After several years of no new orders for the A380, Airbus finally got some life back into the program when they ended last year with an announcement that All Nippon Airways will be purchasing three A380 aircraft. I suspect they were somewhat strong-armed into purchasing them, given that it was likely related to Skymark's bankruptcy.…
Continue reading: ANA’s A380 Will Feature First Class (And More Details)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Hawaii sounds really unrealistic.
I'd bet they will eventually fly the A380s to to other destinations, if they actually do end up operating A380s long term.
@Tom, why is Hawaii unrealistic? They have a few frequencies over there during peak season, the A380 seems a more than adequate plane for that market, considering the slot restrictions in Japan.
@Tom: Japanese people love Hawaii. (I don't really get the reason but they do.) It is kinda embedded in the Japanese culture. Also note that there are high Japanese populations in Hawaii as well. It is very reasonable that ANA flies their A380 to Hawaii. There is a strong demand, indeed.
@Samantha Turner
Well - it's functional is how I describe it based on my flights on ANA's First, which works for them since I have usually only observed business-oriented folks in the cabin with me. Food's not bad (the Kaiseki meal is so-so, but rather just save space for my favorite joints to dine), but I avoid airline food in general so have sampled very little of the actual food. So, functional but not necessarily spectacular or memorable, which is fine.
I've found ANA First to be very much mediocre. Like Jared said, the Kaiseki is so-so, the seat looks and feels like a cubicle, and the service is not as good as Cathay or Singapore.
Really? I thought ANA offers a good service. The suite isn't quite as warm in terms of the finishing as other suites, but it's still comfortable and private. The food is pretty good by airline standards, and I like the service. It's a nice mix of Singapore and Cathy styles; they're not patrolling the aisles every 3 minutes but they also don't wait in the galley until someone hits the call button.
Personally I think JAL first is much better than ANA. They do give you caviar, and have Salon 2004 (use to be 2002) champagne. Not cheap stuff at all.
Also very nice amenity kits and the most comfortable pajamas.
For some reason though ANA still has 5 stars from Skytrax..... JAL needs those 5 stars also.
actually, come to think of it, I was served caviar on 4/6 flights...not sure why the inconsistency.
@Pavlov - sorry mate. I know you cringe when I call the stuff that airlines serve "caviar."
JAL F/J over ANA F/J any day. But oddly, ANA Y over almost any other carrier besides Air NZ.
What is not clear to me, is that there are three A380 frames already built in Toulouse, for skymark. Anyone know why ANA isn't getting them more or less immediately?
I have to wait until 2019 for this?
Are the skymark A380's future orders? When will ANA get them?
@Prudens C.Yes I believe the Japanese initially started a route to Hawaii in 1942 but was quickly discontinued due to technical issues.
Haven't the AF people completely renovated their A380 F class since you last flew it, Lucky? Can you still really claim to have flown every available A380 F class?
@Sileko
As I recall the first flight arrived on the morning of December 7th the previous year. The most interesting thing about that flight is that is must have originated on December 8th, given the location of the International Date Line. Nothing else interesting about it at all.