A few bits on the A380, aka the Whale:
- Singapore Air managed to lose one off the taxiway due to a failure in the tug, causing it to roll into the grass at Singapore International Airport. They had to move all the passengers to an alternate plane, a 747, and replace all the tires, just in case. Fortunately it happened the same day they took delivery of their second A380, so they weren’t out of commission for too long. And now they have both back in service. Hong Kong will be the second airport served by the A380 (SYD was first), and when the third plane arrives they’ll move the HKG service to LHR (London Heathrow) as they need two planes to meet those needs. They expect to have six in service by the end of July, ahead of the oft-revised delivery schedule from AirBus.
- According to these guys via FlightBlogger one can now book for the maiden EK flight of the A380, EK201 from DXB (Dubai) to JFK on 1 October 2008. It looks like a r/t F seat with a one week stay in NYC is ~$6,700. Flying in J will set you back ~$4200 and Y is ~$1400. The article cites etravelblackboard.com saying that there will be shower facilities on the plane. Carrying that extra ton of water will burn a lot of fuel, so hopefully they are selling a lot of those F fares.
- Qantas, the third carrier to take delivery of the A380, is getting closer. Their first plane was seen on the taxiway in Toulouse today.
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