It has recently been confirmed that British Airways will begin to operate the first route from Chicago to London on the Airbus A380. Let the confetti fall and pour the champagne!
For those of us who are travel addicts who geek out on airplane trivia this will be an exciting day for Chicago. The Airbus 380 is the largest capacity passenger airplane ever made and it requires an extended runway to get this “Super Jumbo” into the sky. It also requires a unique gate configure to support the wing span and ideally 2 ramps for the multiple levels to expedite boarding.
In May 2015 I had the good fortune to visit the Airbus factory in Toulouse France and we were treated to a “behind the scenes” tour. For my upcoming trip to Armenia I explicitly routed through JFK so that I could hitch my first ride on an A380 and counting down the days for my flight.
The A380 has opened an opportunity for many airlines to get extremely creative in their business and first class cabins. One of the best examples of luxury on A380 provides a 3 room suite which includes showers onboard in the Etihad Airways – The Residence. WOW! I was just really hoping for a comfortable seat without anyone kicking the back of my seat.
The A380 has gone head to head with Boeing 747 for the last few years as the competition has geared up the world has been watching. Given the number of airlines that have recently retired all of their 747 airplanes I think I know who is winning. For those of you obsessed with flying on the A380 there is now a website and app to help you find flights specifically on an A380.
While the Boeing 747 “Jumbo” still holds the special place in my heart I am looking forward to this new era at Chicago O’hare with the first A380 flights.
