Airbus A380: 5-star hotel on wings

Continuing the luxury-review posts series — Burj Al Arab: the most luxurious hotel in the world.



The Airbus A380 is a true wonder of modern engineering. It is the largest airliner ever made, with a carrying capability of up to 853 passengers. Being 50% wider than the Boeing 747, it's closest competitor, the Airbus has truly surpassed all previous achievements of plane construction and interior design.

A380's level of comfort (well, at least for business-class passengers) is remarkable. The entire upper-deck is dedicated for premium passengers. All seats can be transformed into full-sized beds (190 cm in length) with a pillow and a mattress. Each passenger has his own mini-bar and a full-sized, bartender-serviced bar is available at the rear of the plane. And on top of all, there are two shower cabins available during flight.

Sergey Dolya, one of Russia's top bloggers, flew with Emirates last week to tell us the story of how flights could look like in the future.


Business and economy class passengers access the plane through different jet bridges and stay on separate floors during the entire flight.



Each row has only 4 seats:







Passengers are given chair stickers so that the air steward would know what to do in case you fall asleep.



The seat can be transformed into a nearly-horizontal 190-cm long bed.



In front of each passenger there is a 17-inch touch screen, electric plug, 2 USB ports (for USB-charging or viewing photos) and a remote-control combined with a satellite phone.

Each seat has it's own wireless control device regulating the backrest angle, lighting level and massage-modes of the chair.



Several external video-cameras are available for viewing.



The back section of the plane accommodates a bar with free drinks and snacks.



Two couches with safety belts are installed along the walls.



Five toilets are located on the second floor and ten are on the first.



Besides the toilets, there are two shower-rooms for first-class passengers. Albeit you must book them one hour in advanced before usage and water is available for only 5 minutes.





First-class passengers have their own bar with better drinks but no bartender for some reason.



A grand staircase is located near the showers. It leads to the first floor where the economy class passengers and the pilots are seated.



On the first floor there are 396 passenger seats.



In the center of the cabin two rooms are dedicated for the crew to rest. Up to 9 persons can sleep here simultaneously.



Some additional facts about the airplane:

14 first-class seats, 76 business-class seats and 396 economy-class seats are located on board. A 7-hour flight is serviced by 27 crew members:

2 pilots
4 head stewards
4 first-class stewards
8 business-class stewards
8 economy-class stewards
1 bathhouse attendant, responsible for the showers

2 additional pilots and 1 extra bathhouse attendant are additionally employed for 14-hour long flights, making it a total of 30 crew members.

Wing span - 80 meters. Fuel stock - 240 tons. The minimum distance for an aircraft trailing an A380 is 11 km. Even Boeing 747 risks being overthrown in air if coming closer to this massive giant.

Engine noise can surprisingly be heard very faintly. The only thing interrupting the silence is the ventilation system on the ceiling.

And for those wondering about the price: return business-class ticket costs $2500, first-class costs $4000 (Dubai-Bangkok destination).


Photos and text (c) Sergey Dolya

Continuing the luxury-review posts series — Burj Al Arab: the most luxurious hotel in the world.