Today, I have the luck flying on the airbus 318 'Babybus', one of its last flights with air france before being retired

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Wide-Garbage8960@reddit

This is unfortunately a A220, not the A318…

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xxrox2024@reddit

Not really "baby Dreamliner" is the Embraer E2, look at the wings...

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Stoney3K@reddit

The A220 has the more rounded nose and the Dreamliner-esque shape of the cockpit windows though. And I feel like the A220's flight deck is a mini version the one in the 787, more than te E2's.

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xxrox2024@reddit

Oh no... do not offend the B787 comparing it to this Bombardier copy of Dornier DO 728... with the joysticks...

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RSDVI01@reddit

A220 is an interesting plane. Rebranded Bombardier CRS. Has rather long range for the class, and it is quite efficient (tests actually shown it was more efficient than the “plan”).

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wade822@reddit

It’s also excellent for passenger comfort, in a 2-3 config

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Wide-Garbage8960@reddit

Have a upvote for taking it like a champ.

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Otomat1911@reddit (OP)

Thank you kind, sir, and for keeping it real with me!

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Nearby-Medicine9484@reddit

On the bright side, you did get to fly on a Cannabus.

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xxrox2024@reddit

But it is highly unreachable in most of the weights...

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BennyG34@reddit

If it makes me you feel better a lot of ATC call the 220 the baby bus

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LPNTed@reddit

It's not like they don't say what kind of plane it is during the announcements...or you know... There's a safety card with the plane type...right there on the seat back in front of them.

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Otomat1911@reddit (OP)

Yeah, tbh I just went by what my delta fly app told me, it got my hopes up... Turns out the a318 was the plane next to me, so they might have changed it last minute to a different route:(

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Murky_Bus_4052@reddit

did you fly delta? cause that is definitely Air France and neither the a220 or a318 can fly transatlantic

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KB9131@reddit

Delta does not have any A318s and never did.

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boilerdam@reddit

Funny, that at the time of my reading, your comment has exactly 787 votes

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Flew on one from London to Inverness last October, my first ever flight as an adult and avgeek (only ever flew twice as a young kid). It was comfortable enough, but the landing was a little rough, which I'll put down to it being pretty windy/rainy in Inverness at the time.

I now have a weird attachment to the A318 because it was my first 'proper' flight and it has such a cute nickname

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PhoenixSpeed97@reddit

I had this same feeling when I had my flight changed from a 717 to an a320 several years ago. Thankfully, have gotten a few chances to fly on the 717, and loved each time.

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747ER@reddit

I had a Fokker 50 get changed to an E190. I don’t think anyone can beat that lol

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PhoenixSpeed97@reddit

Aussie?

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747ER@reddit

Yep! I booked ADL-OLP on Alliance just to fly on the F50. Sadly I showed up to the airport and it was an E190. Still a fun flight, but certainly not as cool as I thought it was going to be.

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BatVivid7933@reddit

It is always a letdown when you anticipate a specific aircraft and then get something else. Those unique flights often create memorable experiences. At least the E190 is still a solid choice, but I can understand the disappointment. It's all about those special moments in aviation.

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Sour_Bucket@reddit

I was supposed to fly on a 757 a few years back but about week before the flight it was changed to an A321. I was bummed

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PhoenixSpeed97@reddit

Normal people: chill, it's just a dumb plane...

Us (civilized aviation folk): sub-primal rage at the audacity of such a comment

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Difficult_Camel_1119@reddit

I have a flight next month, that change from A340-600 to A330.

I guess, I will never fly the A340-600 😞

The 717 was great, I was lucky enough to fly with it four times

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qonkk@reddit

I had that with Flybe, wanted the EMB170 (or 175?) and we got a last minute switch to the Q400.

Same with AirBaltic, either B733 or 735 planned, last minute Q400.

DAMN YOU Q400 !!! But I still love the bomber.

With Volotea I emailed them to make sure I get the 717 lol.

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stampmanf12020@reddit

😂

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mattyGOAT1996@reddit

Boy doesn't know planes

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archer505@reddit

That’d be the Bombardibus

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SafeAtFirstRN@reddit

Canabus works, too.

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ButteredPizza69420@reddit

If Canabus was an airline with pot on board, boy would they be making BANK. I'd sure love a stress free flight zonked out of my mind!

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West_Good_5961@reddit

Those cabin air filters would look like the inside of a bong

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prady8899@reddit

Have an edible before security and enjoy

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ButteredPizza69420@reddit

No Id be too paranoid haha high dose edibles hit too hard too fast and the worst time always for me.

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hndrk_schbrt@reddit

Do they have cannabis on the canabus?

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AdultContemporaneous@reddit

You just have to put it out before you cross into US airspace.

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West_Good_5961@reddit

I’m gonna steal this

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SimDaddy14@reddit

Bruh

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ArbitraryMeritocracy@reddit

Why do people post titles here as if they're the pilots?

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CanPacific@reddit

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N205FR@reddit

A220 fun fact: largest operator is Delta, with 84 A220s, next is JetBlue with 60. The next three biggest airlines all have the exact same number of A220s: Breeze, airBaltic and Air France (all three have 54)

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aucnderutresjp_1@reddit

Umm sorry to burst your bubble but ...

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Otomat1911@reddit (OP)

Oh no, my app clearly said it is an a318, is this not the one? Am I going somewhere else?! Aaaahhhhh

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manaballistics@reddit

That's an A220. Still a neat jet though

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FonsBot@reddit

The one you have flown is an a220, still a cool plane, just not the one you thought.

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Adjutant_Reflex_@reddit

FWIW I flew Air France a couple years back and this exact thing happened. Flight was listed as an A318, but the seat map, and eventually the plane, were for a CSeries.

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Baliebannie@reddit

Last september I went to LHR just to fly the A318 to NCE before they are retired. Such a fun little plane, they will be missed.

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Guiltlessraptor@reddit

Is this a Concorde in the background?!

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ikiteimasu@reddit

Yeah, we have that at Heathrow ☺️

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Guiltlessraptor@reddit

So cool.

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ScienceMechEng_Lover@reddit

That rear stabiliser looks so out of proportion with the rest of the plane lol.

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kill_kenny_1@reddit

Random fact - A318 has a higher vertical stabilizer than the rest of A320 family. Due to increased loading on vertical stabilizer because of the shorter fuselage, they had to slightly lengthen the vertical stabilizer.

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747ER@reddit

The 737-600/-700 are also slightly taller than the -800/-900/-900ER, and I’d assume the same for the MAX family.

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Hermosa06-09@reddit

This was an issue in Denver, since Frontier used to have A318s (and also the only way I ever got to fly on one). There is a skybridge connecting the main terminal to the A Concourse. Most of the A320 family could taxi under them, but the A318 could not due to the higher tail. Every Frontier A318 had a big red sticker in the flight deck that said "NO BRIDGE."

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rob189@reddit

Airbus has a thing with big…stabilisers.

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danit0ba94@reddit

Oh my grandma, what big stabilizers you have!

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danit0ba94@reddit

Makes it look like a Boeing.

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the_Q_spice@reddit

Kinda wild they are retiring before their big cousin that is the A300.

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ssersergio@reddit

I swear if someone tells me this is AI generated i believe them, everything is so out of proportions hahahaah

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Yuukiko_@reddit

Have you seen an a380

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ssersergio@reddit

Have not, im dying to save money to get the chance to board one, I'll literally visit the destination country just to fly on one before they stop using them

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Square-Platypus-8144@reddit

Great you managed to get a trip on one. Agree it's an absolute stunning wee aircraft.

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SavingsRead8830@reddit

Isnt that an a220? Also i don’t consider the A220 to be an Airbus since it was completely designed by Bombardier

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ii_gg2@reddit

sorry to break it for you
Thats an a220-100

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747ER@reddit

It’s an A220-300, Air France does not fly the A220-100.

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TheCryptonight@reddit

Babybus…more like Brabus for Airbus. Packs a punch always.

https://youtube.com/@renukaladka?si=A0avKjBpB5SApNkO

Check my Brabus out 😋 really need the guild support. 🥰

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Murky_Bus_4052@reddit

ummm.... so thats actually not an A318, thats actually an A220

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Karbo_Blarbo@reddit

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davelin308@reddit

Ummm, also one is almost 20 years old, the other isn’t…

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ajyanesp@reddit

Unfortunately for you, you got to fly on the new adopted little brother.

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danit0ba94@reddit

The redheaded step-child 😂

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EvMund@reddit

Nigga thats a 220

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Wilco062@reddit

A babybus but not THE babybus

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SCHRONCH@reddit

Son

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Interesting_West_494@reddit

How is it possible to be so into aviation and not be able to tell the difference between an A220 and an A318?? 😂😂

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Expo737@reddit

I know you are now aware of the obvious but yeah as Air France only have so many A318s left in service the A220/CSeries can/will drop onto their flights more often until they are fully retired.

As someone who has either worked on as crew or flown as a passenger on every Airbus type except the A318, I feel your pain :)

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Otomat1911@reddit (OP)

Well guys, Im officially heartbroken, if this is true, then the plane next to me is the real one, and they were changed last minute...

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TONI2403@reddit

That's so unfortunate! I would kill myself if that happened to me. And hey, that's the same one I saw when I was in Naples in august of 2024!

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aviation-ModTeam@reddit

This content has been removed for breaking one or more of the r/aviation rules.

Your comment was removed as it was inappropriate for the context of the discussion.

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niklaswik@reddit

You might be on the wrong plane, heading to a surprise destination 😆

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SuperPimpToast@reddit

Is OP's name Kevin?

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porkyfly@reddit

why is it so cuddly?!

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Benniisan@reddit

I find it a bit weird to be excited about an aircraft you can't even recognize... Am I the only one?

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Perfect-Werewolf-102@reddit

This genuinely made me sad

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danit0ba94@reddit

Yep thats the one.
Sorry you got robbed of the short bus, man. :(

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Snoo58499@reddit

Don’t be heartbroken, the A220 is also a cool aircraft

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Otomat1911@reddit (OP)

I agree! I am having a blast! Not too high altitude so a lot to see from the window!

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AlwaysSunnyInManc@reddit

Yeah, that’s the true baby bus. Sorry OP!

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seattle747@reddit

I’m so glad I made an exception to my no-Frontier/Spirit policy to fly on a 318 flown by the former.

They were gone from the fleet mere months later!

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hndrk_schbrt@reddit

You know what an A318 is but you don't know what it looks like? Now that's a rare combination

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Fart2Mouth69@reddit

😆

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Sour_Bucket@reddit

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JaaacckONeill@reddit

Ironically, I made a very similar mistake once. I actually thought we were on the new A220's, but I mis-ID'd it, it was actually an E-175 or 195. The winglets tricked me.

Nowadays I know how to tell the difference, back then I didn't. I probably had a few passengers sitting near me smirking at how wrong I was

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janchuks0073@reddit

Broski, thats the Bombardier CS300

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Con-vit@reddit

bombardier bd500

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Allwingletnolift@reddit

That’s an A220

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RecoverQuirky4751@reddit

peak ragebait

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Pre-D@reddit

A baby bus for sure, but not quite The Babybus! That's the Airbus A220, not the A318, which counterintuitively came AFTER the A318 and is quite a ways away from extinction. Still, well spotted :)

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danit0ba94@reddit

The Wannabus.

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Bradyj23@reddit

Cannibus

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astral__monk@reddit

On the flipside, you got a much better ride.

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deadmallsanita@reddit

Is this the small plane that’s always in the memes?

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Square-Platypus-8144@reddit

I'm sorry buts that's not even an easy mistake to make for anyone. The cockpit windshield by itself is hugely distinctive for this particular aircraft - never mind cabin layout etc.

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West_Good_5961@reddit

That’s not it.

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SkyHighExpress@reddit

Reddit is funny, on another day, this would be downvoted to oblivion. My faith in humanity is restored

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Quirky_lemonPie@reddit

Who’s gonna tell him?

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yabucek@reddit

OP, during the flight: "man, for a 20 year old plane this feels really modern, sick!"

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AtariFerrariNH@reddit

Oooooof

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Global-Cartoonist622@reddit

Man, that's a bummer to hear about the last-minute swap. It's wild how these rare birds can just vanish from the schedule like that. Still, your photos are a great little tribute to the Babybus. Thanks for sharing the moment, even if the plane itself didn't make it.

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danit0ba94@reddit

Pssssst!
(That's not a babybus.)

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ParisianZee@reddit

This thread is so sweet! At least you got to see it! And I believe the A220 is a much more comfortable ride with the 2-2 layout. I hope you had a good flight!

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Otomat1911@reddit (OP)

Thank you, still flying on it! And I agree it is very comfortable! Definitely feels like a cuter ride although a bit bumpier, especially after flying with the a350 from Phoenux to Paris (one of my favorite type from a comfort perspective).

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Otomat1911@reddit (OP)

Elite ball knowledge

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