The Airbus A380 is one of the most iconic and striking aircraft of the 21st century, with its double-deck design and quadjet configuration making it one of the world’s most visually distinctive airliners. Meanwhile, passengers love its spacious cabin, low noise levels, and smooth ride, while carriers introduced innovative new premium cabins when they took delivery of these planes. Although few are in service, the A380 is one of the few commercial aircraft types to transcend the aviation industry and become a cultural icon.

Operators use the A380 as a flagship aircraft, which means it almost always features a first class cabin. In fact, while Airbus frequently marketed the A380 as capable of efficiently carrying over 550 passengers, most airlines used the plane as a premium-heavy flagship, and some carriers even configured their A380s with under 500 seats. But while first class is present on almost all A380s, there are some unique elements to these cabins on the superjumbo.

5

Not Every A380 Has A First Class Cabin

The reasons for this vary

Credit: Shutterstock

This admittedly contradicts the previous point about the A380’s role as a flagship, because two airlines do not install first class on the A380: Emirates and Asiana Airlines. For Asiana, however, the reason is a simple change in business strategy. The carrier did install a first class cabin when it took delivery of its A380s, and the planes still feature 12 of these seats to this day. However, Asiana discontinued first class as part of its commercial strategy, and now sells these seats as a ‘business class plus’ upgrade.

Emirates, meanwhile, is world-famous for the extravagant onboard experience that it provides on its A380s, complete with wood paneling, gold trim, and an onboard bar, along with luxurious first class suites and first class showers. However, the carrier took delivery of 15 A380s that do not feature a first class cabin, a smaller business class cabin consisting of 58 business class seats, and 615 seats in total. These aircraft serve high-volume but low-yielding destinations.

Emirates can do this because of its unique network, and it also works within its fleet, as it operates 116 A380s, which make up about 40% of its fleet. These planes are here to stay, too, as the carrier is refurbishing them to feature a 56-seat premium economy cabin and 76 business class seats, up from 58. Total capacity will go down from 615 to 569, although they will remain the highest-density A380s in the world, and they won’t receive a first class cabin.

4

Two Airlines Offer An Elevated First Class Cabin On The A380

Both products are marketed as being above first class

Credit: Shutterstock

Singapore Airlines was the launch customer for the A380, and when it began planning its cabins for the superjumbo, it decided that first class wouldn’t be good enough. Instead, the top-end cabin on its double-deckers would be larger, with sliding doors, and would be branded as the ‘Singapore Suites’, slotting above its first class. In 2017, it redesigned the Singapore Suites, introducing a bespoke seat on the upper deck (as opposed to the lower deck) configured two-abreast with just one aisle.

However, while the Singapore Suites are marketed as an elevated product compared to first class (currently offered on its 777-300ER), the product essentially serves the same role as first class for Singapore Airlines, but denotes a different seat on the A380. Etihad Airways, on the other hand, offers first class on its A380s, as well as the higher-end ‘Residence’. This is a three-room suite that includes a separate bedroom and private shower suite, using the space of one first class seat and part of the forward crown area, where seats cannot be installed.

One other common element between Singapore Airlines’ A380s and Etihad’s superjumbos is that both configured first class two-abreast with a single aisle on these jets. Etihad was the first carrier to do so, introducing the ‘First Apartments’ in 2014, although the Singapore Suites offer slightly more space to each passenger. These are the only two airlines in the world to install such a cabin, and it works only because the A380’s sheer size means these massive suites don’t dramatically impact overall capacity, which wouldn’t be the case on any other airliner.

3

You Can Find Double Beds On The A380

Returning to Etihad and Singapore

Credit: Shutterstock

The Etihad First Apartments and Singapore Suites are quite similar, in that both seats are essentially large ‘boxes’ configured in a 1-1 layout. Both products alternate between forward- and rear-facing and offer a separate seat and bed. The bed runs the width of the suite, and because some suites face each other, passengers essentially sleep right next to one another. As such, Etihad installed a partially retractable partition in the First Apartments, creating a partial double bed.

For Singapore Airlines, however, this wasn’t good enough. Even on its original Singapore Suites, the center seats could convert into a full double bed, and this was carried over with the 2017 model. With the new Singapore Suites, the dividing partition fully retracts, allowing passengers in seats 1A/2A and 1F/2F to sleep on a true double bed with no obstacles separating them. To date, only two other airlines have replicated this feature.

Lufthansa’s Allegris first class, currently only found on the A350-900 but set to roll out to other aircraft types in the future, features a large center suite with an extra-wide seat and a double bed. However, this concept has received mixed reviews, since the execution essentially requires both partners to be on the same schedule. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways offers a double bed in its QSuite business class. However, while it’s become more common, Etihad and Singapore Airlines were pioneers with this feature.

2

Showers Can Only Be Found On The A380

Available on both full-service Emirati carriers

Credit: Shutterstock

While airlines have experimented with new amenities and features for premium cabins, no one has attempted a shower on a commercial airplane because of the weight and complexity. In 2008, however, when Emirates took delivery of its first A380, it introduced shower suites for its first class passengers. Each first class-equipped A380 has two of these, offering five minutes of running water, and the shower suites are truly opulent, with heated floors and toiletries.

Etihad Airways joined the club in 2014 with its A380s, which also feature two shower suites. However, while they also offer five minutes of running water, the suites are simply much smaller and less visually impressive than those found on Emirates’ double-deckers. In addition, passengers in the First Apartments can access only one shower suite, while the second lavatory does not have a shower. First class passengers on Emirates’ A380s, meanwhile, have access to two shower suites and a third, standard lavatory.

As previously mentioned, Etihad installs two shower suites on the A380, and the second one is reserved solely for the Residence. It’s essentially the same as the shower suite for passengers in the First Apartments, but it also includes heated floors, which are omitted on the other shower suite. While the shower room itself isn’t as impressive as those offered by Emirates, the Residence as a whole is unlike anything else in commercial aviation, since the living room, bedroom, and shower suite are reserved solely for the one or two passengers traveling in the Residence.

1

First Class Isn’t Being Modernized On The A380

For the most part

Credit: Shutterstock

While the cabins airlines introduced on the A380 were industry-leading 15 years ago, many carriers now view the A380 as an oversized behemoth with no future. Most operators have let the interiors on these planes age and have not announced intentions to modernize their A380s. Lufthansa is retrofitting its A380s with off-the-shelf business class seats (not the Allegris seats) but is not updating first class, while Korean Air is working on a new first class specifically for its A350s, 777s, and 787s, but not its A380s or 747s.

Emirates is working on a new first class seat for its A380s, but it’s unclear how similar this will be to the ‘Game Changer’ suites that will be found on the Boeing 777-9, and there’s also no timeline. In addition, carriers like Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines have not announced plans to update the interiors on their A380s. For some airlines, this is because these planes will be retired by the 2030s, but the A380 also comes with extremely high refurbishment costs due to its immense size.

The other airline confirmed to be updating its A380 cabins is British Airways, but unlike Emirates, its interiors are imminent. The carrier has designed a clean-sheet first class suite for its double-deckers, which will also be present on the Boeing 777-9, and these aircraft will also feature new seats in all cabins, including Club Suites. Furthermore, British Airways will reconfigure these planes with 110 business class seats across the entire upper deck, while first class will remain on the main deck.