The world's largest jetliner made aviation history yesterday, completing its first commercial flight to carry 455 passengers from Singapore to Sydney, some of them ensconced in luxury suites and double beds.

 

The Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 took off from Changi Airport without a hitch and landed about 7 hours later in Sydney to launch a new era in air travel. Also on board flight SQ380 were a crew of about 30, including four pilots. A string quartet gave them a farewell in Singapore and a jazz trio welcomed them in Sydney.

 

Passengers clapped as the superjumbo disengaged from the dock on schedule at 8 am (0000GMT) at Changi.

 

More cheers broke out 16 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 ten 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".

 

"It was a festive atmosphere, people were up out of their seats in the aisle. It was quite difficult for the cabin crew to do their job," he said.

 

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, recognized 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 58-centimeter 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 airline crew surprised him with a white chocolate cake and a song.

 

(China Daily via Agencies October 26, 2007)