Lufthansa to use first A380 between Frankfurt & NY

German based airline Lufthansa who will be the fifth carrier to fly the A380 have today announced their inaugural route will be between Frankfurt and New York (JFK). The airline expects delivery of their first superjumbo early next year and although no official date for commercial services has been released, services should commence by mid 2010. This will be the first A380 route to service Frankfurt and the third destination to service New York with Air France soon to begin services from Paris (CDG) and Emirate to restore the A380 Dubai service early next year after pulling them due to poor passenger number earlier this year.

It is anticipated the Lufthansa will use the A380 on one of their three daily return Frankfurt to New York which are currently all operated by Boeing 747's. The remaining two services are expected to be maintained and will continue to use the 747's.

Exactly which service will be replaced is currently unknown and as such no schedule has been posted yet, however stay tuned for any developments. To view details of all current carrier A380 routes and flight schedules (plus Lufthansa's when announced) see the following post:

Which Routes the Airbus A380 flies:

Air France to use A380 on Dubai & Johannesburg routes

Following their inaugural A380 flights Air France have announced plans to use their next two A380's on their Paris (CDG) to Dubai (DXB) route and Paris (CDG) to Johannesburg (JNB) route. The services to Dubai are expected to commence from 18 January 2010 and will see the current twice daily 777 services condensed to a daily return A380 service maintaining current capacity on the route. These plans would see Air France competing directly with Emirates A380 service on this route after Emirates first service commences from the 1 February 2010.

On the Paris to Johannesburg route Air France intends to commence services from early March 2010 which will again see the twice daily 777 services replaced by a daily A380 service. This makes Air France the first carrier to deploy the A380 into the African continent which marking a significant milestone in the steps to providing a global A380 network. Now South America and Antarctica are the only continents not to see regular A380 services.

While Air France have not yet confirmed the timetable for the above routes, partly due to not knowing the exact delivery dates of their next A380's, the following link provides details of all current A380 timetables for all carriers:

Which Routes the Airbus A380 flies:

...also to view a map of all A380 routes see the following link:

Airbus A380 Route Map:

South Korea to become Emirates next Asian A380 Hub

After announcing earlier this year plans to expand services into the growing Northern Asia market Emirates will start A380 flights to the South Korean capital of Seoul from the 1 December 2009. The aircraft will replace the daily 777 services between Dubai (DXB) and Seoul (ICN) boosting capacity on the route.

This increased capacity will coincide with the Korean Government and Private Enterprise campaign to promote South Korea as a destination for International Tourism. The campaign titled "Visit Korea Years 2010-2012" will see a number of special events held focusing on the countries national culture as well as ecology and the ocean. For information about the campaign, sights, events, accommodation plus much more visit the Official Korean Tourism site.

To view details of the new A380 flight schedule for South Korea plus other A380 routes see the following updated post:

Which Routes the Airbus A380 flies:

See the South Pole in Style from a Qantas A380

This New Years Eve try for an experience like no other. Be the first of a privileged few to see Antarctica from a Qantas A380. Sightseeing Tours based out of Melbourne have chartered Qantas' big bird for the New Years Eve flight which will depart Sydney on New Years Eve, stop briefly in Melbourne to pick up more passengers before heading way down South where passengers will see Antarctica and be the first to usher in the New Year.

Passengers will spend almost 12 hours onboard but the experience will be unlike any other flight... they will see the South Pole (of course) and fly over a French scientific base, numerous glaciers, and stunning Antarctic mountain ranges... plus be the first to see the first sunrise of 2010.

Over the course of the trip there will be live in-flight music from a jazz band, with passenger rotating seats over the flight to ensure everyone gets a chance to share in the views... plus of course a distinct party atmosphere on board - it is of course New Years Eve!!!

Tickets are available through Arctic Sightseeing Flights (NOT Qantas) and start at A$999 all the way through to A$6299 for a First Class ticket. While this isn't cheap what price can you place on such a fantastic and unique experience??? So with tickets going fast anyone interested should move quickly!!!

Note: Sightseeing Tours will also be organising two similar flights (but without the same festive atmosphere) for the 24 January 2010 also in a Qantas A380 and the 14 February 2010 in a Qantas 747. I know which of the three would be my choice!!!

Emirates to commence daily A380 flights to Paris

Emirates have announced plans to add A380 services to their Dubai (DXB) and Paris (CDG) route. The aircraft will replace one of the daily 777 flights between the two destinations with the remaining services continuing to be operated by Emirates 777 aircraft. Flights are commence from the 1 February 2010.

This addition will boost Emirates capacity on the route and is expected to put pressure on Air France who also fly the route. Emirates already have more than 65% of the traffic on the route and with the lure on A380, which has proved a craft of choice for travelers, this dominance may become even stronger.

To view details of the new flight schedule see the following updated post:

Which Routes the Airbus A380 flies:

Airbus A380 Route Map:

The following is a graphical route map for all A380 Routes and their respective carriers:

Click the map to enlarge...

Last Updated: 09/11/2009

For details of the exact timetables for each route see the following article:

Which Routes the Airbus A380 flies:

Note: The map shows destinations (not actual flight path).

Some flights i.e. SYD-LAX go over the Pacific rather that Transatlantic.

A380 to return to New York JFK

Since Emirates pulled the A380 off services between Dubai and New York's JFK Airport in early 2009 due to poor passenger numbers the big apple has not had the benefit of any A380 services from any carrier. That is set to change from November 23 when Air France receives their first super-jumbo which they have announced will operate daily on the Paris (CDG) to New York (JFK) route.

In addition Emirates have announced that due to recovering passenger numbers they expect to see their A380 return to the Dubai (DXB) New York (JFK) route within the first half of 2010. At present the company hasn't revealed exactly how many services will return but for detail of routes as soon as they're announced stay tuned...

It will be great to services returning to New York as this will now make it possible to fly almost entirely around the world on the A380 (currently the only gap is across the continental US - between New York JFK and Los Angeles LAX).

Also for detail of the Air France A380 timetable and all other carriers A380 services see the following up to date post:

Which Routes the Airbus A380 flies: