Flight ticket on Superjumbo is auctioned for over $8000
A one-way ticket on the first commercial flight of the Airbus A380 from Singapore to Sydney has attracted bids of over $8,000 on the second day of the auction, with bids expected to reach high levels. Singapore Airlines will receive the jumbo plane, form Toulouse, on 15 October and have taken the unusual step of placing three quarters of the tickets (for the outward and return journeys) onto the auction house, Ebay.
The bidding started at $3.80 for an economy one-way ticket and had reached $5,000 by 28 August, whilst the one way business class ticket reached a bid of $8,159. The auction lasts for a period of two weeks and proceeds of the auctions are going to a number of charities, such as “Doctors without Borders” and children’s hospitals in Sydney. After 2 weeks of delays, the maiden flight takes place on 25 October from Singapore to the Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, and a return flight on the next day.
The Airbus A380 is far more spacious and provides more legroom than traditional aircraft, having two decks that extend the full length of the fuselage. The plane can provide more facilities for passengers such as a bars, beauty salons, duty-free shops and even casinos!
Although the Airbus or Superjumbo is large, it has been built to be used at airports that having runways fit for a Boeing 747. More room may be required for taxi-ing though as the plane has a large wingspan.
The plane is built in separate sections in Spain, France, Germany and the UK with the parts put together in Toulouse in France . The plane has been assessed to be in line with environmental standards and has used cleaner technologies to ensure that waste and emissions are reduced. The plane has been hailed as the “21st century jetliner”.