Where's Johnny Jet? Flying Up the West Coast on the A380

Greetings from the world's largest passenger airplane. The A380 made its U.S. debut the last week of August when Emirates Airlines made the first commercial landing of the mammoth, double-decker passenger plane on American soil. The A380 is so special because it's the world's only twin-deck, four-aisle airliner and I was fortunate enough to get one of the coveted invites for a two-hour cruise up the Californian coast. With all the media and hype surrounding the event (including the fact that Buzz Aldrin was on board), I felt like I was witnessing a new era in airline history. To find out what it's like to fly on this plane and see a ton of pictures, then come aboard and fasten your seatbelt.

LAX's Flight Path Learning Center

You can imagine how stoked I was when the invitation to get a sneak preview of the A380 showed up in my mailbox. I showed up at LAX's Flight Path Learning Center at exactly 8am; it's a great little museum and I've been to lots of industry functions there. They often rent out the space, which is also right next to the Imperial Terminal. When I pulled into the parking lot, there were lots of police officers directing traffic and a small army of TSA agents who had two metal detector machines and screened every guest entering the museum. It was one of the fastest airport security screenings I've ever been through as there were no x-ray machines for bags and we didn't need to take our shoes off, though they still tested them for explosives. Once inside, there was already a crowd gathered, of anxious well-dressed VIP's (successful corporate travel agents, media and other Emirates business partners). I guess I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep for excitement. I was even more excited that a number of my travel industry friends were in the house, too. LAX’s Flight Path Learning Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 3pm. Admission and parking are both free.

Emergency Landing

Inside the Flight Path Learning Center, quality breakfast sandwiches, fruit and muffins were being served along with coffee, tea and juice. Just outside the museum were multiple rows of chairs, neatly lined up with Fly Emirates hats on top and a bottle of spring water below. More than 100 seats surrounded a podium where the press conference was soon to begin. It was really hot out, which was not typical, but I braved the heat to get a front row spot next to the fence for when the plane landed. It was scheduled to land at 9:15am but it was running 10 minutes late. The L.A. Fire Department had their trucks ready for the celebratory water cannon salute and my finger was holding steady on my camera, poised to get the shot. While plane-spotting, I was shocked to see an American Airlines plane come cruising down the runway in the opposite direction. I thought it was strange but didn't dwell on it. It turned out to be Honolulu-bound American Airlines Flight 31, which turned around just after takeoff when passengers smelled smoke in the cabin. It was all captured on TV because there were three news helicopters hovering above waiting for the A380 to land.

Buzz Aldrin

Soon afterwards, an announcement was made that the plane was going to be 30 minutes late because of the American Airlines flight so I escaped the heat and went back inside. While taking a quick snack break, I noticed a well-dressed man taking a picture with a reluctant young kid. I overheard the mother ask the boy, "Do you realize how famous this man is?" I whispered to one of my friends, "Who's the famous man?" When the reply was Buzz Aldrin, I almost spit out my egg, cheese and tomato croissant. When the moment was right I approached him, introduced myself and said, "Mr. Aldrin, I know my mom would be upset if I didn't tell you that the night you landed on the moon was the night of my christening party in Connecticut." I told him that I'd heard about it so many times growing up, about how the weather was terrible and everyone was gathered around our TV, to see history in the making. He just looked at me like he'd heard it a thousand times before but still he was gracious.

Showtime

I must have missed the announcement that the plane was about to land. When I noticed the crowd inside quickly thinning out, I made a B-line for the door. There it was. It was the second time I'd laid eyes upon the A380. The first time was when Airbus flew the plane out to LAX back in November last year, but it was before any airline had taken delivery. I had received an invitation for that event but I couldn't make it because I was speaking in Hawaii the next day. However, I did get a glimpse of it from the plane's window on takeoff and from the pictures of our own contributor Marc Meredith, who was covering it. When the Emirates plane landed I was in awe. It was so much bigger than the other planes around it but when it got up close, surprisingly it didn't look as big as I had imagined it. I know, I know. How big did I think this thing was going to be? Don't ask but I will tell you that I had an absurd, cartoonlike image in my head, which fortunately it did not resemble.

Boarding the A380

My buddy Nigel Page, Emirates Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations (Americas), conducted and moderated the press conference. It ended when another Emirates executive donated a model A380 Emirates plane to the Flight Path Learning Center. And then ... the boarding call came. Passengers in first and business class boarded through the front door while economy passengers used the back door -- that was my route. Heck, I didn't care if I had to sit on the toilet to get on this thing. Speaking of which, have you ever seen the bathroom on this plane? Even the economy lavatory was grandiose with wood trim, fancy paper towels and a window. The seat I was assigned was an exit row in the middle but it didn't have a window so once they finished boarding, I moved my seat to the lone vacant window seat, right above the giant wing. Now this was massive. I understand the wings on the A380 are 50 feet longer than the 747's and this plane is seven feet longer. FYI: This plane was configured to hold 489 passengers though there were only 250 on this flight.

Economy

The first thing I noticed were the Emirates flight attendants. Holy cow are they gorgeous. Emirates might seriously have the best-looking flight attendants around and they come from all over the world. And I mean all over, from 140 different nations. The downstairs of the A380 is all economy: 88 rows with a 3-4-3 configuration totaling 369 seats. When I took my window seat, it was apparent that Emirates gives more legroom than most airlines. In fact, there's between 32 and 33 inches of seat pitch, the seats are 18 inches wide and they recline six inches. I then started playing with the 9 inch in-flight entertainment system, which has over 1,000 on-demand video and audio channels on the seatback in front. I barely even got to peruse all the entertainment options because there wasn't enough time. We were just about to push back. I felt like a kid in a candy store with a one-minute time limit. What I did have time to notice is that the mapping system rocks and it features three live cameras; one in front of the plane, one pointing below and the third a tail camera. This camera was so cool that I didn't know what to look at when we took off, the screen or out the window. My mind was spinning. Other economy seat notables: There's a cup holder that keeps your cup level regardless of the pitch of the airplane, a button to hold your coat, and what I loved the most were the universal power outlets in each armrest. Plus, get this ... there's a USB port in the back of each seat back so passengers can view their photos. Too cool!

Takeoff

When we took off, I couldn't believe how quiet the engines were. It was insane. I later read that the A380 generates less than half the noise of a Boeing 747-400 on takeoff. The minute we lifted off, everyone clapped but me. I was too busy taking pictures with my right hand and video with my left. FYI: The engines on the Emirates A380 are U.S.-made. They are produced by the Engine Alliance, a joint venture between General Electric Co (GE.N) and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp (UTX.N).

Lounge

Shortly after takeoff, the seatbelt sign went off and I jumped up to explore. As I strode down the aisle, the flight engineer made an announcement asking economy passengers (like moi) to go upstairs via the back staircase and the first class passengers to check out downstairs, using the front stairwell. This was a treat because on a regular flight, economy passengers would never get a view of the premium cabin and I doubt the business and first class passengers would want to leave their upstairs haven to explore down below. The back stairwell is a spiral staircase that leads into the lounge area. That's right. There's a bar, lounge chairs and a large flat screen TV so the premium passengers can network or pass time other than in their seats. It's like the good ol' days of flying but blinged out with today's technology.

Business Class

Business class is the back cabin and I entered it from behind. Along the way, I passed by flight attendants popping open an endless supply of Dom Perignon and preparing the on-board snacks for the one-hour, 29-minute flight along the coast. (Here's a scan of the menu.) The business class cabin has 20 rows with a 1-2-1 configuration. There are 76 seats in total and the seat pitch ranges, depending on where you sit, from between 39 and 48 inches. The seats turn into a 79-inch lie-flat bed and each seat has a 17-inch TV with the same entertainment options as in economy, which is arguably the best entertainment system in the world. I was one of the first to go through the cabin and I didn't have enough time (at all) to explore because the long queue behind me was growing. Too bad. I guess I'll just need to test it out for myself on a flight to Dubai.

First Class Suites

Business class was nice but other airlines have similar and even nicer business class sections. However, Emirates' first class is outrageous. I know ... at $18,000 for a round-trip ticket from JFK to Dubai, it had better be. But get this: at the top of the first class staircase, a waterfall greets passengers. There are 14 seats ... or should I say luxury compartments? The suites are insane. They each have a 23" plasma television screen, a full lie-flat seat complete with in-seat massage and pre-set seating adjustments, a personal mini bar (yes, your very own mini bar) and Bulgari amenity kits. There's even a seven-inch touch screen control system for the doors, lights, entertainment, seat and on-demand dine service. Oh yeah, each compartment also comes with slippers and a luxurious duvet. The kicker? You might want to sit down for this one: there's not one but two on-board spas. Each passenger can reserve 25 minutes in these havens, which has a full shower tall enough for a 6'3" passenger with supposedly "five-star hotel" quality water pressure. The water limit is five minutes and there's a warning system when your time is up. The spa even has heated floors. Is that insane or what?

Other Notables

I was sorry when I heard the pilot say that it was time to get back to our original seats because we were about to make our final approach into LAX. We flew around the Channel Islands and right over Catalina before landing at 1:33pm. Landing was a bit rough and when they were being operated, the wing flaps made a noise like a cargo door opening but I probably wouldn't have heard it if I hadn't been sitting directly above them. The A380 is incredible and it will spoil you.

Airbus

If you live in Australia, Singapore or England news of the A380 might not be such a big deal because Singapore Airlines has been flying one (they currently have a total of five) for a while now; over a 1,000 flights in fact. But Emirates is the first carrier to bring one to the U.S. Without a doubt, Airbus hit it big when then unveiled the A380. One of the biggest selling points is that it burns up to 20 per cent less fuel per seat than the 747. Airbus has had over 200 orders of A380 planes from 16 airlines, but none from U.S. carriers. Each A380 plane costs $327 million and Emirates has been the biggest buyer with 58 on order. Wow. FYI: Emirates is a Gulf-based carrier, owned by the government of Dubai. The airline ranks number seven in the world in terms of international passengers and they serve 101 destinations in 61 countries. Emirates will operate the A380 in three configurations: a long-range, three-class, 489-seater (this plane), a medium-range, three-class, 517-seater and a medium-range, two-class, 604-seater.

Did You Know?

Only 20 airports worldwide are currently able to handle the giant A380, which needs extra-wide runways for its long wingspan and two-tiered facilities for loading and unloading passengers.

A380 Dimensions

The overall length of the A380 is 239 feet, three inches (73 meters). The height is 79 feet, seven inches (24.1 meters) and the wingspan is 261 feet, eight inches (79.8 meters).

Emirates A380 Flights

A380 flights are currently operating from Dubai to New York's JFK International Airport (EK 201 on Sunday/Wednesday/Friday) and on Emirates Flight EK 202 from JFK to Dubai (Sunday/Wednesday/Friday). Emirates will operate 777s for their Houston, Los Angeles (October 1st) and San Francisco (November 20th) to Dubai routes. The cost of an average round-trip ticket on the A380 will fluctuate, but approximate prices are: $10,000 for economy, $14,000 for business and $18,000 for first.

Note: This trip was sponsored in part by Emirates Airlines.

Johnny Jet has been featured over 1,000 times in major publications, including USA Today, Time, Fortune and The New York Times, and has appeared on ABC, CBS, CNBC, MSNBC, NBC, FOX News Channel, and PBS. JohnnyJet.com has been named "one of the top best money-saving web sites for travel" by Budget Travel Magazine, while the L.A. Times calls it "one of the top 10 essential travel resources on the internet." In the May 2007 issue of Outside Magazine, Johnny Jet was touted for having one of the world's best "dream jobs". Every week Johnny hosts a "travel website of the week" for several radio stations around the country, he writes weekly for Frommers.com and he has written for USAToday, The Boston Herald and Coast Magazine. Sign up today for Johnny Jet's free weekly travel newsletter at www.johnnyjet.com.