July 30, 2007

World

Inside Story: A380

By Tiffany Hawk

Qantas gives the luxe lowdown on the newest — and biggest — bird in its fleet.

With an October liftoff, Singapore Airlines will be the first to fly the Airbus 380, but it’s Qantas who are giving us what we really want — a sneak peek at the super-jumbo’s interior. Since conception, we’ve been dreaming of what we’d see. Best case scenario: casinos, duty-free shops and whirlpool tubs. Worst case scenario: 853 passengers, standing-room only or something like United’s just-announced new business class which squeezes an extra seat into each row.

In reality, when the new bird of Qantas is ready in 2008, it won’t waste space with gyms or spas. It will have a biz-class lounge with bar and sofas, and a stylish first-class cabin conceived by hotshot Australian designer Marc Newson. You can also expect Edelman-leather swiveling chairs, 17-inch widescreen monitors, and screened-off first class seats that promise to be less claustrophobic — though less private — than the closing-door suites of airlines like Emirates. And of course, there’s something for everyone — all 450 passengers will have access to self-service bars, a selection of 100 movies, laptop plugins, and in-seat wifi. Oh, and we hear they have good service.