Jan 9th, 2012 at 9:00PM: The Daily Mail reports this evening that cracks found in the wing sections of several Airbus A380 jumbo jets have led to deep concern among a group of Australian aircraft engineers. Calling for the grounding of all A380 aircraft, the group highlighted recent faults uncovered in the wing structures of several Singapore Airlines and Qantas jets in their complaint.
Acknowledging the cracks, the ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
A380 posts
Engineers call for grounding of A380 after cracks found in wings
Jan 9th, 2012 at 9:00PM: The Daily Mail reports this evening that cracks found in the wing sections of several Airbus A380 jumbo jets have led to deep concern among a group of Australian aircraft engineers. Calling for the grounding of all A380 aircraft, the group highlighted recent faults uncovered in the wing structures of several Singapore Airlines and Qantas jets in their complaint.
Acknowledging the cracks, the ...United Airlines to order A380 jumbo jet?
Dec 3rd, 2011 at 9:00AM:
Things are going pretty well for United this year. Full approval for their merger with Continental Airlines went through, they became the first domestic carrier to adopt bio fuel and one of their biggest competitors has gone bankrupt. Their media and public relations departments should get the rest of the year off. In fact, they should buy us dinner.
In addition to all of that good news, ...Top Gun spoof features a 787 and A380
Aug 18th, 2011 at 11:00AM:
Let's do this. Goose and Maverick are back on the (computer) screen in this new spoof from 3D-Aviation. The team took classic footage from Top Gun and re-worked the plane shots to feature a 787 and A380 completing dastardly feats of daring, including spins, turns, and "goosing" the tower.
What do you think? ...
Lufthansa coupon: Take 40EUR off your next flight
Mar 9th, 2011 at 3:00PM: Lufthansa has been issuing a wave of coupon codes geared at American travelers over the last six months, perhaps as a way of driving marketshare straight to their site rather than having users go to an online travel agency. Their most recent coupon is for 40 Euros ($55.64 at time of publication) off of an international flight. The voucher can be redeemed until May 1st and travel must be be before ...Lufthansa contest offers free tickets on the world's largest plane
Feb 16th, 2011 at 3:00PM: Who wants to take a free flight across the Atlantic on a super-jumbo? Lufthansa is offering such an opportunity to travelers to commemorate the launch of their sixth A380. The new jet will begin flying between New York and Frankfurt on February 28, just in time to whisk you away for a much needed European vacation. The contest winners will clamber aboard the world's largest plane, for free, and be ...Emirates Airbus A380 taken out of service by a catering truck
Dec 19th, 2010 at 5:00PM: Of all the things that can disable a $300 million plane - a broken catering truck has to be one of the more embarrassing.
Sadly, this is the fate of Emirates A6-EDE, the seventeenth Airbus A380, delivered to the airline in April of 2009.
During a routine catering delivery at Toronto airport, the scissor lift on the truck broke, smashing the truck body onto the wing of the jet.
The plane ...Qantas Airbus A380 loses engine - drops parts over Indonesia
Nov 4th, 2010 at 8:45AM:
A Qantas A380 en route from London via Singapore to Sydney had a catastrophic engine failure 15 minutes into its flight. After departing Singapore, passengers reported hearing a loud "bang" followed by showers of sparks from one of its engines. Looking out the window, people on board the super jumbo could see parts of the engine skin peeled off, exposing foam and broken wires.
The engine ...The world's longest and shortest flights
Jul 12th, 2010 at 1:30PM: Because you're just apoplectic to find out how you can maximize your time on an airplane, right? We covered this a while back, but things keep changing: planes keep getting bigger, stronger, and faster, routes change based on demand and somehow, we keep increasing our tolerance for being locked up and pressurized like pringles in a can. Fortunately, the world's many airline nerds have already done ...Dubai based Emirates places $11.5 billion Airbus A380 order
Jun 8th, 2010 at 12:00PM:
Dubai based Emirates just placed a whopping $11.5 billion order for 32 Airbus A380's. This is in addition to the ten they currently own and the 48 they still have on order - which instantly makes them the largest customer of the super jumbo. Once all their orders are delivered, Emirates will operate a fleet of 90 A380's - worth about $30 billion.
This news comes hot off the heels of the ...Airbus A380 production finally getting up to speed - 30th plane delivered
Jun 6th, 2010 at 12:30PM:
The Airbus A380 launch got off to a very rocky start - delayed deliveries and a sagging economy made this mega-jumbo look pretty bleak for some time. Thankfully, Airbus seems to have found the right rhythm, because they are now on target to deliver 20 of them in 2010.
On Thursday, the European aviation consortium delivered its 30th A380 to Dubai based Emirates, making it the tenth A380 in ...Lufthansa takes delivery of its first Airbus A380 super jumbo
May 21st, 2010 at 12:00PM:
Earlier this week, Lufthansa Airlines took delivery of their first Airbus A380. With room for 388 passengers in coach, 98 in business class and 8 in first class, this is one massive plane. For the passengers in coach, the experience is nothing too special - with a 3-4-3 layout, there are a huge number of "middle seats", but at least each seat has its own personal video screen.
The new plane ...Fly first-class on a A340, A380 or 747 for the price of coach - Airplane tip
Feb 18th, 2010 at 9:06PM: If you want to fly in comfort on an international flight, but don't care for the frills of first-class (or don't want to pay for them), purchase four coach seats in a row.
A row of 4 seats is long enough to lay across and is just as comfortable as a flat first-class bed. You also get to carry four times the luggage (while saving as much as 50% off the price of a first-class seat), and you can ...A380 encounters trouble - again
Dec 18th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Everyone was eager to see the Air France A380 leave New York and head for Paris this week, but a fuel-tank issue kept it on the ground at JFK. This was the second problem the world's largest plane had in getting off the ground since it started bouncing between New York and Paris just under a month ago.
The A380 is nothing short of hefty, accommodating 511 passengers, and it gets thirsty. So, when ...Onboard Air France's A380 inaugural flight from New York to Paris
Dec 8th, 2009 at 8:00AM:
The Airbus A380 has reached American shores once more. Late last month, Air France began service between New York's JFK and Paris Charles de Gaulle, one of the few select routes on the planet served by this massive, double-decker jumbo jet.
As the third fourth customer to receive the now-famous Airbus A380, Air France is betting big on assigning it to this route. The gamble is especially ...A380 flies to Antarctica for New Year's 2010
Dec 1st, 2009 at 2:00PM:
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This New Year's Eve, Qantas will be taking one of their super swank A380's to Antarctica. Seats are for sale to the masses starting (checking watch) NOW. This special flight is the first time the double-decker jumbo jet has ever flown this far south, let alone to ...Inside the Emirates A380 First Class shower
Oct 12th, 2009 at 9:00AM:
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Last week, I wrote how smelly passengers are among the most annoying people to be sitting next to on a flight. For passengers in First Class on Emirates flights serviced by their Airbus A380, body odor can be a thing of the past (and I don't mean though copious ...Air France's A380 comes to the USA
Sep 29th, 2009 at 8:30AM: The third official Airbus A380 route has officially been scheduled into the United States. Air France, the third air carrier to take delivery of the massive, double decker airplane, plans on using the behemoth to fly between Paris (CDG) and New York (JFK), a hotly contested, jetset route. The tightly packed 538-seat double decker will contain about 449 economy seats, 80 in business class and 9 in ...Boeing releases snazzy new 747-800 interiors
May 12th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Development of Boeing's 747-800, heralded as a direct competitor to the A380 has been underway for several years now. The super jumbo jet will feature many of the same engineering marvels that the 787 will, including swept wings, cut engine nacelles and similar cockpit controls, and will some day be the largest commercial airplane built in the western hemisphere. So far, however, nobody has seen ...Next upgrade for the A380: Bunk Beds?
Feb 22nd, 2009 at 10:00AM: With so much space in the Airbus A380, there really is no limit on what you can design and build into the aircraft. Sure, you're going to want to cram as many people as possible into Economy seating, but in Business and First Class, you can let the extravagancies seep in. Emirates' version has showers. Singapore's has double beds. Lufthansa envisions an aircraft with conference rooms and bedrooms. ...Showering at 43,000 feet
Feb 17th, 2009 at 12:00PM: When we heard that you can shower on the Emirates A380, we were fascinated. The Sydney Morning Herald just published a first-hand account of the showers. Never before has a commercial airplane bathroom been equipped with a shower, and we're okay with that. I mean, what, are we gonna share a communal shower with all the sketchy looking people in coach? With us? This isn't a hostel in Berlin! The ...
