The Airbus A380 is a true wonder of modern engineering. It is the largest airliner ever made, with a carrying capability of up to 853 passengers. Being 50% wider than the Boeing 747, it's closest competitor, the Airbus has truly surpassed all previous achievements of plane construction and interior design.
A380's level of comfort (well, at least for business-class passengers) is remarkable. The entire upper-deck is dedicated for premium passengers. All seats can be transformed into full-sized beds (190 cm in length) with a pillow and a mattress. Each passenger has his own mini-bar and a full-sized, bartender-serviced bar is available at the rear of the plane. And on top of all, there are two shower cabins available during flight.
Sergey Dolya, one of Russia's top bloggers, flew with Emirates last week to tell us the story of how flights could look like in the future.
Business and economy class passengers access the plane through different jet bridges and stay on separate floors during the entire flight.
Some additional facts about the airplane:
14 first-class seats, 76 business-class seats and 396 economy-class seats are located on board. A 7-hour flight is serviced by 27 crew members:
2 pilots
4 head stewards
4 first-class stewards
8 business-class stewards
8 economy-class stewards
1 bathhouse attendant, responsible for the showers
2 additional pilots and 1 extra bathhouse attendant are additionally employed for 14-hour long flights, making it a total of 30 crew members.
Wing span - 80 meters. Fuel stock - 240 tons. The minimum distance for an aircraft trailing an A380 is 11 km. Even Boeing 747 risks being overthrown in air if coming closer to this massive giant.
Engine noise can surprisingly be heard very faintly. The only thing interrupting the silence is the ventilation system on the ceiling.
And for those wondering about the price: return business-class ticket costs $2500, first-class costs $4000 (Dubai-Bangkok destination).