Airbus just posted this video of the A380, and it is just a highlight real. Four and a half minutes of A380s from a multitude of different operators taxing, flying, embarking and disembarking passengers, etc. Just footage and music with an occasional text overlay extolling various virtues of the aircraft.
It is pretty, but I have to wonder if the timing has anything to do with Boeing about to begin delivering B747-8 Intercontinental’s to airlines. The first B747-8I is expected to be delivered to Lufthansa by the end of April. (They delivered one last month, but it is for an undisclosed VVIP operator – reportedly the government of Qatar. And it is off for a couple of years of customization before entering operation.) One of the claims that pops up in the video is that the A380 is the most efficient wide body. Which I believe is true – until the B747-8I enters service, as Boeing claims it is more efficient.
The A380 has never quite looked right to me. I mean, it is an impressive aircraft and a fantastic feat of engineering, but the height of the double-decker fuselage in ratio to the length makes it look kind of stubby. It reminds me of something you’d see as a super-deformed design in anime. It’ll just take some getting used to.
