World’s largest jetliner takes off

Passengers clapped as the superjumbo disengaged from the dock on schedule at Changi. More cheers broke out minutes later as the double-decker plane, powered by four Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines, soared into the nearly cloudless sky, tinged pink by the light of the early morning sun.

Flight attendants handed out champagne and certificates to passengers, some of whom paid tens of thousands of dollars in an online auction for the seats to be part of aviation history.

“I have never been in anything like this in the air before in my life,” said Australian Tony Elwood, reclining with his wife, Julie, on the double bed in their private first-class suite. “It is going to make everything else after this simply awful,” he said, sipping Dom Perignon Rose after a lunch of marinated lobster and double boiled chicken soup. He paid $50,000 for the two places.

The double-decker A380 ends the nearly 37-year reign of the US-made Boeing 747 jumbo jet as the world’s most spacious passenger plane. Airbus SAS, the European manufacturer of the A380, says it is also the most fuel efficient and quietest passenger jet ever built, from inside and outside.

It was delivered to Singapore Airlines on October 15, 18 months behind schedule after billions of dollars in cost overruns for Airbus.

Still, the wait was worth it, says Singapore Airlines, which got the exclusivity of being the plane’s sole operator for 10 months.

Thomas Lee, who was also on the Boeing 747’s first commercial flight from New York to London in 1970, described the latest experience as “spectacular … fantastic … incredible.”

The Boeing 747 jumbo jet generally carries about 400 passengers.

The A380 — as tall as a seven-story building with each wing big enough to hold 70 cars — is capable of carrying 853 passengers in an all-economy class configuration.

However, Singapore Airlines, recognised as one of the best in the world, opted for 471 seats in three classes — 12 Singapore Airlines suites and 60 business class and 399 economy class seats.

Each suite, enclosed by sliding doors, is fitted with a leather upholstered seat, a table, a 23-inch flat screen TV, laptop connections and a range of office software. A separate bed folds up into the wall. Two of the suites can be joined to provide double beds, one of which the Elwoods occupied.

On the upper deck, business class seats can turn into wide flat beds, while the economy class seats on both decks will enjoy more leg and knee room, the carrier says. Business class passengers also have a bar area.

Francis Wu, a San Francisco student who turned 22 on the flight, was updating his journal on the in-flight computer system when the airline crew surprised him with a white chocolate cake and a song.

“This is the best birthday I have ever had in my whole life,” he said.

SIA auctioned most of the seats on the inaugural flight on eBay, raising $1.26 million for charity. The highest bidder was Briton Julian Hayward who bought two suite seats for $100,380. He was the first passenger to board.

Officials said the aircraft carried 455 passengers, including 11 in the suites. One suite was left empty for display.