Old aircraft, new aircraft: the 747 crews who miss it, the A350 crews who will not go back, and the galley that decides
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#1 BA, and I did three years on the 747 before they went, and every crew member who did has a specific feeling about it. Now on the A350 and 787 and the feeling is different. This is the aircraft thread from the cabin crew side, which is not about the flying, it is about the galley, the doors, the crew rest and the stairs.
The 747
The upper deck galley, which was a small kingdom. The stairs, which were a workout and a status symbol. The doors, which were heavy and honest. The crew rest, which on the older ones was a set of bunks behind a curtain that everyone could hear. The noise, which was real, and the character, which was more real. The crew who did the 747 talk about it the way people talk about a first flat: cramped, impractical, loved.
The A380
The 747's successor in feeling: two decks, the bar, the space. A galley you can actually work in. Quiet. A crew rest that is a hotel by comparison. The crew who have it do not want to lose it and the airlines are, slowly, losing it.
The 787
Loved by passengers for the windows and the humidity. Tolerated by crew for the galleys, which are small, and the crew rest, which is fine but narrow. A long thin aircraft with one aisle in some cabins that is a trolley problem for fourteen hours.
The A350
The crew favourite of the new generation, at least at my airline: a wide galley, a good crew rest, quiet, and doors that are easy. The crew who have moved from the 747 to the A350 say it is the first aircraft that was designed with the galley in mind. The romance is gone. The knees are grateful.
The 777
The workhorse. Big galleys, a proper crew rest on the newer ones, two aisles, and a cabin that is loud at the back. Neither loved nor hated. Respected.
The galley that decides
Ask any crew member which aircraft they prefer and the answer is the galley. Not the range, not the windows. Can I do a full service for 300 people without hitting my colleague with a trolley. That is the review.
Which aircraft, and why, and is it the galley?
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#2 Virgin, and the 747 is the one I miss and the A350 is the one I want, and I have made peace with both being true. The upper deck galley kingdom was real. I ruled it for two years.
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#3 A380 purser, and everything Gavin says about it is right, and the airline is not losing them, so I will be on it until I retire, and my calves will look like a cyclist's. The galley on the upper deck is the best workspace in aviation and I will not be taking questions.
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#4 United, 787 to Asia, and the single aisle trolley problem for fourteen hours is my life. The windows are lovely. I have never looked out of one.
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#5 Qatar, and the A350 galley versus the 777 galley is the daily comparison and the A350 wins for space and the 777 wins for the ovens, which are older and more powerful and heat the meals properly. The ovens decide, not just the galley.
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#6 @priyaflies the ovens decide. That is a level of galley review I respect and had not reached.
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#7 Loganair, ATR and Embraer, and I am reading this thread from a different sport. My galley is a cupboard. My crew rest is the jumpseat. My aircraft has propellers and character. I would not swap.