TravelSkills was out on the runways at SFO to watch the first British Airways A380 touch down (Chris McGinnis)
San Francisco International took on its fourth A380 flight on Sunday afternoon (March 29) when British Airways flight 287 touched down on a perfect spring day– and TravelSkills was there on the runway to watch the big bird touch down!
In addition to the new British Airways arrival, there are now three more A380s calling on SFO: Air France (Paris), Emirates (Dubai), and Lufthansa (Frankfurt).
TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis was out on the runway on Sunday to watch to big bird land! Watch the 30 second clip here or see below.
BA’s A380 will operate as BA286 from SFO to London on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The same flight on Tuesdays and Wednesdays will continue to be operated by a Boeing 747, as will the carrier’s second daily flight the BA284.
British Airways served 500 cupcakes adorned with A380 photos to passengers in boarding area (Chris McGinnis)
A British Airways A380 carries 469 passengers– 14 in first class (on the main, or lower deck), 97 in business class (split between upstairs and downstairs), 55 in premium economy (on on the upper deck), and 303 in economy (both upper and lower decks).
BA’s A380 has 111 first or business class seats, plus a lot more room for elite level members of its Executive Club and Oneworld alliance programs. Compare that to its 747 with just 84 first/business class seats (299 seats total).
British Airways intends to squeeze in another floor at its SFO lounge (Chris McGinnis)
A larger plane means that the BA Terraces Lounge at SFO is barely large enough to comfortably accommodate the larger crowd. As a result, a BA spokesperson told TravelSkills that plan are currently underway add a third floor to its existing Terraces Lounge at SFO’s Boarding Area A (Int’l). Renovations should be complete within a year or so.
BA has a word of warning about A380-related crowding on its website. While I have been unable to confirm, I expect that “alternatives” mentioned here might include use of its Oneworld partner JAL or Cathay Pacific lounges nearby.
Lounge regulars should also know that when flying on BA’s new A380, there is no longer a private boarding area as there is with 747 flights. Due to its size, the A380 must dock at gate A9 at the end of the concourse, not in front of the lounge like its 747s do.
Related: Riding on the Red Carpet Route to London (BA A380)
British Airways’ signature forward & rear facing business class seat. Note window bins on upper deck (Chris McGinnis)
I think best business class and economy seats on BA’s A380 plane are on the upper deck. Why? In business class, the front and rear facing seats are configured 2-3-2– narrower than on the main deck where it’s 2-4-2 with two middle seats. Plus, window seats on the main deck in all classes do not get the special bins underneath windows (due to curvature of the fuselage).
Best economy class seats are rows 81-83 at the rear of the upper deck (Chris McGinnis)
The best economy class seats on the plane are at the back of the upper deck– rows 80-83, which is a small intimate cabin that feels almost private, plus it’s very quiet due to its distance from the engines. There’s also one economy seat on the main deck, 25D, that does not have a seat in front of it.
(On BA economy and business class, you can choose seats 24 hours ahead of your flight for free; otherwise you must pay a fee to reserve a specific seat. Details.)
British Airways premium economy seat on upper deck configured 2-3-2 (Chris McGinnis)
British Airways posh First class can be yours for $10K round trip (Chris McGinnis)
Currently fares for May round trips between SFO and London Heathrow are $1275 in economy, $2,200 in premium economy, around $7,000 in business class and $10,000 in first class.
More good news: More premium seats on BA’s A380 mean that it could be easier to redeem miles for these trips.
Related: Riding on the Red Carpet Route LAX to London (BA A380)
Did you miss our recent Weekend Editions? No probs! Here are the links:
In Case You Missed It…
- Should airlines use robots to disinfect their aircraft?
- Trip report: Chris samples Aer Lingus’ new business class.
- New website finds hotels’ unpublished discount rates
- Should flight attendants wake up sleeping passengers?
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I booked seats in premium economy with Air France and there wasn’t any addition fee for seat selection, including the exit rows.
I really don’t get why this is capital letters CRAZY to you? Consider the college kid travelling on a low budget who simply wants to get from A to B as cheaply as possible; she will not agree with your policy of including seat selection in the price of the ticket.
Instead, the airlines are starting to let people choose which additional services they would like to purchase. Everyone who buys a ticket gets transportation to their destination. Then there are a number of additional services that each passenger has the choice to purchase or not purchase depending on their priorities: advance seat selection, wifi, premium economy, alcoholic beverages, pre-boarding, etc. Personal choice is nice, don’t you think?
Five years ago I learned AFTER I had purchased tickets that BA was a charging $90 per seat per segment for advance seat selection in business class. I was livid that they had been so deceptive. Later my wife and I had to change our plans. I canceled, she changed her dates. Because she was flying to Kampala, Uganda, she was required to present herself in person at SFO to purchase her new ticket. In the process I had several phone calls with BA, each of which involved a 15+ minute hold.
I then consulted a travel agency, AirTreks, who booked the flights and the seats without charging the $90 per segment seat selection fees and who charged the tickets to my credit card. I have used AirTreks ever since for BA bookings, with total satisfaction.
BA charges for pre-selecting all seats including Business Class. Does any other airline do that
Would love to fly both the A380 and the 787. Business Class seats look great but gosh, $7 grand??? Always a dreaded fee in which you could either put a down payment on a Lexus or fly pain-free for ten hours.
Hey Citi– seems to be more prevalent among european carriers, but we see the same thing here– non elites on some airlines have to pay extra to reserve specific seats. –chris
Chris – what is with the new trend of the long int’l flights having to pay an extra fee to reserve a seat more then 24 hours in advance? It’s CRAZY! I had to pay an extra $100+ to book my Lufthansa seats… sorry, on a 11 hour flight, I want to know where I’m sitting in advance. Just charge extra on the ticket… don’t nickel & dime me. Plus, the info about this was not clear on Lufthansa’s website. I do enjoy the A380 flight though.
“It could be easier to redeem miles for these trips.”
I’ll believe it when I see it: I’ve found award availability with Avios to be minimal, unless booking about 9-12 months out. A real disappointment. Much, much worse than UA, AA or DL.