This is the era of the A-380, with Lufthansa becoming the latest airline to take delivery (on May 19) of the behemoth. The advent of the plane has spurred carriers to rethink their First and Business Class cabins—Emirates holds the over-the-top award right now for having two showers in its First Class A-380 cabin. (You get 25 minutes in the shower cabin, but only five minute’s of water.) For Americans, however, the A-380 experience remains elusive, since few carriers operate the plane from North America. Qantas flies the A-380 from Los Angeles to Melbourne and Sydney, Air France from New York to Paris, and Emirates is scheduled to resume its A-380 service from JFK to Dubai this fall. So here’s how to “be part of it” (the slogan Lufthansa coined in honor of it’s A-380) without spending $20,000 for a First Class ticket, the fare on Qantas from LA to Melbourne.
Air France:
Upgrades to and award tickets for First Class on New York-Paris are limited to Flying Blue elites (Air France’s mileage program). However, for a taste of the A-380, book Paris-London (or vice versa) this summer (Aug. 30), when Air France turns the plane into, well, an air bus. The Airbus will be assigned to flight numbers AF1980 (Paris-London) and AF1981 (London-Paris) from Saturday to Monday, plus Fridays in July. Business Class only costs $284 round-trip plus taxes, and offers seats that recline to 180 degrees, are 34 inches wide, and have 55 inches of pitch. The First Class cabin will not be offered on this route, because certain services offered in First Class cannot be performed during such a short flight.
Emirates: Can’t wait for the A-380 to come back to JFK (service resumes on Oct.31 on flights EK202 and EK201 to Dubai)? Or don’t want t
o spend a small fortune to experience it? A First Class ticket starts at $17,000, and even the upgradable Business Class fare starts at about $8,200, plus 90,000 Skyward miles, which can be transferred fr
om Starwood. But you can fly Emirates between Auckland and Sydney in First Class for about $1,560 round-trip, or just $780 one-way. The suite has double sliding doors for privacy, a fully-flat bed with a mattress, and a personal mini bar.
Lufthansa: The airline is operating its first two Airbus’s on the Frankfurt-Tokyo route, with plans to put the plane on the Frankfurt-Beijing route on Aug. 25, a
nd Frankfurt-Johannesburg on Oct. 25. The best way to sample the carrier’s newly revamped and very handsome First Class cabin, which offers an air humidification system, and a bathroom with wash and changing areas separated from the lavatory area, is to request an award ticket on Frankfurt-Tokyo, since Lufthansa will operate daily service’s, but be prepared to be waitlisted. Cost is 180,000 miles for departures from North America and points can be transferred from Starwood. Lufthansa is also a Star Alliance member, same as Continental, United, and US Airways, which means a First Class award ticket can also be requested via these partners.
Qantas: Allows First Class redemption but elite members get first dibs. Making
this an even longer shot is the fact that the carrier is not a partner with Amex Rewards, Starwood, or Diners. The best option is to buy a First Class ticket on a low-priced route such as London to Sydney or Melbourne. Currently Qantas offers a 28-day advanced purchase First Class ticket for about $5,700 round-trip (plus taxes). (Use miles for award or upgrade travel to London from the U.S.) In First Class Qantas offers a semi-enclosed suite with a fully flat bed fitted with a 29-inch-wide sheepskin covered mattress.
Singapore: It doesn’t allow mileage redemption for First Class on the A-380, nor does it offer the service from the U.S. The way in is on a
low-priced route, such as Hong Kong-Singapore, about $2,900 round-trip. Singapore also offers First Class suites with sliding doors, a full length wardrobe, the widest First Class seat in the air (35 inches). Moreover the bed is separate from the seat. Couples should book the middle two seats, as they can be converted into a double bed.