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The a340 is still one of my absolute favorite wide body to this day. I have flown on the plane in every possible way from the cockpit to the flight attendant cabin with beds downstairs and everything in between. I always remember feeling extremely safe onboard I remember the safety record is impeccable.

The first time I hopped on a plane was at the age of three, and it was indeed the A340-600. At the time it was the longest passenger aircraft ever built. I remember the beautiful roar of those Trent - 500s. After that flight, I went home and started trying to rebuild the A 340 with legos. Fast forward 16 years later, I'm currently pursuing a career in aviation. The A 340-600 remains my favorite aircraft of all time!

I am a captain on A-340-300 The systems redundancy is on much higher level than any twin jet ever . It’s not only the engines count It the related systems , for example you have 4 engine driven electric generators ( plus RAT and APU ) You have 4 engine driven hydraulic pumps ( plus 3 electric and RAT ) This is a maintenance burden and extra expenses but far more safe than anything else up in the sky

I make my living flying A340. Have been flying it since 2009. It has always carried my passengers and I safely all over the World. My company now operates them as 'Preighters' with the Economy seats removed. This shows what an amazingly versatile aircraft the A340 really is. Just finished flying 2 different A340 East around the world. The low lease costs offset the higher fuel burn.

I've got tons of A340 flights under my belt. I'd guess around 50 flights in A340-300s and A340-600s (also got to sit jump seat several times before 9/11). I also have about 6 hours in the LH A340 sim in Frankfurt. I absolutely LOVE the A340s. Especially the -600 I think was a beautiful airplane and especially nice in LHs config. I will miss the A340s tremendously. There is nothing better than looking out the window and seeing 2 engines hanging out there on a wing.

The longer A340s are my favorite airliners out there. Silent, graceful and comfortable, I had the pleasure of flying them in all 3 classes. Amazing planes that I will miss dearly.

One interesting aspect why Airbus went initially for four engines: The initial A340 varieties used CMF56 engines. Thus, Airbus gave airlines the option to use similar engines for short and long haul planes as you can/could order the A320 familiy with CMF56 engines, too. Hence, an airline could save some maintenance costs.

I've flown on the A340-600 multiple times with Lufthansa and it's an amazing plane, arguably my favorite to travel on.

You can judge success and failure in multiple ways but the A340 never had a fatality in its three decades of operation. On another note, I flew a Lufthansa A340-300 registration D-AIFA in star alliance livery, later found out it burned down in Frankfurt airport.

I flew the A340 twice & it’s the best jet experience I’ve ever had & roomy even in the economy class. I have found the 777 more cramped due to the fact that some airlines wanted 10 abreast seating. Just personal preference but always feel more comfortable in a quad on long haul than a twin.

A340 was my first transatlantic flight operated by Lufthansa. It was amazing flight, I enjoyed every second of it. The plane is spacious, the flight is smooth and it the size of the wings and looking at two engines swinging under the wing is a sight to see.

The a300 was actually the first aircraft that received etops certification for 90 minute single engine flight. They were a pioneerfor twinjets

I flew on the South African Airways A340 from Newark to Joburg and it was the smoothest and most comfortable airliner. And yes, 4 engines is always better than 2!

Flown on the -300 variant once with Air France from Lagos to Paris CDG back 6 years ago and it was a very comfortable experience. It was also loud when sitting at back of the aircraft with it's 4 engines powering up when beginning it take off roll. Edelweiss, Lufthansa and Swiss are still operating those planes so there's still enough time for you to fly them.

I used to fly Lufthansa A340s between Frankfurt and the U.S. The plane had a bank of rest rooms downstairs from the main cabin in a sort of alcove with several doors leading off of the alcove. On long flights, you could go down there and walk the alcove to get a little exercise. No other aircraft in the fleet had this perk.

Loved flying on the A340-600! What a graceful aircraft.. smooth, quiet, powerful. Also Lufthansa had a great layout with restrooms on the lower level.

I love the a340. I flew the A340-300 back in 2018 on Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Martinique. I absolutely loved it. Not only does it look absolutely amazing, but it was very spacious and very quiet (compared to the Boeing 777 roaring. don’t get me wrong i love the GE90 sound but it gets annoying on a 10 hour flight not gonna lie) If you haven’t tried the a340 yet, watch out to book your vacation flight with Lufthansa next time, they are still using some. And btw I loved the video. Keep it up!

That was an excellent history of the A340. Thanks! This was one of my favorite aircraft as a regular frequent flyer. I flew the A340-300 with Cathay Pacific and the A340-500 with Singapore Airlines. The CX flight I was frequently on was between Hong Kong and Toronto. The Hong Kong - Toronto flight was usually a nonstop but on the return leg to Hong Kong it was necessary to refuel in Anchorage, Alaska due to head winds. However, 3 times the flight stopped in Anchorage for fuel on the way to Toronto due to winds. Flying into Anchorage on a clear sunny day was spectacular. The flight from Toronto to Hong Kong was a night flight so you did not see much of Anchorage during the stop. Depending on the time of year you could see the Northern Lights from the starboard side of the aircraft. Wow, that was a sight. CX replaced the B747-400 on this route with the A340. Now they use a B777. The best flights I had were with Singapore Airlines and their A340-500 from Singapore to Newark non-stop. The longest flight in the world at the time. SIA used the A340-500 until 2013. Initially the configuration was a mix of Business Class and about 100 Premium Economy seats on this long flight. After a couple of years the Premium Economy was eliminated and the configuration converted to just 100 Business Class Suites in the entire aircraft. Mostly business travellers. The demand for Business Class was very high and resulted in the reconfiguration of the aircraft. A Business Class return fare to Newark was approximately USD8500. It was a great flight with outstanding Singapore Airlines service. Because the flight was so long, the aircraft was at maximum weight on take off. The roll out from Singapore and Newark used the full allowable length of the runway and with a slow gradual climb out while configuring the aircraft. The A340 was also very quiet and smooth. I truly miss these flights. The A350-LXR are now plying the same routes and also very good aircraft and are my preferred ride these days.

Back in early 2019, my high school senior class and I flew on a South African A340 (a Star Alliance one at that) from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport (JNB). That was the bulk of our flying (3 flights one-way from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) to JFK to Maun Airport, 6 flights round trip) but we were bound for Botswana out of JNB. It was a 14 hour flight, 28 hours both ways but to this day, that has been my favorite flight thus far. My group was towards the mid-rear of the aircraft and I sat specifically behind the wings on the left side with a window seat. It was a long but comfortable flight, the food that was served was fairly nice compared to what I’ve had in the past. Just from my experience flying on two A340’s in a combined 28-30 hours, it’s definitely a very capable aircraft and I’m glad to have been lucky enough to fly on it. It’s still one of my favorite aircraft’s to see flying overhead at cruising altitude or taking off/landing at airports. Despite its impending future and its failure due to the time it was developed and released in a ETOPS driven market, there’s no doubt in my mind of the capability of the A340 and that it was likely even ahead of its time when it came out. If I ever have the chance to fly on one again, I’ll gladly take it with zero hesitation.

I flew once from São Paulo, Brazil, to Johannesburg, South Africa on the huge A340-600 and it was an awesome experience. That bird is gorgeous!!

Had flown Lufthansa A340-600 back in 2007. No AVOD but Overhead monitors were still acceptable back then. The real surprise was the downstairs lavatory setup, which was a first for me and I was actually searching for restrooms for quite some time before locating them downstairs. Before A380 came in, I guess this was the first double-decker concept tried out by Airbus. The sheer size of the fuselage was gigantic. 2-4-2 economy setup allowed relaxed seating experience too.

I was lucky enough to fly onboard a Virgin Atlantic A340-600 between Sydney and Hong Kong many years ago, and it quickly became my favourite aircraft. Smooth, quiet, an absolute delight.

A 340 is still my preffered aircraft. Many times flying from Atlanta to Paris I was looking for the A 340 operated by Air France even if my ticket had a Delta Flight number. The aircraft is very silent, the seats are more comfortable, there is more space and I just loved the feet support. The last time I flew an A 340 was in 2019 from Paris to Cairo (operated by Joon Airlines just before they merged with Air France). I miss A 340!

My grandfather was the Captain on TWA’s first-ever 767 extended ETOPS flight and I LOVE that you made that shout out. He sadly passed away a couple years ago and this just makes me so happy

I flew the A343 from SAN to FRA a while back. Nice to have that experience but my A380 flight from FRA to LAX a few days before was definitely better from a comfort perspective

I love the A340s, particularly the 500s (ULR) and the 600s (which remind me of a widebody version of the old DC-8 stretch), which are super long bodied. Fortunately, I've flown on both the -300 (Norwegian from New York to Stockholm) and the -500 series (from Bangkok to Los Angeles, one of the world's longest flights). Great plane and it's a shame it didn't sell better or be a competitive option in today's airline industry.

One of my favorite aircraft. Probably has been mentioned but LH has/had the bathrooms downstairs in their a346. Great idea for passenger comfort and fairly unique I believe.

I have flown the A340-600 for years with SAA. I don’t remember if they still use it but it helped me reunite with my family in Johannesburg. A truly wonderful plane!

I flew on the a340 a couple of times between Chicago and Amman and I loved it, the seating was comfortable and had plenty of leg space. The airplane was replaced by the 787 Dreamliner and Even though I love the 787, I wish I could have flown on the a340 a couple more times

I flew A340 SWISS from Zurich to Bangkok in March. Every thing about the flight was superb. 🙂

ive been on an Thai a340 back in 2018 when I was going from london-bangkok, really great experience and honestly I love the a340

Another insightful and well thought out program Colby.

I once flew in the A340-600 between New York and Madrid with Iberia and it was the best transatlantic flight I have ever done, and the window view of 4 engines was very special despite 3 out of the 6 transatlantic flight I have ever done were on quad jets

I've flown on an A340 on Philippine Airlines (PAL) a handful of times on a domestic route that's also covered by an A330. The flight never seems that full, so I imagine they're using the added payload capacity of the A340 for carrying domestic cargo.

Enjoyed this. Thanks. I flew Lufthansa from Munich to Newark last summer on a 340. Really enjoyed the flight and have been into them ever since. Very comfortable ride. Loved the lower deck layout of the restrooms. Hadn't realized it was a multi decked aircraft. Truly a victim of poor timing but happy to have been able to take one.

Flew it 3X…twice in 2003 and once last month. And it was a struggle to find a flight with a -300 in 2022. Plane takes off like a bowling ball, but the satisfaction of looking out and seeing 2 engines on a single deck in ‘22 is worth the sacrifice. Even got to sit up front once we arrived!

Hey Coby! So nice you see you got a sponsor! Keep it up! Also please stream more, it was super fun!

I’ve flown on the emirates a340-500 and that was an amazing experience very nice aircraft but also was a very rare experience considering the -500 wasn’t that common definitely would recommend if you can catch a flight on one I know there is a few a340-300s still flying out there

Absolute badass design, had a privilege to fly as a passenger a couple of times, needs a comeback ❤

Hi Coby I subscribed to ur channel here. Your videos are a wealth of info, really clear explanations...nice to watch. All the best and keep making them. Cheers👍🙏

Yeah. The DC-10 wasn’t unlucky. Just the passengers flying on it. . . As a former single-engine pilot, with the knowledge that transitioning to multi-engine was “just” about learning how to fly a twin on one engine. With that in mind, I’ve always felt that, if you’re going to have more than one engine, go for as many as you can get. Unfortunately, I’ve had a hard time getting my hands on a B52😀

I've flown on the A340-600 several times. Absolute smooth experience....great aircraft

I'm proud to wear an A340 pin on my uniform jacket as it was an A340 that started my CC career and my dad was an engineer on TAP's old fleet. I have the honour of flying them from time to time, although mostly in cargo nowadays. They're the most beautiful, elegant birds in the sky!

Very interesting video! I was lucky to fly on a Virgin Atlantic A340-600 (very looong plane) from MIA to LHR in late 2017. Absolutely loved the experience.

Only had the privilege of flying on the a340 once, but it was a flight I'd never forget. It's so gracefully long, and the interior is white and bright. The most modern feeling plane, and so smooth despite its size

There is just something sexy about 4 engines, in particular the larger diameters of the 500 and 600. I really like the 2-4-2 layout in economy.

I just discovered your channel. I remember flying a A340 a few years ago. It was a good experience from what I remember. And that always feels special to fly a 4-engine aircraft in a market dominated by 2-engine planes.

Used to travel a lot to Europe f/latin america and always preferred flying with Lufthansa as they were servicing my route CCS-FRA with an A340. Loved this plane and always felt safe flying over night over the Atlantic with those four engines rocking. Nice plane and airline BTW 😃

I actually flew across Canada in the A340. . . In the cockpit, back in 1999. The Captain wanted to see my Garmin 195. Airlines were still pre-GPS

I flew on a Virgin Atlantic A340 from LHR to PVG a couple of times around 2007 or 2008, and I did notice how quiet it was. Aside from that it was as comfortable as anything else..,well, as comfortable as it gets in Economy on a long haul flight 😖

I'm glad to have subscribed to your channel... being a big A340 admirer I have enjoyed watching your eye informative videos. In deed I did flight the A340, operated by LAN in 2008 from Auckland (NZ) and Santiago de Chile. It was a long, about 14 hours, but very nice and comfortable trip. I'm aware of it's "lack of power", but I think it doesn't affect passengers that get a nice smooth experience in a spacious great cabin. Thanks and I look forward to seeing more of your videos... Regards

As a frequent flyer, I can say that I really like the A-340. Exceptionally comfortable aircraft. Roomy - even in economy class. Comfortable in turbulence. And the full suite of downstairs toilets is an added benefit. I fully recognize the economic downside as compared to the A-330 or Boeing 777. But flying on an A-340 is a lovely passenger experience.

I'm a veteran of the times when Iberia used to fly Airbus A340s from Madrid to the USA, particularly between 2006 and 2007 when I would fly the MIA-MAD route (and reverse) constantly It was a good plane for the time although looking back the cabin could have been better but Iberia was slow in implementing the modern cabins we enjoy today. Overall I think the A330 is the better plane overall and I hope to get on the A350 next month. I love the Boeing 777 but I am usually flying an airbus when it comes to long haul

I simply adore the A340-600. Especially in the 80s/90s Iberia livery.👌🏻

I practically grew up on LH A343s. They're my favorite type to fly, partly for nostalgia and partly because of the 2-4-2 seating. I prefer that over 3-3-3 any day. Started back in the day when cabin crew would ask if I wanted to see the cockpit while we were cruising over the Atlantic. Those were the days!

I was finally able to experience a flight on an A340 last year with Swiss. It was only an hour and a half flight from ZRH to LHR but it was a great experience on a very nice aircraft. The best part of the flight was the crew, they offered fantastic and very friendly service on our short hop.

The plane I flew was like any other. A big boy with 4 engines under the wings. The plane was smooth, quiet, and it was an okay experience between Copenhagen and Shanghai. Coming home, though, the A340 I flew had a weird little quirk. While taxiing, something that sounded a pump sounded every few seconds. If anything, it sounded like a pump being uncompressed.

I love the look of the A340-300, but the -600 might be the most beautiful aircraft ever. Love the huge engines and the long fuselage

Good video. Informative. I’ve never flown an A340, but have watched them around Frankfurt and Munich airports a bit. I personally think that the A340-600 is a beautiful airplane-especially in the Lufthansa livery. Subscribed to your channel!

Flew A340-600 on Virgin from Heathrow to Shanghai in 2007. Strange cabin design but a very comfortable flying experience. I am so pleased I got to fly on one of these rare birds.

My experience on an a340 was a quiet widebody, despite the 4 engines. It was also very comfortable.

Arguably the most elegant modern airliner, those evenly spaced Trent 500s on the later variants gave the A430 a balanced and purposeful look. My last trip on the type was with Lufthansa in economy class, reasonable comfort in economy thanks to the 2-4-2 layout.

Great aircraft very smooth and an excellent safety record, I think it is actually the best. Great video thank you!

I flew a VS A340-600 from LHR - Shanghai Pudong in Upper Class.. Was lovely. Once saw one a 340-600 in Airbus colours doing some manoeuvres over Bristol Filton airfield once, really throwing it around the sky

I used to fly Etihad’s A340s from JFK to Abu Dhabi. At that time Etihad was the best airline in the world and the experience was just fantastic. The pilots would take it to its service ceiling over Mosul to try to help avoid the SAMs. I knew e wer getting close to Abu Dhabi when I heard the engines scream as we did a steep climb. Good times.

The A340 is one of my absolute favorite wide-body jets

The A340, even more the A340-600 is absolutely and by far the most amazing aircraft! And that wingview of it is breathtaking!

flown A340 few times on the longest route: Singapore - Newark, which use to cross north pole I think. Really smooth, comfortable 17-18hrs and enjoyed it!

A330 has been developed into a successful tanker. The wings already have the hardpoints and fuel lines available (due to the missing 2 engines) to mount the refuelling equipment. Presently at work near Ukraine, along with Boeing KC135s and KC10s

2-4-2 on a A330/340 unbeatable. Many A340 flights, 4 engines 😁 on KU and LH. A340-500 best looking 😍

I’ve flown many times on the a340. To me, it felt sluggish, with a weak takeoff. Then I started getting placed on the new a350 for the same routes. That plane is a powerhouse. I love it.

I flew the Iberia's 340-600 for almos a decade MAD-MEX and loved every time. For the time was very quiet and comfortable. It was always a good feeling knowing you have 4 engines in the middle of the Atlantic.

The only complaint I ever heard about this plane from the industry, though maybe there were others, was fuel ineffeciency. Why was that never addressed and modifications made? I assume the ineffeciency was engine based, not stuctural in nature. Flew this plane on the Singapore long haul from Newark to Singapore and once Virgin Atlantic JFK to LHR. Beautiful plane.

I flew Lufthansa A340-300. In a way, it was exactly the same as A330-300, size, passenger capacity, etc. However, it was very quiet and smooth compared to the A330. Probably with the 4 engines it means that each of them can operate at a much lower output and therefore it is much more quieter. A340-600 though is one of the most beautiful plane imo.

Thanks for a well thought out analysis. I was on a Lufthansa flight between FRA and JFK in the late 80's I think. It was a nice plane that felt very spacious and I was happy for the four engines across Atlantic. The flight captain was so proud of the technology of the new plane. The only discordant note, so to speak, was the squeaky sounds it made either while retracting the gear or deployment of Flaps (like the links were not properly lubricated). Didn't seem to bother the crew one bit! I wonder if they all did that?

I’ve flown the SAS A340 tons of times between Copenhagen and Tokyo, and a couple of times to Beijing as well. There was always something special about the view over the wings when there was 2 engines there instead of 1. Made the flight feel a bit more long-haul (although I love the 777 and A350 as well) than with a twin-engine.

Just love the A340 flew on a Virgin 340 some years ago from DC to LHR, I think only 60+ passengers on board, a stunning aircraft and yet another Airbus not operated by any American carriers. Lufthansa are still flying them from Germany to I think Boston but only until next year. Personally the 2nd best looking passenger aircraft of all time (Concorde being number 1)

A340-600 Has one of the best safety records in history!

I flew an a340 from LAX to SIN in 2005. 2 things I still vividly remember: first, the entire plane was business class. Every seat was the same. Second, while the seats were lie-flat, they didn't recline into a bed. Instead, when you wanted to sleep, the seat would fold forward, and there was a mattress on the back. You would stand up out of your seat, and the flight attendant would fold it down and make the bed with sheets and a blanket.

I have flown on the all black Hi-Fly A340 from Antalya, Turkey to Eindhoven in The Netherlands. It was probably the most exciting flight of my life. The plane itself was a beauty. It was the first time ever for me seeing the A340. I hope I get the chance again to fly on one in the near future. 🙏🏽

To put it simply, the B767 flies a bit too soon and ETOPS extension kicks in

I have flown the A345s of Singapore airlines between Singapore and Jakarta and also SASs A343 from Tokyo to Copenhagen. I truly liked the 2. Always felt safe knowing it was 4 holer than a 2 especially on longer trips. These days I fly on JALs 767s, which I have truly come to appreciate as well as their 788/9 on longer trips. I love them all but my favorite is still the Queen (747s). Hope to try the A380 some time in the future. Nice video by the way.

I remember when I was a kid I was at a waterpark near Madrid Spain, my home city, when I heard a deafening sound coming from the sky and then I looked up and I saw that beautiful beast on that old-school Iberia livery roaring through the clouds. I guess it had just taken off from Madrid Barajas Airport given the location of the waterpark near the airport but I still noticed back then that it was flying much lower than most planes usually do a few minutes after takeoff. Totally distinguishable plane. Caught my attention like no other plane for a few seconds. Crazy proportions and just a beautiful piece of engineering despite its bad luck. 4-engine planes will always look better than twinjets.

Nobody at Airbus would blame the A340's underperformance on "luck". They need to design a plane not for the current environment but for the future one, which they of course did; Unfortunately, their prediction for the future regarding ETOPS regulations was wrong, resulting in poor sales.

I flew on the -600 many years ago and it’s still one of my favourites. It was a beautiful, smooth and quiet way to spend 20+ hours. Twice! The way some operators used the -500 & -600 has always irked me, especially the middle eastern carriers. You can’t primarily deploy such a capable aircraft on 7 hour trips to Europe and 10 hour trips to Asia and then complain that the aircraft is uneconomical.

I was lucky enough to fly the a340 several times, in addition to the very quiet cabin and the calm position in the air, I really liked the design to this day. A fantastic plane!

Great video! Thanks Coby!

You forgot about the 2nd Generation A340s, also flops that got crushed by the 2nd Gen 777s. The first A340s shared the same engine with the A321, this was also a reason why they did go for 4 engines, but the main reason obviously was the lack of ETOPS as you said. By the way from the very beginning Airbus worked on both the A330 and A340. Initial project names were TA9 and TA11.

If you flew a A330 you’d have an idea how the -40 feels. To this day the smoothest flight I’ve ever had was on board an A340

Flew Icelandic Air A340 from Seattle to Reykjavik a few years back, it was great.

I've flown the a340 from Guatemala city, to Mexico city to Madrid in Spain and it was the most confortable plane experience ever. The thing does not accelerate too much (it's underpowered) so it makes for a smooth take off and landing and the pilot from Iberia was so excelent that it was imposible to tell when we had touch down.

A340, the five APU aircraft

I've flown a South African Airways A340. It was very rattly. That might have more to do with the airline rather than the A340 itself.

Great video. I had no idea about the A340's history before this. I've flown them several times (both -300 and -600 versions), with Lufthansa, SAS, Aerolineas Argentinas and Iberia. I found them to be excellent planes to fly on--comfortable, relatively spacious and very safe. Like the A380's, which I truly loved, I am sorry to see the A340's go, but am glad I had the chance to fly on them.

I flew with SAS A340 back in 2017 from Copenhagen to San Francisco and it was a really good experience :)

I flew with the A340 two weeks ago from O'Hare to Frankfurt (Lufthansa). It was a very comfortable flight and a great flying experience in general, including a butter landing. It was also way more quiet than the 747 that I flew to USA with the week before. The engines also has that satisfying humming noise when it spools up that you can also hear on the A330. The interesting thing is that the plane was almost empty, maybe only 20-30 passengers onboard.

i flew on a340 a couple of times...once with swissair and the rest with lufthansa.. All amazing experience and like someone said it is a nice feeling seeing two engines sitting on the wing. Confortable , quiet and safe planes. Sad to see them go. Bt glad the a380 are still flying. still my love were the tri jets. had my first international flight in one of them

I flew the A340 on Sabena (the old Belgian airline) in the mid/late 90's from Brussels to Cincinnati and in the early 2000s from Amsterdam to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. Smooth and silent were my memories of the flights on it.

Very interesting and insightful video! Just at the end of last year I've sat on an A340-300 from FRA - BKK and back with Lufthansa. From what I've read they still have the biggest fleet of A340s but that's probably going to change soon. Both flights were nice, I felt very safe (I do have a fear of flying) and it's also a very beautiful plane.