I was late to the A380 party.
It took a move to Australia from the US, a passport itching for some stamps and a steady stream of family Christmases back home before I boarded one of Airbus’s double-decker behemoths a decade ago.
Since its sensational commercial launch in 2007, the A380 has become a ubiquitous travel companion to many Australians, awed to see a twin set of stairs leading to a mysterious upper deck. Even for a nation that is used to long-haul flights, stepping onboard makes you feel a bit like Jonah, riding inside a flying whale at 35,000 feet.
For those living under the flight path in Sydney, its quad engines are known as conversation-stoppers or TV-pausers as the superjumbo roars in and out of town. Where are they going? And how do I hitch a ride?
But those days are numbered after Qantas said it would start retiring its A380s in 2028, four years ahead of schedule, due to high maintenance costs and a new fleet of next-gen jets ready for some gate space.
Plane nerds collect airlines and aircraft like Pokémon cards, and while I’m more of a semi-regular traveller than a frequent flyer, I’ve still flown a solid 500,000 miles over the last 10 years. And the A380 has always felt like a treat, with the thrill knowing there’s an entire floor of seating above or below you.
Qantas flew its first A380 in 2008, hailed at the time as a landmark moment for the national carrier. The jet was met in Los Angeles by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta, with the one-time Danny Zuko and longtime pilot saying at the time it was “just an awesome plane”.
Actor and Qantas ambassador John Travolta with an A380 in Brisbane in 2005, the year of the airline’s 85th anniversary. Photograph: Heather Faulkner/AFP/Getty Images
And for a long time, that rang true: quiet cabins, windows that feel more like portholes and the vibe that you’re someone, going somewhere. A ride on an A380 harkened back to a bygone era of travel that was more adventurous than onerous.
Most of us, myself included, are probably booking sale fares on the cheapest-but-nicest airline we can afford, despite the glitz and glam of business cabins that seem to dominate my Instagram algorithm (and the entire top floor of A380s in some airlines’ configurations).
But the A380 has long remained the economy aircraft of choice. The planes aren’t just big, they feel big. If you’re going to be trapped in a tin can for 15 hours, it’s nice to feel like you have room to breathe something other than your neighbour’s air. One mother of young children tells me she has spent many, many hours in the roomy back section of the plane, entertaining her toddlers away from sleeping fellow passengers.
Despite all this, the A380 – notably Qantas’s – have had some ageing issues, and their retirement seems like it’s coming at a good time.
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My last two trips to the US on Qantas A380s have been less than ideal: a maintenance issue stranded me in Dallas overnight, and flights to Texas and from California a few weeks ago felt more like being on an old bus. The TV screens were annoying, the seats were fraying around the edges and everything had an air of forgotten glamour. Some poor souls were recently stuck in South Africa for three days due to a mechanical issue on their A380 (they were compensated and refunded).
Maybe that’s travel in this economy. But stints on Emirates and Singapore Airlines’ A380s still sparkle and it seems Qantas has known for a while that its superjumbos were not long for this world.
Still, it’s hard to say goodbye for those who’ve spent hours on seat selection websites, dreaming of ways to use points or hoard pennies in the hope that someday, maybe, you’ll climb those stairs to the upper deck.
For now, we have a couple of years to make the most of one of the best aircraft to take to the skies. And for the lucky among us, maybe the next generation of ultra long-range jetliners will herald a new era of adventure. Or some fresh hell back in cattle class. But it’s worth it if you’re going somewhere, right?
Nick Visser is a live blogger and reporter for Guardian Australia
