If you happen to be in Los Angeles Monday morning (3/19/07) consider swinging by LAX to witness the future of air travel.
At 9:30 a.m. the long heralded Airbus A380 will be landing on runway 1, marking the jumbo plane’s first visit to American tarmac. Shortly afterwards, a second A380 will be landing at New York’s JFK airport.
The 555 seat behemoth with its 300-foot wingspan will be a wonder to behold when it appears from the east and plunks down on American soil. The LAX flight will be originating from Toulouse, France while the JFK flight will take off from Frankfurt, Germany.
The inaugural flights to the United States are expected to draw large crowds of slack-jawed plane enthusiasts. According to the LA Times, thousands of spectators are expected to line the fences surrounding LAX to witness this historic event. At least one street will be closed to accommodate the crowds which will start arriving as early as 5:00 a.m.
Perhaps a more exciting way to witness the A380 will be when it takes of between 7:30-7:45 p.m. Tuesday night. Dockweiler Beach, which sits just west of the runways, will be the perfect place to watch the massive plane soar overhead and jet off into the distance.
For a map of LAX and an itinerary of the A380 schedule, click here.