BA to start A380 to Washington Dulles
British Airways has been flying 787s to Austin (AUS) and Newark (EWR) for some time now. They have just added Washington Dulles (IAD) to their A380 destinations. The other US city to get the BA A380 is Los Angeles (LAX). IAD already has a A380. Air France has a flight in place. I fly a lot, but both the 787 and A380 has been elusive for me. I did get a close look at a BA A380 at Heathrow last week. Picture is attached (click for larger images).
Have you flown an A380 or a 787? Any reviews?
First impression? This sucker’s BIIIIIGGGG. 😉 I’m pretty sure it’s due to the size, but it’s very very stable and surprisingly quiet.
3 jetways – 1 for First, 1 for upper deck, 1 for lower deck.
Get the upper deck window seats if you can. There are less seats per row in upper deck, and the window seats have extra storage bins along the hull. (on Business, I had 3 extra bins that were big enough to store a laptop and change in each bin.)
I love my 380 flights, but I still like the 747 upper deck more for some reason that I can’t quite pinpoint… Hope to fly on 787 soon.
The A380 is a special plane. It’s. Just. So. Big. I flew it to CDG from LAX. There’s just something so fun about a plane that boards from two different floors. I haven’t had the chance to fly a nice premium product on one though. For the time being I’m trying to get as much business/first time on 747s before they go away 🙁
After a ticket cancellation (KE) and an equipment swap (TG), the A380 had been eluding me for too long, but I think September(LH), will be my first time. The 787 chance (AV) may come in 2015.
@ Nic: Don’t expect too much from your A380 experience with Lufthansa. I flew it FRA-JNB-FRA last year. If you’re flying business, you have to be lucky to get one of the few with flat beds. The very long cabin (almost the entire upper deck is business class, with close to 100 seats) makes it feel more crowded than it is. Entertainment (even the latest-generation system) lags far behind other carriers’ offerings. The A380 is quieter than many other widebodies, but the difference isn’t as dramatic as has sometimes been touted – I think the A330/340 and 767-400 are nearly as quiet.
Garrett has a good point. I’ve flown the A380 on a few carriers (TG, EK, LH, BA, SQ) but will admit I treasure the times when I fly the 747 more simply because they will most likely be extinct within the next 10 years.