The hype about the Airbus A380 may have subsided, but it’s certainly not forgotten. Not by me anyway. After all that fanfare with Singapore Airlines’ A380, Emirates, the second airline set to receive the super jumbo is relatively quiet about is first commercial flight.

Searching for news about its maiden flight led me to ArabianBusiness.com’s article:

Emirates Airline will make its first commercial flight using the Airbus A380 super jumbo on October 1 this year on a direct flight to New York.

A search on the airline’s own e-booking website reveals that the 8.30am flight, EK201 from Dubai to New York, will be an A380. The earlier flight that day, and the same flight on the previous day, are still listed as Boeing 777-300ER flights.

Source: ArabianBusiness.com

Checking Emirate’s website, flight EK201 from Dubai International to John F. Kennedy International Airport will be an A380. It seems first class is already filled, or may be reserved as it’s marked at Unavailable. Seats are still available for Business and Economy.

Like Singapore Airlines, Emirates’ first class passengers will enjoy privacy in their own suites.

The new private suite is fully equipped with individual storage, a coat closet, vanity desk and personal mini bar. The extra-large seat reclines to become a fully flat bed, and the 23″ wide-screen LCD screen features over 600 channels of ice entertainment.

Source: Emirates’ Website

What the heck is ice entertainment?

The Emirates A380 will be configured to carry 489 passengers for Ultra Long Range flights (3 classes), 517 passengers for Long Range flights (3 class) and 600 passengers for Medium Range flights (2 class).

Popularity: 24% [?]

Flight SQ380, the first ever commercial flight of Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A380 landed today at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport. All of its passengers are in agreement: the amount they paid for were well worth it, and that the superjumbo was surprisingly quiet.

Some trivia about the first passengers of the maiden flight:

• The youngest customer is a 10 month-old boy from Singapore
• The oldest is a 91 year-old man, also from Singapore, travelling with his family. His son bought the Singapore Airlines Suites ticket for him in the charity auction;
• Mr Julian Hayward bought the first Suite on the flight, paying US$100,380 for him and a friend to travel from Singapore to Sydney;
• Among passengers is Mr Thomas Lee, from California, who was a passenger on the world’s first Boeing 747 commercial flight between New York and London in 1970.
• Also travelling is Ms Isabelle Chu, a travel agent from Perth, who is flying in both directions on the A380. Ms Chu flew in both directions on the first Singapore Airlines A340-500 flights between Singapore and Los Angeles, and Singapore and New York, non-stop in 2004, with just time for shower between flights. This time, she will enjoy an overnight stopover in Sydney.
• The passengers represent 35 different nationalities, with the largest group being Australians (28%), then Singaporeans (14%), then Britons (11%) and Americans (8%). Those who have come furthest for the first flight are 4 Norwegians.
• The most common first name of passengers is David, with 11.
• The ratio of male to female passengers on board is 7:3.

Source: Singapore Airlines Website

The A380 goes into regular service on the 29th of October between Singapore and Sydney. Flight 221 leaves Singapore at 8:30 in the evening, arriving in Sydney at 7 am the following day. SQ232 from Sydney to Singapore leaves Kingsford Smith Airport at 12:45 pm, touching down in Changi Airport at 5:40 in the afternoon.

Head on to the Singapore Airlines A380 website for a virtual tour of the A380’s interiors. The Sydney Morning Herald has pictures and videos of this momentous event.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Singapore Airlines received the first commercial Airbus A380 today at Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse, France. The A380 delivery also gives us a glimpes of Singapore Airline’s newest product, the Singapore Airline Suites, as well as improvements in business and economy class.

Business Travel Guru has this to day about the new Singapore Airline Suites:

Elegantly furnished, each of the Singapore Airlines Suites opens up to a plush and luxurious leather seat, which is almost a metre wide (with armrest folded away). In a perfect marriage of classic style, ergonomics and technology, each seat is upholstered by world-renowned Poltrona Frau in the finest leather, with an elegant pumpkin finish.

The seat is fully adjustable, with a simple-to-use electronic control panel to accommodate a variety of sitting and lounging positions. For those who want to sleep, a full-sized flat bed, with plush mattress, is built into each individual Singapore Airlines Suite, and does not utilise the seat as part of the sleeping surface. Lavish Givenchy-designed duvets and cushions ensure customers can drift into peaceful and comfortable sleep. For couples traveling, the beds in the middle two seats can be converted to an optional double bed.

Source: Business Travel Guru

Head on over to the Business Travel Guru blog for the Singapore Airlines A380 cabin pictures. It’s simply amazing. Watch the A380’s journey from the drawing board up to its first delivery over at A380delivery.com

Nina’s note: Yes, I know, yet another A380 post gah

Popularity: 16% [?]

Photo by Anton Lorenzo, used with permission

If you didn’t, head on over to Anton Lorenzo’s flickr to see the A380 as it lands on NAIA. Or head on over to Yahoo and see the NAIA staff having their pictures taken with the A380 in the background Even more photos at the Pinoy Photography Forum and at the Digital Photographer forum.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 23% [?]

I am an idiot. I knew all along what time the A380 was scheduled to touch down, but I still didn’t go on time gah, so all I got were these slightly obscured photos of the A380 docked at Tullamarine Airport.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 17% [?]

G’day! I’ve been a bit busy settling this past few days in Melbourne. I know, I know, I’ve been here before so I should know how things work. But I actually haven’t really gone out yet, except for that trip to the market and to the Collingwood Children’s Farm (Wooly sheep! Cows with spots!). My accountant brother-in-law has until October 26 to file their family’s GST and both my sister and I are helping him organize 3 years worth of files.

Anywhoo, until my next post (the Gorillapod review), I’ll share with you a couple of messages I got in my inbox today.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 29% [?]

The Daily Tribune gives us more details on the October 11 arrival of the world’s biggest commercial jet, as well as tips where to get the best view of the Airbus A380.

Local aircraft enthusiasts will have a closer look at the super jumbo jet which is scheduled to arrive at 2:45 p.m. and land at the NAIA’s longest runway, the 3,700-meter long 06/24 runway.

The giant aircraft, which requires only 1,500 meters of landing space, will line up for its final approach in the vicinity of Antipolo flying toward the South Luzon Expressway.

The aircraft can be clearly seen at The Fort in Taguig City but can be best viewed at the east-west service roads of the South Luzon Expressway near the gates of Villamor Airbase and Merville Subdivision.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 25% [?]

I guess those guys really knew what they were talking about

MSN009’s third tour will take it to Dubai, Melbourne and the Philippine cities of Manila and Luzon from 8-13 October. From Toulouse the jet will then travel again to Bogota, before heading for Vancouver in Canada and Osaka in Japan from 15-19 October.

Source: Flightglobal.com

Hmmm, so if I want to see the A380, where’s the best place to view it in Manila?

Popularity: 18% [?]