Crave

Don't forget your loofah sponge.

(Credit: G Patkar )

I've already raved about the prospect of relaxing in a posh first class on the new Airbus A380, but now Dubai-based Emirates Airlines seems to have raised the bar for in-flight amenities. As the Times of London reported Sunday, Emirates is promising first-class passengers the use of a shower. Details on the first-class cabin and the shower are sketchy, but with its "seven star" Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai knows true (and somewhat ridiculous) luxury.

It's certainly a novel idea, and it would give a new meaning to the idea of the mile-high club, but environmentalists are already attacking the scheme as irresponsible. According to the Times, a shower-equipped A380 would need to carry an extra ton of water for each flight, which is equal to 12 passengers. That would mean a carbon cost of 48,455 pounds for every round-trip flight. That's certainly a legitimate worry, but frankly, I'd be more concerned about showering during turbulence.

The shower service will be available on New York to Dubai flights starting in October, and Emirates says it will expand the treatment to its entire A380 fleet. But before you get too excited, you may want to check the fare. A first-class ticket could cost about $18,000.

Sky high style

(Credit: Singapore Airlines)

Though CNET News.com's Daniel Terdiman already covered the first commercial flight of the Airbus A380 in his blog, as a fellow aviation nut, I just had to weigh in on the aircraft's interior. This morning I drooled over the photos taken by Luke Anderson from ZDNet Australia on his tour of the Singapore Airlines A380 in Sydney (where can I get that gig?). The pictures of the economy class section are nice, but let's be honest, who really likes economy class? Frankly, I'm more excited about those luxury suites in first class. And who wouldn't be?

A380 business class

(Credit: Luke Anderson/ZDNet Australia)

The luxury suites are self-contained compartments on the lower deck of the plane. Though the roof is exposed the suites have sliding doors to keep out nosy neighbors. Inside each suite is a leather seat (more like an arm chair, actually) that coverts to a perfectly flat bed. And if you book adjoining compartments, the center divider can be lowered to make adjoining beds (talk about your mile-high club). On-demand entertainment is shown on a 23-inch LCD while additional amenities include a vanity mirror, storage galore and all the food and drink you can imagine.

Sadly, I doubt I'll get to fly in such luxury for some time; a random fare check showed a price of $7,500 for a round trip Singapore to Sydney ticket. So far, my only view of the A380 was from the ground when it made a low pass over San Francisco earlier this month. I suppose I could snag an 34-inch-wide expansive business class seat if I'm lucky; those are a more reasonable $3,700. But as I said earlier this year I'd sit on a cardboard box just for the privilege of riding on the world's newest airliner. And I say that as (like Daniel) a loyal 747 fan.

Since I'm kind of an airplane nut--of the amateur variety--this is somewhat of a Homer Simpson moment.

Mmmmmm...A380.

Singapore Airlines flew the first commercial flight of the Airbus A380 Thursday. And it was apparently a big party in the sky.

(Credit: Pascal Parrot/Getty Images)

Singapore Airlines flight SQ380, from Singapore to Sydney, took to the air Thursday and in the process made aviation history as the first commercial flight of the long-awaited mammoth flying machine, the Airbus A380.

I've never seen one of these planes up close. But I'm longing to. It recently made its first (test) flight into San Francisco and I was out of town. And sadly, neither Airbus nor Singapore Airlines invited me to take this first flight today.

But for those who did take it, it sounds like it was quite the celebration.

"The flight was spectacular, just truly awesome," Thomas Lee, reached by cell phone as the plane pulled into the gate at Sydney Airport, told the International Herald Tribune. "I'm thrilled beyond words, actually. Just extremely excited. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd put it at 12."

Lee actually has a claim to aviation history that I am rather in awe of. He was on the first commercial flight of the 747, in 1970, the Herald Tribune reported, and now was on the first A380 passenger flight as well. (For a look at the plane, including its luxury suites, see "Photos: Airbus delivers the A380, finally.")

That's pretty cool.

The A380, if you've not been following plane porn like I have, offers 50 percent more floor space than a 747, and can carry as many as 853 people. Of course, that would be in an all-steerage configuration. A more likely scenario would be somewhere in the 500-plus range.

The Airbus Web site hasn't been updated to reflect the news that Singapore Airlines made the first passenger flight of the A380.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET News.com)

Still, that's a lot of airplane. And it just looks huge, too, what with an entire second level and the appearance of a flying monstrosity.

And while the Singapore flight had paying customers, it still wasn't a regularly scheduled flight. That won't happen until later this week. This flight consisted mainly of people who bought their tickets on eBay, with proceeds going to charity.

Of course, all this could be a lie. That's because, according to Airbus' own Web site, it hasn't delivered any of the planes, and none are in operation. Whoops.

Okay, I kid Airbus, but only because I'm really a huge 747 fan.

The A380 at SFO

(Credit: Charles Perl)

The giant Airbus A380 completed its second U.S. tour today when it landed at San Francisco International Airport. The largest airliner in the skies landed at about 9:30 a.m. this morning after completing a flight from Cincinnati and Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. We weren't on hand to document the arrival--though I would have paid good money to do so--but you can catch video of the arrival from NBC 11.

The A380's visit to San Francisco is significant as SFO was the first U.S. airport to be ready to accommodate the plane's immense size. SFO's seven-year-old international terminal was designed specifically for planes like the A380 in mind. Those improvements included extra-large gate and check-in areas, expanded baggage carousels, and gates with multiple Jetways on two levels to board the A380's two decks simultaneously. Remember that the Airbus holds about 525 people (or more), which makes it quite a bit larger than the already big 747.

The A380 made its first stateside visit earlier this year when it flew to New York's JFK airport and Los Angeles Airport. While those trips were designed mostly to show the plane off to the public and the media, Airbus is describing the plane's SFO stop as a "working visit." It will spend tonight at SFO before flying back to Toulouse, France, tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. San Francisco is not likely to see the plane again until 2008 when the first commercial flights to the airport should begin. Though Singapore Airlines will be the first airline to fly passengers on the A380 later this month, San Francisco is not yet on the schedule for flights.

But according to Airliners.net the A380 will overfly San Francisco on its way out of town. Since the Blue Angles are already buzzing the Bay Area you can bet that my head will be craned skyward.

If you're like me and you're a fan of airplane porn--and who isn't?--then this weekend is a "dream" come true.

On Sunday, which is July 8, or 07/08/07, Boeing will formally unveil its newest uber-plane, the aptly named 787 Dreamliner.

This new plane, which seems to be selling like hotcakes, and which is stealing a lot of thunder from Airbus and its A380, will be able to ferry 210 to 250 passengers as far as 8,200 nautical miles.

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner will roll out officially on July 8, 2007, otherwise known as 07/08/07.

(Credit: Boeing)

The Dreamliner rollout will be a big, fancy shindig at Boeing's Everett, Wash., facility, where the company also makes 747s, as well as other planes.

The event begins Friday and goes through the weekend, and includes lectures, receptions and other gatherings. But the big moment will be at 3:30 p,m. Sunday, when all the world gets its first view of the completed 787. And I'll be there reporting back to you, dear readers, as well as preparing a photo gallery. So please, stay tuned.

Click for more on the Paris Air Show

(Credit: UPI Photo/David Silpa)

There's no time like the present for those who have designs on the future. That's certainly the case at the International Paris Air Show, where aircraft makers have gathered to make deals and show off what they've got on the drawing board.

One company with a particularly lofty goal is Aerion, which wants to get the first supersonic business jet off the ground. The aeronautical engineering venture, based in Reno, Nev., says its plane will be able to fly from Paris to New York in just a little more than four hours--or about three hours ahead of a standard subsonic plane.

What kind of plane can you score for 80 million? Want to know the latest craft in space tourism and zero-g flying? What kind of plane doesn't need a pilot? And what's John Travolta doing in an Airbus? Who is that mustachioed gentleman? You might just be surprised.

Click the copter for more on the Paris Air Show.

(Credit: Sikorsky Aircraft)

The 2007 biennial International Paris Air Show got under way Monday with a flurry of announcements, press conferences and flybys from some of the biggest names in the aviation business. The tarmac at Le Bourget Airport outside the French capital was crowded with aircraft of all sizes.

Much of the early buzz at the show went to the commercial rivalry between Boeing and Airbus, both of which have been heavily promoting two marquee aircraft. For Airbus, it's the A380 superjumbo; it's due to go into service with Singapore Airlines in October.

Just pack 'em in

(Credit: Airbus.com)

I've always regarded the Airbus A380 with both awe and anxiety. I'm in awe of the technological achievement of producing the world's biggest airliner, even if it lacks the graceful lines of a 747. And though I'd fly on it if I had to sit on a cardboard box, I'm still anxious about spending 14 hours crammed into a coach seat hurtling through the air with the population of a small town. But according to an Airbus exec, 500 passengers is just a drop in the bucket compared with what the behemoth place could really carry.

Like this, but tighter

(Credit: Airbus)

Speaking yesterday in Australia, Chief Commercial Officer John Leahy suggested that the A380 could be a viable option for budget airlines looking to fill hundreds of seats on the cheap. "We can do 11 abreast in coach," Leahy said. "Some have said we could split the cabins and have a high-density coach and full-service coach."

Though the plane currently is certified to carry up to 852 people (the average will be 400 to 525), stretched versions of the A380 that are currently on the drawing board could carry a mind-blowing 1,000 passengers. Wow.

Now just to give you some perspective, the 747-400 (the long-time gorilla of the sky) carries about 415 people, give or take a few. And that's in 10-abreast seating in coach. Just think about one airplane carrying double the number of bodies with each row having three seats on either side and five seats in the middle. Even with the A380's larger size, it absolutely would have a crowded feel. And here I thought Southwest Airlines was bad.

Now this is comfort

(Credit: Airbus)

I'm not about to get alarmist about how the A380 would overwhelm airports. The 747 had its critics when it made its first commercial flight in 1970 but airports adapted to it in time. Yet, 1,000 people will no doubt be a logistical challenge and airports have made adjustments for the the plane already. Just think about that security line. And in any case, I'd much prefer this concept of an A380 first class with individual cabins.

(Credit: Born Rich)

An anonymous zillionaire, apparently from the Middle East (as deduced by photos of in-flight map monitors that show Arabic text and Dubai as an origin point), has tricked out his very own Airbus A380, and it's pretty darn awesome. Nicknamed the Flying Palace, it's equipped with a boardroom, a luxurious cocktail bar, and plenty of space for chilling out.

In fact, if it weren't for the windows, you wouldn't even think it were an airplane.

I'm going to see if we can get our own A380 for Crave. It'd contain, naturally, a luxury Dance Dance Revolution arcade, a home theater with a bar, and a compact hybrid shower-sauna.

(New Launches via Born Rich)