic sweepstakes, and has already flown its Tupolev 144 (with only cargo aboard) on occasional trans-Siberian runs. The TU-144, which cruises at 1,550 m.p.h., is slightly faster than the Concorde but somewhat less sophisticated in prototype design; however, the Soviets plan to change a flat and inefficient wing design and make other corrections in new models. They will undoubtedly make their price competitive with that of the Concorde, and might even cut prices below costs and extend longterm, low-interest financing in order to win the prestige of selling their supersonics in non-Communist countries.

The new superjets, or "metal angels," as Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands calls them, are being introduced at a hard time for most airlines. Having profited from an annual traffic growth averaging over 16% during the last half of the '60s, U.S. airlines had a meager increase of 3.2% in the recession year of 1970. For this year, the outlook is even bleaker--only 3% growth and a disastrous industry-wide loss of $180 million or so. By adding a total of 8,950 new seats to thousands of already half-empty passenger cabins in this year, superjets have simply compounded an already serious capital problem for the airlines.

South Seas Ventures. Taking a longer view, most airline officials believe that the big planes will prove a wise investment. For one thing, the new subsonic superjets cost an average of $5,000,000 less per plane than the Boeing 747 and, having shorter ranges, can operate profitably on many more routes. The International Air Transport Association predicts that worldwide passenger travel will grow by more than 300% by 1985--a time well within the life-span of any newly made jet--and that the air-cargo business will go up eightfold. Vacation travelers are venturing farther and farther from home on their trips--Europeans to explore Africa, Americans to visit Hawaii and the South Seas. Even if all of IATA's glowing predictions come true, only 6.5% of the world's population will ever have flown on an airplane by 1985--which leaves a huge potential for further growth.

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