For every job a plane does, there is a unique and special kind of plane. And of this grand menagerie of sorts and shapes of plane, you are likely to ever fly in... one. The Airliner.
In future posts, I’ll tell you about all the kinds of toys that you can see but not touch. But first I’m going to break down the different kinds of Airliner (and how the differences affect you).
The Airliner
The Airliner takes people and goods from point A to point B. Efficiency and Safety are the Airliner’s most important attributes. People have proposed lots of crazy designs, but actual airliners are tubes with wings.
In order of increasing size, the main types of Airliners are:
Regional Airliners
Regional Airliners are the planes you hate to fly. If you’re flying from Cleveland to Chicago, you’re on a Regional Airliner. If you can touch both sides of the plane from your seat, you’re on a Regional Airliner. These planes seat fewer than 100 people, with two to five people per row. They have two engines, either small jets (often on the rear of the plane) or propellers. (And if you look closely, you’ll notice they’re operated by a different company: American Eagle instead of American or DeltaConnection instead of Delta.) You would rather not be on this plane, but how often does your cousin get married?
Narrowbodies
The Narrowbody is the first Airliner worthy of the name. It seats 6 people per row, 3 on each side of the aisle. This is the plane for most flights you’ll take within the US and some shorter overwater routes (western Europe, Caribbean). Virgin, JetBlue, and Southwest fly only narrowbodies. Popular models are the Boeing 737, 757, and Airbus A320. Narrowbodies are the bread-and-butter of airlining.
Widebodies
Widebodies have two aisles. They’re easier to move around in, and they just feel bigger inside. They seat anywhere from 7 people (in a 2-3-2 configuration, i.e., 2 on the left side, 3 in the middle, 2 on the right) to 10 (in a 3-4-3) configuration. They fly transcontinental routes (New York to California) or across oceans (to Europe, Asia, or Australia). These are the planes plane-lovers love to love. They’re the majestic beauties and technological wonders. They’re powered by 2 huge jet engines or 4 still-rather-large ones. Popular models include the Boeing 747, 767, 777, 787, and the Airbus A330, A340, A350, and A380.
In future posts, I’ll tell you about all the kinds of toys that you can see but not touch. But first I’m going to break down the different kinds of Airliner (and how the differences affect you).
The Airliner
The Airliner takes people and goods from point A to point B. Efficiency and Safety are the Airliner’s most important attributes. People have proposed lots of crazy designs, but actual airliners are tubes with wings.
In order of increasing size, the main types of Airliners are:
Regional Airliners
Regional Airliners are the planes you hate to fly. If you’re flying from Cleveland to Chicago, you’re on a Regional Airliner. If you can touch both sides of the plane from your seat, you’re on a Regional Airliner. These planes seat fewer than 100 people, with two to five people per row. They have two engines, either small jets (often on the rear of the plane) or propellers. (And if you look closely, you’ll notice they’re operated by a different company: American Eagle instead of American or DeltaConnection instead of Delta.) You would rather not be on this plane, but how often does your cousin get married?
Narrowbodies
The Narrowbody is the first Airliner worthy of the name. It seats 6 people per row, 3 on each side of the aisle. This is the plane for most flights you’ll take within the US and some shorter overwater routes (western Europe, Caribbean). Virgin, JetBlue, and Southwest fly only narrowbodies. Popular models are the Boeing 737, 757, and Airbus A320. Narrowbodies are the bread-and-butter of airlining.
Widebodies
Widebodies have two aisles. They’re easier to move around in, and they just feel bigger inside. They seat anywhere from 7 people (in a 2-3-2 configuration, i.e., 2 on the left side, 3 in the middle, 2 on the right) to 10 (in a 3-4-3) configuration. They fly transcontinental routes (New York to California) or across oceans (to Europe, Asia, or Australia). These are the planes plane-lovers love to love. They’re the majestic beauties and technological wonders. They’re powered by 2 huge jet engines or 4 still-rather-large ones. Popular models include the Boeing 747, 767, 777, 787, and the Airbus A330, A340, A350, and A380.
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