5 Cool Uses Of The Airbus A380’s Cabin

The Airbus A380-800 remains an engineering marvel in the world of aviation, and it is recognized beyond the industry, even by the general public, for being the largest passenger aircraft in the world. The space available onboard has allowed airlines to get creative and introduce levels of luxury never seen before in commercial aviation and may not be seen again.

From luxury shower spas to an inflight shopping store, here is a list of five cool and innovative uses of the A380’s cabin space.

1

Lounge onboard A380s (Introduced by Emirates)

While several A380 operators have onboard lounges and bars, Emirates was the first airline to offer it.

With the aim of bringing the golden age of flying back, Emirates unveiled its A380 to the world in 2008, and one of the key attractions was the onboard lounge located at the rear of the upper deck. It is designed as a space for unwinding and socializing for passengers traveling in first and business class while enjoying a variety of drinks and snacks that cater to all.

The lounge design and features have evolved over the years as Emirates has kept updating its onboard lounge to maintain its high standards for luxury.

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Which Airbus A380s Have Onboard Lounges?

The A380’s size means it has some unique features, including a lounge onboard.

Other A380 operators that feature an onboard lounge:

2

The Residence onboard Etihad A380s

Each Etihad A380 has just one Residence suite, making it a super exclusive product in the world of commercial aviation.

When an airline has to compete with the likes of Emirates and Qatar Airways, luxury must be a key factor in the passenger experience for premium passengers, and that is exactly what Etihad went for when it introduced the Airbus A380 into its fleet. While an onboard lounge is something offered by various A380 operators, an entire one-bedroom private apartment onboard was something never seen before in commercial aviation.

Capable of accommodating two passengers, The Residence comprises a living room, a bedroom, and a private lavatory with a shower. Prior to the pandemic, passengers traveling in the Residence also had an inflight Savoy-trained butler.

At the time of writing, Etihad operates six daily A380 services:

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5 Things You’ll Only Find In The Residence Suite On Etihad’s Airbus A380

With three rooms for one passenger, the Residence feels like its own world.

3

The Sky Shop onboard Korean Air A380

While there is nothing new about inflight duty-free, Korean Air revolutionized the concept of inflight shopping by introducing an actual shopping space within the aircraft.

Business Traveller reports that this facility is located at the rear of the main deck of Korean Air’s A380s and utilizes space equivalent to that of 13 economy seats. However, the airline stocks this inflight store with premium products and ample advertising spaces, which makes up for the revenue lost by eliminating those 13 seats.

It is further stated that the infrastructure for the store, along with the products, will still weigh less than accommodating 13 seats and 13 passengers within that space.

The airline allows first-class passengers to access the shop first and do their shopping, after which the crew will have their purchases delivered to the passengers’ seats later in the flight. Prestige class passengers get access to the shop next – after that, depending on the time remaining, economy passengers will also be allowed to access the store.

Related

The Future Of Korean Air’s Airbus A380s As Dismantling Begins

The first of Korean Air’s A380s is being broken up as the airline makes good on its intention to retire the fleet.

The Korean Air A380s have a total of 407 seats split across three travel classes:

4

Double Suite First Class onboard Singapore Airlines A380

Apart from lie-flat beds, each of the six suites includes an additional reclining chair that can be swiveled around to accommodate passengers’ needs.

While Singapore Airlines was the launch customer for the A380 in 2007, the carrier did not introduce this product until it decided to refurbish its A380s with a new cabin, during which time the airline took its first-class offerings to a new height.

Singapore’s A380s now have six first-class suites on the upper deck in a 1–1 configuration. However, the suites in rows one and two (1A, 2A, and 1F, 2F) can be joined together by having the separation removed, thus forming a double bed, perfect for passengers traveling as a couple.

The Singapore Airlines A380 has 471 seats split across four travel classes:

5

Showers onboard Emirates A380

Emirates was the first airline to introduce showers onboard their A380s exclusively for first-class passengers. Two showers can be found onboard all their A380s except for the two-class configurations.

The onboard lounge/bar was not the only revolutionary feature introduced by Emirates on their A380s. At the front of the upper deck, the airline has placed two luxury shower facilities for its 14 first-class passengers.

Each passenger can book a time slot of 30 minutes to utilize the shower spa facility, which comes with five minutes of running shower water, heated wooden flooring, and luxury amenity products for the passengers to use.

Photo: Emirates

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How Emirates Built Its A380 Showers And Bars

The only other commercial airline to offer showers onboard is Etihad onboard their A380s. While their A380 features two shower facilities as well, one is reserved exclusively for the passenger(s) traveling in the aforementioned Residence.

*The Etihad A380 Residence can accommodate two passengers.

Have you experienced any of these amazing facilities onboard the A380s? Let us know in the comments below!