I recently wrote an article for our sister website Asia Travel Magazine outlining the Top 10 Best Luxury Hotels in Asia, needless to say the article was a hit and since Luxury Hotels are somewhat related to business & Airline travel I decided to provide an excerpt for the readers of Business Travel Guru.

In no particular order the 10 Best Luxury hotels in Asia are

 

Shangri-la Hotel Singapore

The number 1 luxury hotel in Singapore for its attention to detail & service. Our pick for best room is any room or suite in the Valley wing

 

Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong

A well established top notch luxury hotel in Hong Kong which has been in operation since 1963. The top room at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong is the Mandarin Suite

 

Peninsula Hotel Tokyo Japan

State of the art technology & Luxury yes this is the Peninsula Hotel Tokyo Japan. The best room in our opinion is the Peninsula Suite which has sweeping views of Hibiya Park and the Imperial palace gardens.

 

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Thailand

Just like the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong its sister in Bangkok is a real gem, a fave with the rich and famous as well as heads of state. The best room in this house is the Royal Oriental Suite.

 

The Peninsular Hotel Bangkok Thailand

Some of the best outfitted rooms you could want or even dream of. The Peninsular Hotel Bangkok is set on the Chao Phraya river. Again the best room at this hotel is the Peninsula Suite.

 

Four Seasons Chang Mai Thailand

Its tranquillity with a whole lot of luxury thrown in, The top room here is a private residence with private plunge pool.

 

Oberoi Udaivilas Udaipur India

If you are lucky enough to stay at the Oberioi Udaivilas Udaipur India you will find out what life is like as a King or Queen, service and attention to detail at this hotel resort is like no other.

 

Sofitel Metropole Hanoi Vietnam

The Sofitel Metropole Hanoi Vietnam is the number 1 luxury hotel in Vietnam, the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi is over 100 years old, built way back in 1901 when the French occupied Vietnam. This hotel has real French old world charm. The best room? If you are into older style architecture and design then a room in the Historical Wing is tops for those that cannot live without their mod cons a grand premium room in the opera wing is great.

 

St. Regis Shanghai China

The St. Regis Shanghai yearly wins many major national and international hotel awards, the facilities are great but the service is even better. Our top room is the Imperial Suite.

 

Pudong Shangri-La Shanghai China

The Shangri-La personally is one our favourite hotel chains and the Pudong Shangri-La Shanghai China does not disappoint, perhaps one of the best Luxury hotels in Shanghai if not China. Our pick for best rooms at this hotel is a Bund View Horizon Club Room but for the ultimate in luxury and indulgence pick the Shanghai Suite.

 

Again below is the link to my original article at Asia Travel Magazine which has a more in-depth look at each of these hotels:

 

10 Best Luxury Hotels Asia

The Air France A380 Seat map has now been officially published by Air France.

 

The seat map clearly shows 3 classes, La Premiere (First Class), Affaires (Business Class) and Voyageur (Economy Class) as expected Air France will not offer premium economy product on this their first Airbus A380 aircraft, however it has been confirmed future Air France A380 aircraft will be outfitted with Premium Economy.

 

Air France Airbus A380 Seat map & seat plan (Click image below for a larger view)

 

 

 

More details of the Air France Airbus A380 aircraft & cabin configuration can be found here:

Air France A380 Interior Cabin Revealed with Air France A380 Cabin Photos

 

 

Air France has revealed the interior cabin of its just received Airbus A380 Superjumbo.

 

There is no surprises with the details of its cabin configuration, matching very closely with what I have reported here on The Business Travel Guru in the past, however the release by Air France of these cabin pictures give the full picture of what to expect, if you get the chance to fly this aircraft

 

Air France A380 La Premiere First Class Cabin

The Air France Airbus A380 features 9 First Class La Premiere seats on the lower deck, no suites you say? Yes this is correct, Air France bucked the trend deciding not to follow Singapore Airlines, Emirates or Qantas in implementing suites in First Class La Premiere, maybe this is a sign of the economic times in Europe, but then again this aircraft would have been the planning stages for years.

 

The 9 first class seats are set out in a 1-2-1 configuration, this cabin features what looks to be a self service bar, along with a changing cabin/room with beauty products from Clarins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Air France A380 Affaires Business Class Cabin

The Air France A380 Affaires or Business Class cabin is located in the forward upper deck of the aircraft, with 80 Seats set out in a 2-2-2 seating configuration; each seat is two meters long. The In-flight entertainment Unit IFE screen is 15 Inch (38 cm) wide.

 

Noise Cancelling Headphones? Air France is using nothing but the best, Sennheiser Noise Cancelling Headphones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Air France Airbus A380 Voyageur Economy Class Cabin

Voyageur Economy Class on the Air France A380 seats at total of 449 passengers on both the lower and upper decks. Seating is configured in a 10 wide 3-4-3 configuration. The In-flight entertainment unit in Voyageur hosts an 8.4 inch LCD screen, along with 600 hours of viewing & 3,000 music tracks.

 

 

 

 

Air France A380 cabin interior cabin Video on Youtube

 

 

From the initial information & pictures which Air France has released about its Airbus A380, the product looks quite good, but is it in the league of its A380 Predecessors? I think the jury is out, will need to wait for a flight review! What are your thoughts?

 

 

 

 

Emirates is totally re-vamping its frequent flyer program from 1 January 2010, and introducing an earning model that varies depending on the type of ticket purchased, i.e Full paid ticket or Discount Ticket.

 

Amongst the many changes the one with the most impact to Emirates Skywards members is introduction of a reduced earning rate for fares discounted fares, which will be known as Skywards Saver Fares.  In addition to the introduction of a reduced earning rate zones will be used to calculate the number of awarded miles along with a bonus miles offer named Skywards Miles Accelerator.

 

Skywards Miles & Fare Type

After introduction on 1 January 2010 fares will be categorized as either Skywards Flex or Skywards Saver. Fares categorized as Skywards Flex will be non-discounted tickets and for the purposes of miles calculation & will earn 100% base miles, for whatever the miles calculation be for the zones travelled. The discounted Skywards Saver fares will earn 50% base miles for the Zone/s Travelled

 

Emirates Skyward Zones

Earning Skywards miles from 1 January 2010 will be calculated based on travel within Emirates 18 broad geographic zones, with Dubai being a standalone zone as the hub of the Emirates network.

 

As yet no details have emerged on the distribution of Skywards 18 Zones or the number of miles which will be earned for flying within them, however earning charts will be available from late October and an online calculator available from 1 January 2010.

 

Emirates Skywards Class & Tier Bonuses

Under Emirates new Skywards Frequent Flyer Program there is some great news if you are a business or first class flyer, as class bonuses are increasing, travelling Emirates Business Class your class bonus will increase from 50% to 75% of base miles, and for Emirates First Class an increase from 100% to 150% of base miles flown.

 

Skywards Tier Bonuses remain the same as the existing scheme, that being Sliver members 25% bonus Gold Members 50% Bonus

 

Skywards Miles Accelerator

The overhaul of the Skywards scheme introduces a new component to its program Miles Accelerator, which in effect is a monthly selection of flights available on the Emirates website that will earn bonus miles.

 

The list of Skywards Miles Accelerator fares will be updated on Emirates website monthly and only need to be booked & purchased during that month for future travel (up to 1 year)    

 

Air France has released details of the first flight of it Airbus A380 aircraft along with some basic cabin configuration details.

 

 

 

The first Air France A380 will service the Paris to New York route with the maiden flight taking place Friday 20 November 2009, and the return leg New York to Paris departing Saturday 21 November 2009.

 

If you are after a seat on the inaugural Air France A380 flight, Air France just as Singapore Airlines did, are auctioning tickets for both legs of the flight on eBay with proceeds going to charity. Head over to http://af380.com to participate in the auction.

 

The Air France A380 will in total seat 538 passengers with the upper deck seating 80 Affaires (Business Class) and 106 Voyageur (Economy Class) seats, and on the lower deck with 9 Air France Premiere (First Class) Seats and another 343 Voyageur (Economy Class) seats.

 

For fans of premium economy unfortunately the first Air France A380 will not include the newly launched Air France Premium Voyageur (Premium Economy) cabin, however Air France have publically stated they do intend to outfit & operate an Air France A380 Premium Voyageur cabin in the near future.

 

As yet no Air France A380 Interior cabin pictures have been released yet, and we here The Business Travel Guru think Air France will keep this under wraps until just before the first flight. As you would expect after the first flight there will be a flurry pictures from fans and enthusiasts posted all over the internet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the launch of Singapore Airlines A380 in October 2007, Emirates were the second Airline put into service an Airbus A380, and since my first Singapore Airlines A380 review and subsequent Qantas A380 Premium economy flight review you can imagine my eagerness to experience the Emirates A380 first hand.

 

21 May 2009 was the date for my Emirates A380 Business Class flight, and having flowing Emirates business class in the past (not the A380) and having read most of what other sites have had to say about their A380 I kind of half knew the treat I would be in for!

 

Limo Pickup from home

When you fly Business or First Class on Emirates the experience doesn’t begin when you arrive at the airport it begins at your house, with a Limo pickup at your current location (home, office, and hotel) the same goes after landing at your destination.

 

With my Limo pickup booked in several days prior to departure, I received a follow up call, the morning prior to my flight and again the night before from my Chauffer confirming my pickup address and pickup time. My flight EK 412 was scheduled to depart at 7:50am so I booking in a 5:15am pickup. Spot on 5:15am I had a call from my Emirates chauffer Stephen saying he was waiting downstairs, ready to take me to the airport.

 

I have to say the whole experience with Emirates Chauffer Company Brunel Worldwide Chauffer Drive was exceptional, making the lead up to my flight both worry and hassle free.

 

Emirates Check-in

Just less than 30 minutes after leaving home on Sydney’s north shore I arrive at  Kingsford Smith International Airport (Terminal 1) and make my way to the check-in counter.  Using the Business Class checking lane I am checked in within no time at all, and given an eExpress ticket that allowed me to beat the crowds and utilize the eExpress customs queue.  

 

The Emirates Lounge

The Emirates Lounge in Sydney is located on the arrivals level (level 1) near the transfer security check point, Note you need follow the signs to the lounge then come down an elevator to level 1

 

 

Picture 1: The Emirates Lounge in Sydney

 

The first thing I noted when entering was how quite and spacious the lounge was! Being an early morning flight the lounge catered a full breakfast, with the food you would expect from a good quality hotel, which beats many other airlines airline lounges I have been in over the past few years.

 

The Emirates Lounge at Sydney is a combined First Class, Business Class and elite Skywards members lounge, which is great for those travelling Business as The Emirates Lounge is a true First Class lounge in every aspect.

 

Boarding Emirates A380

At the Emirates gate, as you would normally expect there was a dedicated lane for Business, First Class and Skyward elite members, so we cleared the boarding gate fairly quickly and routed to an aerobridge that took us to first and business class on the upper deck.

 

 

Emirates A380 Business Class Cabin & Seat

For this flight I was allocated seat 23K which is a window seat in the last business section before the end of the aircraft and the Business Class Lounge & Bar.

 

My first impressions of the Emirates Business seat was wow impressive, even though I was in business and not first I felt I had my own personal space, a space which looks like it was designed for both work or rest. As you might remember from previous flight reviews that I have posted here on The Business Travel Guru leg room is a big deal for me and Emirates did not disappoint in this area, in that leg room wouldn’t even be an issue for someone 7ft tall.

 

Not long after getting seated a flight attendant came past offering pre-take off drinks Möet & Chandon Champagne, Orange Juice or Apple Juice. As I was flying in style I could not pass on the Möet and Chandon.

 

Emirates Business Class Cabin is configured with 76 full lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration

 

 

Picture 2: The Business Class Seat on the Emirates A380 Aircraft

 

Emirates new Business Class seats are very comfortable and include the following features/specifications:

 

• Lie-flat for a comfy sleep
• 47 cm (18.5 Inch) wide
• 99-122 inch seat pitch
• Up to 200 cm (79 in) Long when in lie-flat configuration
• Side desk/bar area
• Each row configured in an off-set configuration (see picture below)
• Built-in programmable massage function

 

 

Picture 3: The Business Class Cabin on my Emirates A380 Flight

 

If you are allocated a window seat, between your seat and the window you will find a stowage compartment, mine had additional blankets and another pillow in it.

 

Apart from the full-lie flat feature my next favourite feature was the massage function, it was running nearly the entire flight.

 

As I mentioned above what I loved about Emirates Business Class seat on their A380 was the scene of person space, which is great for working, for example you are working away and dinner is served, in Emirates new Business Class seat you no longer need to shutdown your laptop and pack your work away, simply move you work from the try table to the side table and start dining, when you dining is finished move you work back.

 

 

Emirates A380 Business Class In-flight Entertainment System ICE

Emirates In-flight entertainment and information system is called ICE, (short for Information Communication & Entertainment) all the stats I had read about ICE prior to this trip were impressive, over 1200 programming options, which included everything from TV Sitcoms to the latest block buster movies, along with a large selection of CDs

 

The Information area of ICE included the latest headlines from the BBC, flight information that displayed the current flight path, flight cams (Nose, Tail and ground view of the sky, sea and land outside of the aircraft)

 

Linked to the ICE system in Business Class on Emirates A380 is a huge 17 inch LCD Screen that displays a very high quality picture, and is the largest LCD screed I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing on a business class flight, this in addition to ICE made my relativity short flight that much better, fortunately or unfortunately depending on the way you look at it I had the opportunity to watch an entire movie on my return flight, no Bar/lounge because of turbulence.

 

 

Picture 4: The 17 Inch LCD Screen in Business Class

 

 The screen and ICE system can be controlled by the following 3 means:

 

• Touch Screen
• The IFE/Phone Handset
• Wireless remote console

 

A little later in the journey I had a chat with the Customer Service Manager and he pointed out that I could save my seat and In-flight entertainment system preferences to a memory stick, so that when I take another Emirates flight my seat setting can be uploaded into the ICE system and my seat is configured to my originally saved personal preferences. Not having a memory stick on this flight I did not get the opportunity to try this feature.

 

Another unique feature of Business Class on Emirates A380 aircraft is its wireless remote control that can be used as another method to control the ICE system and also to activate the seats massage feature.

 

Emirates A380 Business Class Dining & Wine List

The menu & wine list for both my flight over to Auckland and back was quite extensive.

 

The following selection was on the menu for the flight for Brunch (Sydney to Auckland)

 

Fresh Fruit

Fresh Seasonal Fruit

 

Main Course

Cheese and chives scrambled eggs

Mushroom Ravioli

Tuna Nicoise

Cheese Selection

 

Dessert

Lemon curd Tart

 

Bread

Bread Basket

 

Beverages

Tea Coffee and Chocolates

 

 

 Picture 5: A Glass of Moet& Chandon

Business Class First Class Bar & Lounge

The combined First & Business Class lounge on board is a real draw card which you don’t really get the feel for and appreciate until it has been experienced. I would have to say after the service the Lounge Bar area was the highlight of the flight.

 

The lounge seats around 8 to 10 people and is equipped with an impressive 42 inch LCD screen, the bar premium wines spirits and liqueurs, and is also the place to go to pick up a quick snack.

 

During the flight over to Auckland a lucky guys from Economy Class was invited up as it was his birthday, and to top that the Flight attendants had a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to him. It was truly a unique experience, one that not too many airlines would even contemplate doing!    

 

Picture 6: The Combined Business/First Class Lounge 

 

Picture 6: A wider shot of the Combined First/Business Class bar

 

 

Picture 7: The massive 42 inch LCD Screen in the First/Business Class Lounge

 

 

Picture 8: It was this lucky guys birthday, flight attendants sang Happy Birthday

 

Final Verdict

When I reflect back on my Emirates A380 flight what comes to mind first is service with a capital S, it was top notch and spot on. So much so that you really feel that the crew always had my best interests as their first priory, they actually went out of their way to for fill l all of my requests.

 

The next thing that comes to mind was the aircraft and the business class cabin implemented on their A380. The seat was extremely comfortable, especially when converted into the lie flat bed configuration. A long haul on Emirates A380 would be a breeze.

 

Brief overview of highlights of flight and Emirates A380 Business Class:

• Flight Attendants - Great service very friendly
• Business Class Seat –Comfy,  great personal space &  outstanding for working in-flight
• Business Class Lounge Bar – Guys this is a big draw card, a great social area
• LCD Screen and In-flight entertainment System ICE
• The Emirates Lounge in Sydney & Auckland

 

 

I would defiantly fly Emirates again, especially if it’s their A380, the entire Emirates A380 Business Class experience was number 1

 

 

For this flight I was a guest of Emirates Airlines flying from Sydney to Auckland, New Zealand, Return

 

Yesterday Emirates made aviation history by becoming the first airline to begin commercial services to Toronto Canada; the following video is of EK 372 Emirates A380 flight landing in Toronto Canada.

 

 

 

 

EK 372 wasn’t the only Emirates flight making history also yesterday, EK 241 an A380 flight from Dubai to Bangkok became the first commercial A380 Bangkok bound service.

 

On Thursday 11 February I had the opportunity to fly Premium Economy on Qantas’s brand spanking new Airbus A380 from Singapore to Sydney and just like the Singapore Airlines A380 aircraft which I experienced more than a year earlier this aircraft promised to deliver much more in the areas of space, comfort, in-flight entertainment and most importantly service.

 

To begin I won’t be shy in pointing out that I absolutely love reporting on any Airbus A380, not just because it’s an ultra modern aircraft but also because of the modern features and amenities which airlines are implementing, and are a true generational step up from the upgrades airlines have previously put in place in the last decade.

 

 

 

So how does the Qantas A380 and Qantas Premium Economy cut it against Singapore Airlines A380 and other premium economy services?

Our day started off as a normal day in the air, we got to Singapore’s Changi International Airport well in advance of boarding, so I could catch up with the latest world news, do some work and chill out for a while prior to the flight.

Check-in at the Qantas Club/Business Class check-in counter was fairly straightforward as usual no problems with the excess baggage we had from Shopping in Saigon and Singapore.

 

Next part of the morning prior to boarding was at Changi’s joint Qantas/BA Business Class lounge, now this lounge has never been my favourite airline lounges in the world but it is adequate to get work/emails and/or rest before an onward flight. Every time I have visited this lounge it has always been extremely quite which is a pleasant change from Qantas’s domestic lounges here in Australia. Staff has always been friendly and professional. The only complain from fellow lounge dwellers was the lack of orange juice.

 

Qantas A380 Boarding Time

Boarding time was near so we headed down to our gate, and as we got closer I could not help but notice the size of the A380, it’s a massive aircraft dwarfing a nearby Boeing 747-400, a real mammoth piece of engineering excellence

 

Not long after clearing the security check point at our gate and taking some snaps for this review, our flight was called for boarding. Passengers in need of assistance or with young children were asked to board first followed by First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Oneworld Emerald/Ruby Frequent Flyers.

 

Since Premium Economy is located on the upper deck behind Business Class I was not surprised when Premium Economy was called to board with the First and Business Class Passengers, and not at the same time as Economy.

 

Qantas A380 Business Class

On the very long walk down to Premium Economy we pass by Business Class, the seats even though the same as in the Qantas media shots which I published earlier on this site, that received such a bad rap by the general public look so much nicer when you are walking past one, I am sure they would be even nicer to sit in for a long flight from Sydney to LAX.

 

On observation Qantas’s A380 Business Class seats don’t look quite as wide as Singapore Airlines A380 Business Class seats, but they look as comfortable, and out do SIA in terms of leg room, if you are a very tall person and cant fork out the dosh for First Class a Business Seat on the Qantas A380 would be more than adequate.

 

 

Qantas A380 Premium Economy

Finally we are at Premium Economy, the first thing that impresses me most about Premium again like Business is leg room. There is more room than what I would have expected in Premium Economy which was a great relief. Whenever I cannot fly Business Class domestically or internationally, Lack of Leg Room has been my biggest enemy. Having that extra leg room made the entire journey so much enjoyable.

 

Overhead locker space is more than ample, also window seats are equipped with stowage compartment between the seat and the window similar to what you will find in Business and First Class on Qantas’s 747 aircraft.

 

 

 

Prior to take off we were offered pre-take off drinks (Australian Sparkling wine, Orange Juice or water) A short time later it was take off time, looking out at the wings as our A380 taxied to the runway, I could not get over the wingspan of this massive aircraft nearly as wide as the runway!

 

The Qantas A380 Premium Economy Cabin is configured in a 2-3-2 seat configuration with 32 seats in total, in my opinion the best seats in this cabin are window seats on the front row (34) or 38 J/K.

 

38 J/K has the best legroom because it is an exit row, however a word of warning there is no under seat stowage and it is in close proximity to the Galley and Self Service Bar (May be an advantage depending, if you like a short walk to the chips and drinks)

 

Unfortunately the self service bar does not include alcohol; you still need to request this from a flight attendant.  

 

What about Premium Economy Flight attendants? There were at least to for our small 32 seat cabin and they were fabulous, very quick, able to help with all of my requests and very knowledgeable about the Qantas A380 aircraft, I spoke with one of them for 20 minutes or so about the aircraft and its features.

 

Qantas Premium Economy In-Flight Entertainment System

Just after the aircraft had taken then levelled off, flight attendants offered passengers hot refresher towels, I then decided to check out the A380s In-flight entertainment system. Qantas Premium Economy is equipped with a 26.9cm (10.6in) touch screen unit, its picture quality is outstanding beating the picture seen on most in-flight entertainment screens prior, I am sure this is because it using a digital as opposed to an analogue system, which provides a static free image.

 

 

 

The in-flight entertainment system is easy to operate but I found on some screen selections you need to double tap the item as the first tap highlights the item (Providing more information) then the second tap activates or plays that item.

 

The range of entertainment options was huge, everything from movies, TV series, music, documentaries, games and even business and language learning programs, Qantas claims to have over 1,000 audio and video on demand options, and I was not doubting them or taking the time to verify.

 

Noise cancelling headphones similar to ones found on other regular Qantas Business Class and Jetstar Star Class services were provided. They did a reasonable job of cancelling out unwanted noise but did not match the noise cancellation of either my Sennheiser PXC-250 or PXC-450 sets, so I quickly changed back to my PXC-450 set.

 

After playing with the in-flight entertainment system, it was time to catch up on some work, take notes for this review, and test out the laptop power.

 

Plugging my laptop into the in-seat power then attempting to power up my laptop, the first thing I noticed was the power light on my laptop power cable failed to light up laptop. From previous experience this generally happens if your laptop during start up draws more power than the outlet can supply, a laptop will generally draw 10Ampers or more at start-up. The trick here is to power your laptop up first, and then plug into the in-seat power outlet. After doing this the power light on my laptop’s transformer/brick lit up and I was in Business.

 

There has been much mentioned about Qantas’s cached and very limited internet service, but not having an network cable I could not test this out. This is something I will check and report on when I next get a flight on a Qantas A380 aircraft, hopefully by then Qantas will be offering a full internet service.

 

Qantas A380 Premium Economy Dining

Our Lunch option for the flight back to Sydney was Lamb curry with rice or Asian style chicken with noodles, served with bread roll, green bean salad, and a wide selection of wine, spirits, beer and soft drinks, in all honesty I found lamb curry to be a little bland, the stir fry chicken which my wife had was much better.

 

During the flight our flight attendants regular came thru asking if we wanted desert, drinks and/or snacks even though the mini-bar was not far away.

 

Qantas A380 Premium Economy trip Summary and Rating

If I am every in a situation where I cannot fly Business Qantas Premium Economy is a great option, the service was great, the aircraft fabulous, the seat and in-flight entertainment system far better and than I expected and I always have high expectations. Put simply I would be happy to fly Qantas A380 Premium Economy on any trip, and highly recommend for anyone who wants more than what standard economy offers, without having to pay for a Business Class fare.  I rate the experience better than both British Airway’s and Virgin Atlantic’s Premium Economy product. Full marks to Qantas and Airbus for making this flight a memorable experience.

 

 

 

My Score for the Qantas A380 Premium Economy Experience

Service	4/5
Seat	4.5/5
Dining	3.5/5
In-flight entertainment	4/5

 

Have you flown on Qantas's A380 in either Premium Economy, Business Class, First Class or Economy? How was your experience, we want to hear about your experience. Why not leave a comment below or post your review to the Business Travel Guru Airline Forum

Emirates pilots and cabin crews have been complaining that their new Airbus A380 planes are far too quite. Most passengers including myself would consider a quieter aircraft to be a plus, but it seems a quieter aircraft creates other noise issues.

 

The Blog FlightGlobal has reported pilots as saying:

 

” the lack of engine noise in the A380's cabin compared with other long-haul airliners means they are constantly disturbed by sounds created by passengers, such as crying babies, flushing vacuum toilets and call bells. Passengers also mistake the rest area for a lavatory, and pull the door handle.” “The Dubai-based carrier has asked Airbus for a solution that does not involve substantially adding weight, which rules out insulating the walls of the rest area, situated at the rear of the all-economy main deck”, says Emirates senior vice-president, fleet, Capt Ed Davidson. "We are expecting to hear back from them by the middle of the month," says Davidson, who admits that the airframer has "overdelivered" on its noise promises on the airline's Engine Alliance GP7200-powered A380s. One option could be installing lightweight generators to create ambient noise.”

 

 

You see low frequency plane noise (usually wind and engine noise) actually cuts out or makes the higher frequency internal cabin noise (people talking/kids screaming) seem less audible.

 

 

Have you flown on a Emirates, Singapore Airlines or Qantas A380, how was the internal cabin noise? Leave a comment below 

 

Today Emirates started flying Dubai to Heathrow with their new Airbus A380, this 489 seat aircraft will fly on flight numbers EK001 Dubai to London and EK002 for the return flight.

 

 

 

"We are delighted to bring our customers state-of-the-art comforts which are unmatched anywhere else in the world," says Emirates Airline president Tim Clark.

 

"Despite today's challenging economic environment, they have responded by booking every seat on our inbound and outbound flights."

 

"Owing to its environmentally-friendly performance, the Emirates A380s will make a huge contribution to Heathrow's efforts to reduce its overall emissions," says Clark.

 

This Airbus A380 is Emirates third; their first two A380 aircraft currently service Emirates Dubai to New York route

 

If you had to chose a name for each of the 20 future Airbus A380 aircraft that Qantas was about to put into service, what names would you chose and what criteria would you use for choosing?

Qantas has just completed its Qantas A380 naming program, where it asked members of the Australian public and aviation experts to help with the naming for all 20 of its future A380 fleet.

As you can imagine its no surprise that the list released today by Qantas chief executive officer Alan Joyce contained and honoured Australian Aviation Pioneers:

• Nancy-Bird Walton – the first woman to fly a commercial aviation service in Australia.
• Hudson Fysh – one of the founders of Qantas and the airline’s first Managing Director.
• Paul McGinness – one of the founders of Qantas.
• Fergus McMaster – one of the founders of Qantas and the first Chairman of the Company.
• Lawrence Hargrave – inventor of the box kite, linking four of these together in 1894 to fly 16 feet.
• Charles Kingsford Smith – Australia’s most famous aviator, who made the first trans-Pacific flight from the USA to Australia in 1928, and founded Australian National Airways Limited.
• Charles Ulm – Co-pilot, on Kingsford Smith’s record-breaking trans-Pacific flight between the USA and Australia in 1928 and co-founder of Australian National Airways Limited.
• Reginald Ansett – Founder of Ansett Airways Pty Ltd.
• David Warren – Inventor of the Black Box Flight Recorder.
• Bert Hinkler – Pilot of first solo flight from Britain to Australia in 1928.
• John and Reginald Duigan – First Australians to design, construct and fly a powered aircraft, in 1910.
• Phyllis Arnott – First Australian woman to gain a commercial pilot’s license.
• Keith McPherson Smith and Ross McPherson Smith – winners of the famous ‘Air Race’ between London and Australia in 1919.
• Lester Brain – Piloted one of the first Qantas routes in 1925 and ferried the first wartime Catalina Flying Boat delivered by Qantas Empire Airways in 1941. Later appointed General Manager of Trans-Australia Airlines in 1946.
• Lores Bonney – First woman to fly solo around Australia in 1932 and the first woman to fly solo from Australia to England, in 1933.
• Norman Brearley – Founder of Western Australian Airways Limited, which operated Australia’s first scheduled air service on 5 December 1921.
• P G Taylor – Navigator and co-pilot alongside Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm on many record-breaking flights between Australia and the United States and England and Australia. Taylor was awarded the Empire Gallantry Medal in 1937 for one of the most revered acts of bravery in the history of aviation.
• Scotty Allan – Co-pilot alongside Charles Ulm and P G Taylor on the 1933 record-breaking flight from England to Australia and later joined Qantas and flew DH86 aircraft on the Brisbane-Singapore route.
• John Flynn – Founder of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
• Gaby Kennard – First Australian woman to fly solo around the world in 1989.

HTC Touch Pro Launch - Last week I had the opportunity to attend the HTC Touch Pro PDA  launch in Sydney Australia, and Wow what a device, the applications and functionality for the Business User are simply superb.

 

 

 

 

The stand out features on the Touch Pro that should appeal to most business travellers:

 

• 6 Input methods including a Slide out QWERTY keyboard including on-screen keyboard with autocorrect, write to text, compact QWERTY keyboard


• Flip to voice mail Send incoming calls to Voice Mail simply by flipping the phone (Great for meetings)


• TV out that’s right before entering a meeting copy your presentation to your HTC Touch Pro and you can leave your Laptop in the hotel or office.


• VGA Video (640 X 480) Resolution


• Opera Web browser (yes same as the iPhone 3G) giving you true full page web browsing, with the ability to zoom in and out by tapping on an area of the webpage.


• FM Radio for when you want to listen to local radio stations

With only a limited play of the HTC Touch Pro I can see this device may be Ultimate Business Travellers Phone/PDA. I will literally be getting my hands and fingers on a review device in the next few weeks so drop back to the our gadget and Luggage review area soon to get the full story.

 

 

Judy Grimes the Travel Writer does just kidding on Saturday Night live, with tips on how travel hassle free, a bit of a laugh for the end of your travel week.

 

 

Following in the theme of yesterday I have also found a YouTube Video of the preparation & painting of Qantas’ A380, quiet interesting for all Qantas, Plane and A380 enthusiasts.

 

 

Today Qantas welcomed the arrival into Sydney of its first out of a total order of 20 Airbus A380s double-decker superjumbo aircraft. Its arrival in Australia dead on 9am on Sunday 21 September 2008, was delivered two years late due to engineering issues at Airbus.

 

Qantas’s first A380 will be officially named Nancy-Bird Walton at a naming ceremony in Sydney on Tuesday September 30, and will then be involved in pilot training and promotional flights around Australia in early October, before her first commercial flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles on 20 October 2008 and then a Sydney to Los Angeles flight on 24 October 2008.

 

Qantas also today launched a new TV Commercial featuring its new Airbus A380, the YouTube version of the video can be watched below: