Last week I wrote about a final Air France A380 “farewell” flight planned for this Friday. We now have more details about the flight. Details: Final Air France A380 Flight Via AirlineGeeks, we now have more details about the final flight:e The flight will take place on Friday; a two-hour “flight to nowhere” from Paris […]
Why The Air France A380 Retirement Pains Me…
As expected, Air France has accelerated its A380 retirement and will be come the first airline to wholly retire its A380 fleet. That’s sad news in general, but particularly sad news for me. Let me concede at the outset that life is not all about me. But since this is my blog and something I’ve […]
Booked! Air France A380 + 777 La Première First Class…For Now?
I took advantage of a cheap fare offered out of Algeria last weekend to confirm two trips in first class on Air France. But will Air France honor the tickets? Flying Air France First Class on the 777-300ER was the best overall first class experience I have ever had. While Air France Business Class is […]
Even A Fancy Onboard Shower Or Bar Would Not Have Saved Air France A380
Sir Tim Clark, the President of Emirates, argues that other carriers like Air France blew their chance with the Airbus A380. He’s not wrong, but the reality is a bit more complicated. Sitting down with AirlineRatings, Clark was asked to contrast Emirates’ approach to the A380 versus that of Air France. Air France recently announced […]
My Strong Desire To Fly The Air France A380…
Call me crazy, but I have a strong desire to fly on the Air France A380 while still in service. Yesterday I wrote about the decision by Air France to retire its entire A380 fleet by 2022. This move makes total sense considering the high costs of retrofitting and CEO Ben Smith’s vision for a […]
Air France A380 Retirement Is Hardly A Surprise
As I predicted, Air France will not bother to retrofit its A380 fleet, but instead retire it by 2022. The writing was on the wall. Last November, Air France announced it would return half of its A380 fleet rather than retrofit it. Balking at the 45MN EUR price tag per aircraft to retrofit, Air France […]
Air France A380 Decision Is Sad, But Smart
Air France will gradually retire half of its A380 fleet, starting in 2019. The move is sad, but smart. Air France currently operates 10 A380s. Five are owned, five are leased. All are tragically uncompetitive. By that, I mean that Air France has a business class product onboard that is extremely outdated (and not even […]
Air France Will Run One More A380 Flight Next Week
Air France will run one final Airbus A380 flight next week over Metropolitan France, offering a select few a final opportunity to fly the superjumbo before it is permanently retired from the fleet. The final Air France A380 flight will take place on June 26, 2020. Before you get excited, it does not appear Air […]
Lufthansa Grounds Entire A380 Fleet. Is Air France Next?
Last week, I reported that Lufthansa was considering grounding its entire Airbus A380 fleet. It’s now official: all 14 Lufthansa A380s will soon be grounded. Who’s next? Air France? British Airways? Aero Telegraph (via OMAAT) reports it viewed an internal Lufthansa document which confirmed the plan to ground the A380 fleet until May. Startlingly, the […]
Air France Retires First A380…My La Premiere Clock Is Ticking
Air France quietly retired its first of 10 Airbus A380s last week. I’m still on the fence as to whether to invest in such an outdated product. F-HPJB continued onto Malta Saturday after arriving in Paris from Johannesburg. The Air France livery will be painted over and its future is unknown…Singapore’s retired A380 has not […]
Six Reasons Air France Is Retiring A380
Air France will retire its Airbus A380 fleet ahead of schedule for at least six unique reasons. In a wide-ranging interview with Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith, Skift’s Brian Sumers brought up Air France’s recent decision to retire the A380. Smith offered six reasons for the early retirement. 1. A380 Fleet is Too Small Smith […]
Air France May Retire A380 Even Earlier
Air France may not bother to upgrade its outdated premium cabins seats on the A380. The exorbitant price tag is difficult to justify. But that creates a serious problem for the carrier’s five-year plan and may lead to an accelerated retirement timeline. Speaking to Air Transport World at the recent Paris Air Forum, Air France/KLM […]
The 10 Best Airline Award Ticket Sweet Spots [2024]
Earlier I wrote about how some of the most lucrative award travel redemptions are often the most boring. Here, I want to point out my current list of the 10 best airline award ticket sweet spots. Top 10 Airline Award Ticket Sweet Spots There’s a dividing line between aspirational and practical and my list below […]
Review: Singapore Airlines The Private Room (SIN)
Singapore Airlines offers two first class lounges at its hub at Singapore Changi Airport. This review highlights The Private Room, the exclusive first class lounge for Singapore Airlines first class passengers. Singapore Airlines The Private Room Review (SIN) I visited this lounge after stepping off my Singapore Suites flight from New York. You can read […]
Review: Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Frankfurt – Singapore
The 12-hour journey in Singapore Airlines Suites Class onboard the A380 from Frankfurt to Singapore was a lovely flight with enough time to fully enjoy the first class product. Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Review (FRA-SIN) I will structure this review a bit different than the first sector of SQ25, avoiding some repetition about the […]
Review: Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class
At last, my long-awaited trip on Singapore Airlines onboard the A380 in Suites Class had arrived. My expectations were dangerously high. Could this flight live up to those expectations? Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class Review Singapore Airlines ran its flagship Airbus A380-800 service on flights between New York (JFK) and Singapore (SIN) via Frankfurt (FRA) […]
Review: Qantas A380 First Class Sydney – Los Angeles
My journey home from Sydney to Los Angeles on the Qantas A380 in first class was quite pleasant overall with a heavenly bed and superb onboard cuisine, though the service did not feel much like first class. Nevertheless, I would argue there is no better way to fly between California and Australia. Qantas A380 First […]
Qantas A380 First Class: The Good, Bad, And Ugly
After landing in Sydney, I turned right around the next morning and flew back to Los Angeles on the A380 in first class on Qantas. The flight was solid, but Qantas falls short in two key areas. Qantas A380 First Class – My First Impressions First, let’s talk about what Qantas does well. The ground […]
The Enigma Of The Singapore Airlines A380 At JFK
A point of frustration as we bid adieu to the Airbus A380 on Singapore Airlines’ flagship JFK-FRA-SIN route. Is Singapore so stingy or just so successful that it simply will not release first class award space on this route? It’s quite an enigma. Singapore Airlines A380 Pulled From JFK Route When Singapore Airlines swapped a […]
I’m Planning A Korean Air First Class 747-8 + A380 Trip…
Now that the Korean Air Boeing 747-8 is flying again, I’m setting my sights on a first class award trip on Korean Air…hopefully including an Airbus A380 as well. Korean Air First Class Award Trip – Finally Within Reach During the pandemic, Korean Air grounded its fleet of Airbus A380 (with the exception of one […]