Airbus A340-600 vs Boeing 747-400

The Airbus A340-600 and Boeing 747-400 were rivals for the biggest long-haul routes of the 2000s, and the Airbus was the newer aircraft that lost. The 747-400, in service from 1989, seats around 416 in three classes, flies about 7,260 nautical miles on four CF6, PW4000 or RB211 engines, and was built to a total of nearly 700. The A340-600, in service with Virgin Atlantic from 2002, was Airbus's attempt to match it with a stretched, four-engine A340: 75.4 m long, the longest airliner in the world until the 747-8, seating around 380 in three classes, flying about 7,500 nautical miles on four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines, with a lower cabin floor that let Airbus put galleys and lavatories below deck.

The A340-600 was efficient for a four-engine jet and offered more range than the 747-400, but the 777-300ER arrived at the same time with two engines and similar capacity, and sold in the hundreds while the A340-600 stopped at 97. Operators included Virgin, Lufthansa, Iberia, South African, Cathay Pacific, Qatar, Emirates, Etihad and China Eastern; by 2026 only Lufthansa still flies it in scheduled service, and the 747-400 passenger fleet has shrunk to a few airlines as well, Lufthansa again among them.

Passenger experience

The A340-600's cabin is narrower than the 747's, so its economy is 2-4-2 with seats around 17.5 inches and side pairs with no middle seat; the 747-400 is 3-4-3 with seats about 17.5 inches and only the upper deck to lift it. The A340 is the quieter of the two with a smoother ride, and its very long cabin takes time to board; the lower-deck lavatories on some aircraft are a curiosity. The 747's upper deck remains the draw for anyone who can get there, and its nose section is the most private economy or business cabin on any aircraft. For the best seat on an A340-600, take a window in the side pairs ahead of the wing; on a 747-400, the upper deck or the nose.

Which to choose

Both are aircraft of the past, and the chance to fly either is now limited largely to Lufthansa. The A340-600 offers the better economy seat and the smoother ride; the 747-400 the upper deck and the history. Choose whichever you have not yet flown.