Reader mail: How much will tickets on the Airbus A380 cost?

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Arthur G. writes in:

The Airbus 380 looks amazing. How much will tickets cost?

This is actually quite a common question received here at Upgrade: Travel Better HQ. People are clearly awed by the size of the A380 — I was awed, too, when I saw it back in March. Others are wary of getting on a plane that big, especially in case of an emergency. (See the evacuation test video for a best-case scenario.)

But your question about prices can’t be answered, Arthur. While an airline’s equipment certainly affects its cost structure (and the A380 isn’t cost-effective on every route), the price of a plane ticket isn’t solely linked to the model of aircraft.

You probably wouldn’t ask, “How much will a flight on Boeing 737 cost?” After all, you can fly a Boeing 737 on Aloha Airlines from Honolulu to Kona, or on Continental from San Francisco to Newark, or even from Houston to Zurich in an all-business class configuration on Privatair. The price could be anywhere from $39 to $8000. The model of plane isn’t determining the fare.

So if you want to fly on the Airbus A380, your fare will depend on the route, the airline, the class of service, how far in advance you buy the ticket… not to mention that old standby, supply and demand. Just like every other flight.

Singapore Airlines will receive the first four A380s to roll off the assembly line, with expected delivery date in the fall of this year. The initial route will be London-Singapore-Sydney. Qantas will bring the behemoth to American shores on flights to Australia in 2008. Lufthansa will bring the ‘bus to New York thereafter, if all goes according to plan.

But the price of those flights? That depends.

Related:
- Airbus A380 at Chicago O’Hare
- Video: Airbus A380 evacuation test
- Singapore Airlines (aff)

(image)

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This entry was posted on Friday, May 25th, 2007 at 7:25 pm and is filed under Airbus A380, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, airfare, reader mail. You can subscribe to the comments left on this individual post through this RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

5 Responses to “Reader mail: How much will tickets on the Airbus A380 cost?”

1. david mirasol says:
   June 5th, 2007 at 8:05 pm |

   where can i find out what airports are available for the airbus?

   also how can i find out on what the ticket prices are? and when are the available flights

2. david mirasol says:
   June 5th, 2007 at 8:09 pm |

   please respond to (redacted to prevent spam)

3. Mark Ashley says:
   June 5th, 2007 at 8:26 pm |

   Regarding airports that can handle the A380, this is Wikipedia’s (unofficial) answer:
   

   The A380 was designed to fit within an 80 m airport gate, and can land or take off on any runway that can take a Boeing 747. However, airports used by the A380 in commercial service may need infrastructure modifications. Its large wingspan can require some taxiway and apron reconfigurations, to maintain safe separation margins when two of the aircraft pass each other. Taxiway shoulders may be required to be paved to reduce the likelihood of foreign object damage caused to (or by) the outboard engines, which overhang more than 25 m (80 ft) from the centre line of the aircraft. Any taxiway or runway bridge must be capable of supporting the A380’s maximum weight. The terminal gate must be sized such that the A380’s wings do not block adjacent gates, and may also provide multiple jetway bridges for simultaneous boarding on both decks. Service vehicles with lifts capable of reaching the upper deck must be obtained, as well as tractors capable of handling the A380’s maximum ramp weight.

   The A380 test aircraft have begun a campaign of airport compatibility testing, to verify the modifications already made at several large airports. To date, airports have been visited for compatibility testing in Bangkok, Brisbane, Chicago, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Montreal, Munich, Mumbai, New Delhi, New York City, Paris, Seoul, Shannon, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington.

   Other freight-heavy airports, such as Anchorage, Louisville, and Memphis, will likely be able to handle the plane as well.

   As far as ticket prices, umm, did you read the post? It depends on the route. If Sydney to LAX is the route, try searching for that, say, on Orbitz. Sure, the fare will be different in a year, when Qantas actually starts flying that route, if only because fuel prices will vary. But the fare will be a ballpark figure that’s about right.

4. Video: Time-lapse of Airbus A380 being constructed » Upgrade: Travel Better says:
   October 15th, 2007 at 10:13 am |

   […] - Video: Airbus A380 evacuation test - Reader mail: How much will tickets on the Airbus A380 cost? - Video: Airbus A380 landing in fierce crosswinds - Airbus A380 at Chicago O’Hare - Singapore […]

5. sdf says:
   February 6th, 2008 at 8:25 pm |

   f^%! this plane

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