Singapore Airlines asks passengers to “please refrain from sex”

by Catherine Bodry on

Jamie already covered the potential outcome of putting double beds on an airplane. But now Singapore airlines is directly addressing the situation as well.

The airline’s new Airbus A380 flies with two double beds in First Class, which are made private by a screen. But the airline is hoping to quash any funny-business ideas travelers might get when booking a lover’s package First Class bed. In a statement to Reuters, the airline said “All we ask of customers, wherever they are on our aircraft, is to observe standards that don’t cause offense to other customers and crew.” I’d say that statement is open to interpretation, wouldn’t you?

A passenger on the inaugral flight argued, “So they’ll sell you a double bed, and give you privacy and endless champagne and then say you can’t do what comes naturally?” Still, the rooms aren’t completely soundproof or sealed, so you’ve either got to have mad skills or enjoy the fact that you might get caught.
%Gallery-9672%

The A380 makes its maiden voyage

by Grant Martin on

Earlier this Thursday, after numerous delays and management changes at EADS, the A380 finally made her maiden commercial voyage under the emblem of Singapore Airlines.

MSNBC reports that it was a landmark experience, with the short flight between Singapore and Sydney holding 455 passengers and about 30 crew members. Most of the seats were auctioned off on Ebay with the proceeds going to charity while some of the most expensive suites were going for over 100k.

Its going to be a while until the average westerner gets the pleasure of riding an A380; Singapore Airlines has unlimited rights to fly the bird for the next 10 months. After that, Emirates is the next customer. I suppose we’ll see a few on the SE Asia – USA routes that Singapore has license to, but the budget get-me-to-asia-as-cheap-as-possible traveler like myself will have to be patient.

As to the performance future of the A380, analysts still vacillate. Most still predict that the market calls for medium-long range super-efficient jets that will cut costs all around, something that the 787 is still crushing the competition at. I personally look forward to flying both jets, but have a feeling that in the end I’ll be spending more time on the 787.

A Look Inside the New Airbus A380

by Justin Glow on

Korean Air is the proud new owner of the quad-engine, double-decked monstrosity that is the Airbus A380. This thing is so big, and so luxurious — even the bathroom has a window! That’s how you know when you’re flying in the most technologically advanced airplane on the planet. A demonstration flight was conducted in Seoul, Korea, and Aving.net was there to capture the lavish innards. Check out the gallery below — I wonder how much it’ll cost to fly in this thing?

%Gallery-7089%

Tickets for First Commercial Airbus A380 Flight to be sold on eBay

by Neil Woodburn on

Want to be on board the first commercial flight of the Airbus A380?

Then head on over to eBay.

Singapore Airlines expects the world’s first commercial A380 flight to take place sometime in October between Singapore and Sydney.

To kick off the inaugural flight, and to allow passengers to “be a part of history,” the airline will be selling tickets on eBay. This might sound like a greedy attempt to ratchet up the cost, but the reality is that all proceeds will go to charity so hats off to Singapore Airlines for a classy move (and some savvy marketing).

No date has been set yet for the auction, but airline spokespersons estimate it will be a few weeks before the flight–perhaps late September or early October.

The Singapore Airbus can seat more than 550 passengers. I suspect all seats will be sold quickly and expensively when the auction finally kicks off. So, you’d better make sure you have enough money in your PayPal account!

Video: Airbus A380 Test Evacuation

by Justin Glow on


Last year we reported that the Airbus A380 passed its jumbo jet evacuation test in Hamburg, Germany, and here’s the video to prove it. The crew was able to evacuate all 873 people on-board in almost complete darkness in 77 seconds, with only one broken leg (out of 1,746!) and 32 minor injuries. Not too shabby!

Related: The Cranky Flier’s Look at the A380, Airbus A380: More Passengers Means More Toilets, and Touring the Airbus A380.

[via cynical-c]