A380 Airbus Airline Singapore

Singapore Airlines launches A380 flights

Unlike many of the travelers surrounding him, Graham Streeter wasn't initially aware that he booked a flight with Singapore Airlines on its inaugural trip from Los Angeles aboard the world's largest passenger jetliner.

The economy-class fare aboard the Airbus A380 plane just happened to fit into his budget as he headed out for a 10-day trip to shoot his latest feature movie.

"It's exciting because I had no idea," said Streeter, who also just happened to be the first passenger to check-in for the flight.

"I mean, how many people can say they flew on an A380?" he said. "I guess my timing was just right on this one."

Streeter was one of several hundred passengers waiting Friday afternoon to board Singapore Airlines' first regularly scheduled passenger flight aboard the Airbus A380 jetliner from LAX, bound for Tokyo and on to Singapore.

All traffic at LAX was suspended for a short time as the double-decked jetliner made a smooth landing on LAX's north airfield just after 1 p.m., greeted with a water canon salute from a pair of Los Angeles Fire Department engines.

Singapore Airlines brings the third Airbus A380 jetliner that will offer daily flights through LAX. Qantas Airlines was the first carrier to offer daily A380 flights from LAX to Melbourne in October 2008, then added a second plane shortly afterward with trips to Sydney.

By October, Korean Airlines is expected to bring a fourth A380 jetliner to Los Angeles, offering daily flights to Seoul.

For now, LAX has two airline gates capable of accommodating the Airbus A380, but the Tom Bradley International Terminal is being remodeled so that nine gates will eventually be able to handle the behemoth jetliner by December 2012.

"We know this service will provide more choices for Angelenos looking to go to Asia on the large aircraft of the future," said Jaqueline Yaft, deputy executive director of operations at LAX.

"It also means that Singapore will be using, in a year from now, one of our nine new Airbus A380 gates," Yaft said. "This is all exciting, very much, for us at LAX."

Singapore Airlines has operated its Singapore-Tokyo-LAX route aboard the Boeing 747 since 1980, but executives switched to the Airbus A380 as demand grew in recent years.

The carrier was scheduled March 20 to introduce the A380 to the itinerary, but that plan was scrubbed when a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated much of northern Japan just nine days earlier.

Singapore Airlines A380 Now Flies to Los Angeles Via Narita ...

1 July 2011, Singapore – Singapore Airlines SQ 12 has landed in Los Angeles at 1.30pm local time with its inaugural Airbus A380 flight from Singapore to Narita to Los Angeles.  It departed Singapore shortly after 9.30am with 400 passengers on board.

The City of Angels is Singapore Airline’s eighth destination in Singapore Airlines’ network and its first point in North America to receive the world’s largest commercial aircraft.  More than 5 million customers have flown on Singapore Airlines’ A380 since the inaugural flight of the superjumbo in October 2007.  Singapore Airlines was the first carrier to operate the A380 in October 2007 and has since clocked around 128,000 flying hours on more than 13,000 flights.    It has 12 A380s in service and seven more on firm order.

“The introduction of the A380 to Los Angeles is another wonderful milestone in our history. We have had the privilege of serving customers on this route since 1980, and we are proud to be able to introduce our flagship aircraft to North America. We are confident that our customers will appreciate the industry-leading cabin products available on the A380,” said Mr Mak Swee Wah, Singapore Airlines’ Executive Vice President Commercial.

The renown Singapore Airlines Suites in First Class provides for individual private cabin space in the sky, replete with a luxurious and fully adjustable leather seat upholstered by world-renown Poltrona Frau, as well as a full-sized bed and a sleek 23-inch high-resolution LCD monitor.

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