Prettypollycat,

He needs to look at Emirates (via Dubia), Singapore Airlines via Changai or Qantas from LHR. They're the only airlines operating the A380 from the UK to down under at the moment.

Darren

Thanks Dazbo, I thought you'd be along soon - but 8 minutes to reply!

That's surpassed even MY expectations.

So do Emirates, Singapore & Quantas fly the A380 out of UK and also onwards from Dubai/Singapore/? or do they use a different plane on one of the sectors?
My friend is keen to do the A380 all the way, he says he's too old to fly long-haul anymore but really wants to visit his sister in Oz.

Regards
Polly

It all depends on the connections they want and the particular flight out of LHR, but all three operate the A380 out of LHR and beyond. The best way is to check flight schedules on their respective websites and it'll state aircraft type under the itinerary. I can't state all combinations here as there's too many and it depends on date and times. All the details are on their websites though. Qantas and Singapore operate the A380 all the way, depending on the itinerary. Emirates use the A340 mainly onwards from DXB. Does it really matter if it's the A380 or not? Seat pitches and aircraft facilites are pretty much the same across their fleets in economy.

Darren

Thanks again, Dazbo.
Doesn't the A380 fly out of Manchester with any airline?

I'll sit down with him and check on 'my box' (his term for my PC ) for schedules.

Does it really matter if it's the A380 or not?

He's got it into his head that he wants to fly the A380.

He's done the trip a few times before on 747s.
He may have got it into his head that because it's a bigger plane, the legroom/pitch may be better.
I'll quiz him further before we get to the booking stage.

Regards

Prettypollycat,

No airline currently operate the A380 out of Manchester. Emirates should be the first airline to introduce it from September 2010 providing Airbus deliver their first high density configured aircraft on time. The A380 is more of a novalty than anything although it is a superbly engineered and designed aircraft. It's amazing how quiet it is when you consider it's size and power. I'm hoping to have my first trip on it from MAN to DXB later this year or early next year. Because many want to fly on the A380, you might find there's a slight premium on flights operated by the type over other aircraft.

Darren