Expected Entry Into Service Is October 15

British Airways’ has begun selling tickets for flights on its first Airbus A380,which will fly on the “Red Carpet Route” to Los Angeles. The double-decker superjumbo is due to be delivered to British Airways in July. The second A380 route will be to Hong Kong, and customers can book flights now for travel from November 15, 2013.

The A380 will be the largest aircraft in the British Airways fleet, accommodating 469 customers across four cabins. Customers in First will be seated at the front of the main deck. The cabin will offer 14 seats and is evolved from the current First class. Club World (business class) customers can choose from 44 seats on the main deck, or 53 seats on the upper deck. These upper deck seats will feature a new 2:3:2 configuration across the cabin. The 55 World Traveller Plus (premier economy) seats will be located on the upper deck while World Traveller (economy) customers can choose seats on both the main and upper deck. Both cabins will feature the airline’s current design, which is now flying on the new B777-300ER fleet.

Airbus says the aircraft’s design makes it much quieter during take-off and landing and more fuel efficient than its predecessors. British Airways has ordered 12 for delivery by 2016 as part of a $7.44 billion investment over five years in new aircraft. “This will be a very special premiere," said British Airways’ chief executive Keith Williams. "The A380 is a great aircraft that has been developed with huge amounts of British engineering ingenuity. London and Los Angeles are two world-leading cities, and we are proud to be the first airline to connect them with the A380.”

The arrival of the A380 has entailed a major redevelopment of British Airways’ Heathrow engineering base to support maintenance of the world’s largest commercial aircraft type.

(Image from British Airways YouTube video)

FMI: www.britishairways.com