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Airbus’ new A380 series has raised the bar in terms of comfort during flight to an, as yet, unparalleled level. The entire second deck of the plane is dedicated to the business and first class. The reclining seats can be folded out to become a bed, and passengers are given sleeping pads for extra comfort. Every seat gets its personal mini-fridge with drinks and there’s even a bar towards the back of the plane where you can sit down and have a chat with the friendly and talkative barman. Not to mention the two shower rooms located at the front. For the first time ever, I didn’t want the flight to end.
Before the flight, a friend of mine, Sergei Martirosyan, had finally helped me get my press papers, and when I showed these to the air hostesses, I got a thorough tour of the plane.
The economy class and business class/first class areas are accessed separately. Passengers from each class have to take different ramps to board the plane:
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Each row only had 4 seats:
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Passengers were given socks, sleep masks and special stickers they could use to make sure flight attendants knew what to do if they fell asleep:
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There’s a special storage compartment for your shoes under the footrest:
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The seat can recline into a near-vertical position to make a bed. I’m almost exactly 6’, and my feet still couldn’t reach the wall. There was plenty of space:
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After dinner I was offered a sleeping pad and a pillow:
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Each passenger gets a 17” touchscreen, a power outlet, two USB ports (not entirely sure what they were for), three plugs for your earphones and a remote control for the entertainment system that doubles as a satellite phone:
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Likewise, every seat comes with a large remote and display which allows you to control the lighting, position of the seat and lets you toggle the massage function:
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The plane has several external cameras which you can flip through to watch the progress of the flight:
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It was especially entertaining to watch the plane through the camera on its tailfin. You can see it dive through the clouds in preparation for landing:
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In the airport, thanks to the cameras, you can really appreciate the size of the A380:
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There is also a map you can use to track the location of the plane, complete with satellite imagery of the landscape:
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At the back of the plane is a bar with plenty of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks:
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The platters on this stand kept getting refilled with sandwiches and pastries:
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Along the walls there are 2 couches with seatbelts:
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Flying in the bar section was very pleasant and relaxing. Time passed quickly:
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For my evening meal I picked a light salad with shrimp:
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The A380 has 5 restrooms on the upper deck and 10 on the lower, in the economy class. The pictures, I think, speak for themselves:
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Besides restrooms, towards the front end of the plane there are two shower rooms for first-class passengers. However, if you intend to use them you have to put in your request an hour ahead, and they only give you 5 minutes worth of running water:
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The first-class area gets its own little bar with some very expensive drinks, but no bartender:
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Right by the shower rooms is a staircase leading down to the lower deck, to the cockpit and the economy-class area:
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At the back of the plane there’s a similar stairwell:
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The lower deck has 396 seats for economy-class passengers:
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In the middle of the cabin is a hidden room to which crew and staff members can retire to get some rest. There are enough bunks for 9 people:
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And in conclusion – some facts about the plane:
The Airbus A380 contains 14 first-class seats, 76 business-class seats and 396 economy-class seats. The 7-hour flight is made possible by a crew of 27 people:
2 pilots
4 senior flight attendants
4 flight attendants in first class
8 flight attendants in business class
8 flight attendants in economy class
1 shower room attendant, responsible for taking care of the shower rooms
During 14-hour flights the crew gets an additional 2 pilots and another shower room attendant. 30 people all told.
The plane’s wingspan is 80m, and it can hold up to 240 tons of fuel. When airborne the A380 must maintain a distance of no less than 10km from other planes, because even the large Boeing 747 is in danger of being upset by the powerful air currents it creates.
During flight the sound of the engines was barely audible. The interior was very quiet, with only the ceiling fans making any noise. All of the flight attendants were friendly and cheerful, even when they were working in the kitchen and didn’t know that they were being watched. The atmosphere was very convivial and elegant:
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