Airbus A380 experience

Gael23

Anybody here ever flown in one?

planning a trip to Australia in 2023 and can either fly with Emirates in a 777 then A380 or with Qatar in a 787 then 777.. Qatar is coming in a a little cheaper but not significant.

is it worth paying a bit extra to get the A380?

chasing_ghosts

I've only flown the A380 short haul with BA last year but I thought the comfort was unrivalled (I've since flown on an A359 and an A333 and they're not as good but still great). I'd imagine the Emirates experience is great even in economy. Hard to beat landing at your final destination in an A380!

Noxegon

If you're flying in economy, then I'd definitely go for the A380 – the improved seat width is worth it on the 14 hour flight from the Middle East to Australia.

Deagol

Don't know about economy class but biz was amazing. Flew to NZ from Dubai on one and landing I felt like I was ready to go straight away after a 17hour flight. They'll not be around for a lot longer so maybe do it just for the experience before they're all gone!

Alun

I flew to New Zealand with Emirates in 2019, 777 to Dubai and A380 to Christchurch with a brief stop in Sydney. I'm a fairly nervous flyer but on the A380 you hardly knew you'd taken off, and it was very stable and quiet during flight. I'd say do it while you still can.

Comhrá

As above. I flew from Heathrow to Sydney with Qantas about ten years ago, economy on the A380 going out and business on an Emirates A380 coming home.

Economy on the Qantas flight was excellent, very quiet flight and the seat was very comfortable if a little on the firm side. Well worth paying a bit extra for the pleasure.

My return flight was on the Emirates A380 (upper deck) and it was a whole new experience for me, not being used to travelling in such opulence!

I arrived in Heathrow very relaxed and refreshed. (I wasn't paying for the return flight by the way!)

Gael23

All things equal the difference is only €30 but with Qatar you can take a 25 kg luggage allowance for bout a €50 saving but this is a once off trip.

How did you guys find Dubai international? Some say it’s a nightmare but I think I’d like to see it? As long as I have plenty of time it wouldn’t phase me too much

BailMeOut

A380 is very quiet and very smooth in turbulence.

whiterebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058259835/airbus-a380-experience

We did the first option there to Brisbane in 2018. I don't like flying, but that 380 is superb. You don't feel any sensation of turning on approach. I'd pay the bit extra.

Alun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119505536#Comment_119505536

I found the transfer experience a bit messy to be honest, with more security checks than I thought were necessary, but it all went smoothly enough. On the way back our landing in Sydney was delayed because of lightning storms (!) and took off late too so missed our onward connection to Dublin but it was all handled perfectly by the flight attendants and ground staff. The airport itself was OK, lots of flashy duty free shops that aren't necessarily that cheap, so be careful and don't get carried away.

scooby77

Christmas 2019 flew Emirates 777 and A380 biz return to Melbourne. Nothing wrong with 777, but A380 more comfortable...slept very well. I liked the bar, wife wasn't bothered.

On outward leg had time to use lounge and grab a shower- not enough time on return for shower was too busy.

Emirates still offer free Chauffeur Drive? Fantastic service- though there is a limit ( think it was 50 or 60km)

I've never flown Qatar business, but have connected in Doha twice...I prefer DXB, but maybe because I'm very familiar with it.

My Aussie relatives have used Etihad Business a few times, as can have more reasonable rates, and found it just a little below Emirates...been a while since I used them ( in economy) but I believe airport has improved. Might be worth pricing?

Gael23

Etihad don’t fly to Perth so they are not on my list.

I can’t justify business to myself, its 3x the cost of Economy. I’d rather put the money ti some nice hotels when I get there. Would like to have time to get a decent meal in Dubai if that’s

Noxegon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506570#Comment_119506570

Dubai Airport is fine to connect in.

When I went back and forth to Singapore all the time – before I got status – my go-to was McGettigan's, an Irish pub that did a very nice bangers & mash :)

I've also eaten in the terminal Hard Rock Cafe.

Gael23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119506602#Comment_119506602

I’d have a 2 hour layover in Dubai. Would that be enough time to get a meal?

Not fussed about shopping, the Duty Free in Dublin is pretty good so would get wht I want there most likely

Noxegon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119509420#Comment_119509420

Yes, two hours is fine for a meal in DXB.

LiamaDelta

A380 definitely worth it. Amazingly quiet and comfortable. you almost feel like you're in a room not on a plane. HAven't done Dubai transfer recently but used Doha just pre covid and it was fine. Rather cavernous, with a lot of walking but easy to navigate.

Some of the Qatar 777 are 10 abreast and can be quite squeezed.

Noxegon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119510757#Comment_119510757

EK has the same problem with the 777s.

I often finished my time in Singapore with a weekend somewhere in Europe so I could take the A380 most of the way home and have less jet lag to boot!

HTCOne

I found Economy on the A380 to be more like premium economy on other carriers, the seat is much bigger and more comfortable. On that 14 odd hour leg you will really appreciate it so if its a small difference in price I'd go for that. I find DXB fine for connecting too, one of the better mega airports for that in my experience.

The 777 economy seat is fine in of itself space wise but the armrests are tiny and you share it with whoever is beside you, so whoever falls asleep on it first keeps it! The aisles are also very small.

If you are flying J then upstairs on the 380 is class, there's a bar at the back with seating.

I did read ages ago that EK were going 11 abreast downstairs on the A380 in economy though, not sure if that happened in the end. If you are booking economy, try and get the economy section at the front of the upper deck, that's 8 across like an A330 but the seats are bigger.

kernkraft500

I've done middle east to Europe and US to Europe in economy on an A380.... would pick it anyday over anything else if I had the choice

crisco10

Done a bit of long haul on A380 over the years, all in economy! But the thing that I loved and nobody talked about was the feeling of space downstairs on the A380 since there is no real curvature at that point in the side of the fuselage. The headspace in the window seat is noticeably more than in a single decker aircraft.

80A and 80K are great seats on Qantas - think Emirates have equivalent window seats with no seat in front in their layout IIRC.

Gael23

Travelling on my own long haul I’m not sure a window seat would be the best idea?

Comhrá

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119516054#Comment_119516054

I'd always take a window seat on long haul. I like the little bit of extra privacy plus the view out if it's daytime.

People differ I suppose. Others might have different preferences.

LiamaDelta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119516054#Comment_119516054

Depends on how ofen you need the loo/to stretch. I prefer the window as I don't usually get up often and don't want to have to get up for others

Northern Monkey

You should probably be able to get the A380 with Qatar too. I did Dublin-Doha-Sydney in the last few weeks and had the A380 both ways on the Doha-Sydney leg.

sudocremegg

I flew on an Air France A380 from Tokyo to Paris a number of years ago. I was seated downstairs in the back just behind the wing, economy, window seat.

It was pretty standard airline experience. Nothing special other than the sheer size of the plane was something to behold. When you're inside walking up the stairs was a strange feeling. But it's not as amazing as everyone makes it out to be.

I still maintain the A330 is one of the most comfortable planes for a passenger. And the ATR42/72 is more comfortable than any 777 I've ever flown on.

Gael23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119516948#Comment_119516948

No it’s 787 then 777.

Northern Monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119517048#Comment_119517048

Try a different date, I think they possibly alternate every 2nd day.

Edit: QR908 was my flight code

Larbre34

I've flown on many, mostly in premium economy, or economy and honestly its no different than any other aircraft.

I flew from Sydney to Shanghai, across the famous turbulent air of Indonesia and it was just as bumpy in spells as a on a twinjet.

Yes the economy legroom is generally a tad better, but the seats are no wider and yes the bathrooms are more plentiful, but no bigger.

Really a passenger experience comes down to how the airline specs their aircraft and how that translates to comfort rather than the size of the plane. And the food and beverages of course.

I've flown Paris to Singapore a good few times on both Air France/KLM and Singapore Airlines, both using triples, and I'd choose SA every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

So no, if it means costing you more money just to travel on an A380, don't bother your barny. In fact, the sheer length of time it takes to embark and disembark 400-500 passengers on the things, even with twin jetways, is reason enough to choose literally any other option.

Gael23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119517534#Comment_119517534

Ah that’s to Sydney, may potentially add on a few days in Sydney and come home that way. But to Perth they use a 777-300

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119517711#Comment_119517711

Problem with Singapore Airlines if you have to make 2 stops going to Australia instead of just one through the Middle East

Noxegon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119517711#Comment_119517711

I can't speak for all airlines, but for EK at least the A380 seats are noticeably wider than those on their other long haul aircraft, not least the 777s.

Shiok

I can’t help but imagine that anyone gushing of its comfort / landing / quietness / fantastic experience are the type of travellers that would accept the glass of champagne.

Noxegon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119520084#Comment_119520084

I'm happy to accept any glass of champagne I'm offered :)

Two thirds of my A380 flights were in economy.

HTCOne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119517711#Comment_119517711

Economy seats on the A380 are one inch wider than a 10ab 777. On a ULH flight, you will notice. The 777 is also far, far louder in the cabin, which does make it more tiring.

Gael23

How does the seat with/legroom compare to Qatar?

HTCOne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119521802#Comment_119521802

Same vs the QR 777s and 787s, ie an inch wider. Also the QR 787s have the IFE box under the seat in front, which results in most adult men having to sit at an angle to get their feet under. This becomes very uncomfortable. My buddy booked it once on a return flight, avoids it since.

Deagol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119520084#Comment_119520084

And the prize for pretentious post of the month goes to.....

Gael23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119521850#Comment_119521850

Emirates is an inch wider you mean?

HTCOne

The A380 economy seat is an inch wider than all the other aircraft you are looking at.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058259835/airbus-a380-experience

I have flown to Oz on an A380. Easily the best plane experience in recent times.

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119520084#Comment_119520084

The VC-10 was better: quieter, faster more seat room, but it's really hard to find a seat on one these days.

LiamaDelta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119524675#Comment_119524675

And sometimes an inch makes a huge difference😁

crisco10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119516054#Comment_119516054

You didn't check out those seats obviously! Yes they are window seats, but because of emergency slide attached to door in emergency exit row in front there is NO seat in front of you, which actually means you can stand up and scooch forward to get out of your seat without asking anyone else to move.

Here's a pic I found online:

Gael23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119524969#Comment_119524969

It’s €100 of a supplement on each leg to sit there

crisco10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119526758#Comment_119526758

Wowza. When I flew (pre covid) it was a standard seat.

chasing_ghosts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119520084#Comment_119520084

What do you even mean by this?

davepatr07

Flew Emirates, Qatar and Lufthansa A380's. Emirates A380's are probably the most comfortable economy class seats I have flown in long haul. A380 is surprisingly a very quiet aircraft. Lufthansa was at the back of the upper deck where there's a small economy class section. This was actually pretty cosy with the small cabin and the seats were pretty good too though IFE has nothing on EK's IFE offer.. Qatar A380 was alright though I do prefer Doha for transiting over DXB, but would still put up transiting through DXB flying EK double deckers.

LiamaDelta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119526832#Comment_119526832

Don't even bother. Starve it of the attention its craving.

Shiok

Not my intention at all – would have thought it was a fairly standard observation among weary travellers who have lost the appreciation for any ‘luxury’ element of getting on a plane.. one person joked back which had made me think the comment landed in the spirit it was intended!

Collecting Avios & building Oneworld status would probably be more beneficial to the OP longer term than selecting a route based on one leg of the journey being on a particular aircraft (and starting skywards miles).

I appreciate he/she would miss out on a marginally more comfortable seat experience. However, unless a nervous flyer / travelling with young children / elderly etc, I would not prioritise the flying experience of an A380 over route, connection, product, price, memberships. Let’s not kid ourselves that he/she will arrive in Australia feeling anything other than a bit wrecked and delighted to be no longer on it, rather than paying particular attention to the smoothness of its landing.

There is still plenty of time to experience an A380 if it’s something to tick off a list. Based on Emirates previously announced projections of service life, they could run their last A380 delivered in Dec 2021 as far out as 2033. BA has recently brought all of theirs back into operation. Lufthansa is taking theirs out of storage for next Summer.

I consistently fly Singapore Airlines (due to my location) and have never flown with Qatar, however, my experience of the Emirates product and service has been hit & miss in comparison to Singapore Airlines being exceptional each & every time – across all classes. For Qatar to have now overtaken SA on Skytrax and others ‘Airline of the Year’ several times is something of note for me. 

Gael23

You have to make 2 stops with Singapore Airlines, that’s putting me off

happyoutscan

We are hoping to bring the kids in 2 years out to Vietnam/Laos/Thailand etc and I'd love to get on the A380 at least once before they're grounded.

Is there a way of using skyscanner to find out what carriers/routes fly A380s? We'd be happy landing in Bangkok, KL, Vietnam (any) or Singapore if it meant getting to fly on one.

Gael23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119609925#Comment_119609925

Doesn’t seem to. The airlines own website should though