Passengers elated over their upcoming flight on the Airbus A380, the biggest commercial jet in the world, are taking notes on their preparations and planning celebrations even before take-off.
The Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight on October 25 bound for Sydney is set to carry 471 passengers who bid for seats in an online charity auction that raised $1,9-million.
Although the double-decker was plagued by production problems and emerged from the assembly line two years behind schedule, the first passengers are convinced the wait will be worth it.
”This is the biggest thing that has hit aviation in almost 40 years,” said Thomas Lee, who is giving his wife and daughter the unprecedented experience as well.
Lee, from California, was 17 when his father secured tickets for the family to be on the first Boeing 747 commercial flight from New York to London.
Now 55, Lee surprised his family over dinner one night with the disclosure that he had the coveted A380 tickets.
SIA, the first carrier to fly the jetliner, plans to use it on the Singapore-Sydney leg followed by the Singapore-London route next year.
Passengers, who started to arrive in Singapore days beforehand, will be served by 31 of SIA’s top cabin-crew members. Celebrated chefs said they have whipped up special menus for the inaugural service with champagne for all.
Ian Goodwin has set up a website dedicated to the first flight and intends to turn it into ”a historical resource”.
Goodwin, from Brisbane, Australia, said photos and trip reports from the passengers will contain personal insights. The website already contains a list of nicknames of passengers and videos of the plane.
An elaborate dinner at a posh hotel will take place on Wednesday night. The flight departs the next morning at 8am.
While SIA CEO Chew Choon Seng and Airbus executives hail the A380 as a technological marvel more than seven years in the making, the 12 passengers in the all-new suites, 60 in business class and 399 in economy will be the first members of the travelling public to give their verdicts.
A priority is leg room and wider seats in every class. The luxury suites are each equipped with a bed, 58cm flat-panel television, working table, reclining chair and gourmet food.
The upper deck accommodates the business-class passengers on seats that convert into beds.
Seats in economy are 48cm wide, more than 5cm wider than on the Boeing jumbo. In-flight entertainment screens are 27cm wide.
The aircraft is large enough to accommodate 800 economy-class seats, but SIA selected the 471-seat configuration to assure that economy passengers have more leg and knee room than on other flights.
The Leong family often travels together, particularly on holidays, but no trip compares to this one with seven members aboard the flight, in addition to a nurse to look after the eldest, Leong Lou Teck (91).
They have booked three ”beyond first-class” suites, four business-class seats and one in economy. For the return trip the next day, they have five suites and three seats in economy.
William Leong, the 50-year-old MD of a Singapore watch retailer, said he has been looking forward to the flight for three years.
Being ”on the very first flight of the world’s biggest aircraft” is irresistible, he said, adding the $70 000 tab was for a good cause.
SIA ordered 19 A380s. Emirates is Airbus’s biggest customer with an order of 45 A380s. — Sapa-dpa