After talking about it so much over the past year I thought I had better at least give you my thoughts after my first ride on the Qantas A380 Airbus from LAX to Melbourne (a 15 hour flight). Forgive my greasy look above… I had just flown over 5 hours from New York and was about to take on another 15 hours of flying to Australia.
I was on the newest A380 plane added to the Qantas fleet so it was very shiney and new. And I’ve gotta say… that thing is enormous inside! I am actually sitting against the window in economy in the pic above and there is more space between the window and your shoulder. So even though I had 2 people sitting alongside me I did not feel crowded. The seats are quite comfy and the new large TV screens are great, clear and full of movies and TV shows to keep you entertained for many hours.
In the middle of the flight I staggered to the back of the plane looking for the toilets. I asked the flight attendant if there were toilets at the back, and she said yes, just go past the curtain. I lifted the curtain aside to find that there was even more plane back there!!! I was only part way down the plane. And this big beast takes 45 minutes to load. About 15 minutes longer than the Boeing 747.
Overall it was nice ride. It is a lot smoother taking off and landing, and definitely a lot quieter. I would take the A380 anytime… but make sure you get a window or aisle seat so you are not stuck in the middle. The last shot below is a the view from the tail camera on my TV screen as we pulled back into Melbourne airport. Home sweet home!
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