Singapore Airlines has perfected the 1-1 layout and spacious luxury of first class suites. Their
individual cabins have luxurious armchairs, sliding privacy doors, and a chaise lounge.
Adjacent suites can be combined to create a double room for couples traveling together,
and meals are served on real Wedgwood bone china.
Back in the middle east, there’s Emirates onboard bar:
Back in the 60s, bars on planes were nothing unusual, and some even had pianos in the onboard
dining rooms. However, all seized to exist until Emirates got their hands on the A380.
While the Dubai carrier didn't install a piano, they did add an onboard bar for
premium passengers. Emirates isn't the only airline to bring us a bar either;
you can also find this facility onboard Korean, Etihad, and Qatar.
Still looking at the Emirates A380, there’s the aircraft’s onboard shower spa: Emirates has two
shower suites on the A380's upper deck, one on each side. These rooms are surprisingly spacious,
larger than some of our home bathrooms! With heated floors and piping hot water,
this has to be the epitome of luxury flying.
Although the superjumbo brought special touches like onboard showers, bars,
double rooms in first class, it also redefined luxury for business
travelers. Here are some of the unique A380 business class features on some airlines:
First there’s Singapore Airlines’ A380 business class.
Most widebody business class seats can recline into fully flat beds. The center seats on the
Singapore A380 come with personal dividers spanning the entire seat length. This can be
completely lowered to create two fully flat beds for a couple or more personal space.
This feature is not present on other aircraft like the A350 and B787.
Since Emirates only operates the A380 and the B777, it is easy to compare the differences
in the respective cabins for the Dubai carrier. Although seat sizes are almost
similar on both types, A380 business customers can access the lounge at the end of the plane,
so they don't have to hang around in their seats throughout the flight.
Over in South Korea, Asiana Airlines offers a genuinely unique premium business class
experience. It features an independent private space with twin sliding doors and a
mini closet with an efficient seating design. It also has the quote unquote “Buddy Seat”,
where a group of travelers can share a space without having to move seats.
Lastly, a feature unique to its A380s is the satellite
telephone used to make calls for a hefty fee of $7 per minute.
All classes on the quadjet have unique features not found in other cabins of
the same operator. Although some are only available on selected routes,
passengers usually get excited when they see the A380 on their flight itinerary.
So what about Premium economy?
Although A380 economy class passengers can sometimes pretend they are in business class
because of the broader seats, some airlines introduced another class to
highlight the capabilities of Airbus' superjumbo.
Emirates premium economy is less crowded, with wider seats, tray tables, and a more
spacious cabin. Passengers can recline their seats further, raise the cushioned leg rest and adjust
the headrest for enhanced comfort. It is only available on selected routes and certain A380s,
but it will soon be available on all 123 and maybe some triple sevens.
Carriers like Qantas, ANA, and Singapore Airlines
also offer customers premium economy on specific routes.
Although the A380 program was discontinued in 2021,
there is a new A380 operator, Global Airlines.
Unfortunately, we are yet to see what unique designs
this start-up carrier puts on its superjumbo.
So what's your favorite A380 luxury touch? Have you ever
been lucky enough to experience it for yourself? Let us know in the comments.