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 By that, I mean that Air France has a business class product onboard that is extremely outdated (and not even […]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 […]
Will An Airbus A350-2000 Take On The Boeing 777X?
Airbus is openly studying a stretched A350-2000 to match Boeing’s 777X. Here is why Emirates and other giants suddenly care about a few extra rows. Background: From Superjumbos To Stretched Twins Once upon a time, airlines that wanted serious capacity bought four engines and did not ask many questions. The Airbus A380 and Boeing 747 […]
My 14-Hour Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Flight Was Pure Luxury From Start To Finish
The capstone of my Asia trip was my 14-hour journey from Singapore to London onboard the A380 in Suites Class, a rare treat in one of the superlative travel experiences of the entire commercial airline industry. Singapore Airlines A380 Suites Class – A 14-Hour Journey In Ultimate Luxury Yes, I used miles to book this. […]
I Had The Entire 777 First Class Cabin To Myself On Singapore Airlines!
I wound up as the only passenger in first class on my Singapore Airlines 777 flight from Jakarta to Singapore, an extra special treat on the first leg of my journey home. Alone In First Class On The Singapore Airlines 777 Singapore Airlines offers first class on its 777-300 (four seats) and A380-800 (six seats) […]
Global Airlines Flew Four Times And Parked Its A380
The airline that swore it would revolutionize the trans-Atlantic air market completed a pair of flights and has now put its A380 super jumbo jets to pasture. Global Airlines Completed A Pair Of Roundtrips Against Heavy Speculation As covered here, and everywhere else online, there was intense speculation around a startup airline competing in one […]
BOOKED: I’m Headed To Hong Kong, Flying Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, And More!
I’m heading to Hong Kong on a review trip to check out Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, and Finnair! A Trip To Hong Kong On Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Finnair If the title looks familiar, it’s not because I copied anyone! 😉 For my own privacy, I tend to delay my trip reports more than One […]
TAROM Plans To Retire Its Final Airbus A318 Jet
Romanian flag carrier TAROM will retire its final Airbus A318 in operation, leaving Air France as the final operator of the “baby bus.” TAROM Will Retire Final Airbus A318 In Late 2024 For years, TAROM has operated four Airbus A318 jets, the smallest variant of the Airbus A320 family. These 120-seat jets operate various continental […]
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 […]
