Maiden Voyage/A380

Imagine a cruise ship that flies. A huge wing span. A spacious interior that lets you stand up straight. Wide aisles. Modern everything! But what is truly amazing about the A380 Airbus flight I experienced this morning was the smooth, unbelievably quiet ride. It glided into the air without a ripple or hiccup. There was so much room, people gathered in groups in the aisles of all three classes. The day was perfect to fly because it was so clear and sunny. Some guests were conducting video interviews, others stared at the giant wings, and some tested every possible angle of their seat. One of the funniest moments was seeing a videographer lying flat on his back in a first class seat. The minute we boarded, cameras came out of suit pockets and handbags. Everyone had a look of surprise and delight on their faces, because this was real excitement. A little piece of history in the making. But what I'll never forget was the taxi back to hangar as we passed baggage handlers, security, port authority workers, police. For a minute, they stopped what they were doing to look at this new bird. They waved. They took pictures. And I realized no one is immune to the thrill of seeing something incredible for the first time!

Two sides to everything

While Customer Relations has received mostly positive feedback concerning passenger expectations of the A380, there have been a handful of skeptics who declared to us that they will never fly such a large plane. Some think that its size and majesty is just too showy, and others simply fear the worst case scenario.

Being an American and watching the news gives me a small scared streak too. But having loved every flight since my first at age 10, I know that if I ever get the chance to go on board this plane I must take it.

To detractors I would also point out that it was Lufthansa crew who successfully evacuated over 500 passengers in under 90 seconds during safety tests with Airbus. That fact plus the obsessive commitment to safety and maintenance that I have seen firsthand on many occasions gives me full confidence on any flight my colleagues operate.

Update: Lufthansa crew actually completed this test at full capacity, that is to say with 853 passengers on board!

What do you think?

Real tests or just a PR campaign

Last year we saw Airbus' technical route proving program with several trips across the world but not to the US. The commercial route proving program we are facing in the next days is an important test and development step. Airbus and Lufthansa conduct this program jointly to simulate realistic conditions and gain knowledge that will smooth the introduction of the new aircraft by airlines.

After almost a year of negative publicity around the Airbus A380 program, I have the impression that this route proving program boosts the project again at least as regards Lufthansa employees ;). More than 13,000 participated in an internal sweepstakes for free tickets on one of the test flights. So I guess the flights are beyond all the tests a PR campaign particularly here in the USA.

Airbus even launched a new microsite to inform the public about the route proving program. Let's see whether it will really feature comments of passengers.. as announced in the 'share'-section.

Butterflies starting

I lay awake in bed last night, thinking about the events next week, about the aircraft, the security, the scores of people who are eager just to catch a glimpse. And I got suddenly nervous - afraid that someone will ask me a question I can't answer or that I won't do something right. So when I finally managed to fall asleep I spent most of the night trapped in a terrible dream: I had half an hour to report to the terminal Monday morning, and I did not own any navy blue slacks.

Those of us working the event for Lufthansa have already received navy blue A380 polo shirts which we are to wear with navy slacks. In my dream, I raced from store to store in the nearest mall, throwing things off the shelves in desperation, and no store I could find had a plain pair of navy slacks. It felt like the longest dream ever.

The smell of my husband's pancakes thankfully woke me, but not before the feeling of terror disappeared completely.

Can't hardly wait

The A380 makes its American debut next week with arrivals on both coasts. At New York's JFK International Airport, Lufthansa will host the Eastern appearance of what some aviation enthusiasts refer to as "Airboss" - an apt name for the single largest passenger aircraft ever built.

There is significant interest in the craft's arrival, both inside and outside the aviation industry. Repeated mentions and threads on travel blogs and forums, as well as an influx of customer inquiries and internal discussions, have proven that. Everyone isn't invited to the events at JFK next week, but nearly everyone wishes they were. Fortunately, some of us are, and we want to share the whole thing here, with everyone who can't be there for whatever reason.

Then who am I?

My name is Michelle, and I do work for Lufthansa. I started in reservations ten years ago, moving later to technical support, and finally wound up under Marketing in Customer Relations. (Some of you may remember me from rec.travel.air.) While I'm not an aircraft buff, there is little that renders me quite as speechless as the sight of an aircraft at cruising altitude, and I am certain that the sight of the A380 will steal my breath altogether.

I managed to convince some of my colleagues to join me in relating the A380 debut experience through this blog. We invite your comments and open discussion (friendly and respectfully of course) and look forward to sharing our fascination with you!