The Qantas A380 coming in to land over Manukau today. Photo / Pauline Smith
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Herald reporter Andrew Koubaridis was aboard this morning's A380 flight over Auckland.
At first glance it didn't look that big ... but as soon as we got close to Qantas' A380 and saw it alongside all the other planes it was obvious what a monster we were about to fly on.
First class passengers I spoke to said they couldn't
believe how much space they had. There are 14 private suites in the first class section, each of which have a dining room table and beds which allow passengers to lie down completely flat.
Back in business class - where I was sitting - the facilities were pretty impressive as well. The seats can fold back into beds and there's even a massage function for weary travellers.
Self-serve snack bars for the business and economy class passengers are another welcome addition for those who find themselves feeling peckish on a flight.
But perhaps the most impressive feature was the bird's eye view of the city afforded to passengers courtesy of a camera in the plane's tail.
The footage it captured could be viewed on the personal televisions installed in each seat and provided a unique view of this morning's takeoff - which was just as well because if we'd been relying on the usual firing-up of engine noises to let us know we'd left the ground, we'd have missed the moment all together.
That's right. All the rumours of the A380's legendary in-cabin quietness are true.
Even the passengers in economy class said they hardly heard a thing.
As we flew out over the Hauraki Gulf and then north to Whangarei, we were all party to some of the best views of the North Island outside of a postcard.
All of which made for a pretty spectacular flight - even for those who didn't manage to nab a window seat. And despite the first attempted landing having to be aborted because of wind sheer.
