A380 Makes a Big Impression in Los Angeles

Because of my emergency landing I missed QANTAS’ A380 party last night. To cover the historic landing we sent Marc Meredith into the field. Here’s his report:

Airbus' A380 jet landed this morning at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), it was the first ever visit to the west coast and as it touched down, another A380 was arriving in New York at JFK.

The plane was met by a huge crowd gathered on the north side of the airport. Visible while it was still more than a mile away, it grew larger by the second and came into full view just before set down, seemingly without effort. I was amazed at the plane's graceful landing and how quiet the engines were.

Immediately after arrival the A380 taxied to the south side of LAX for a private arrival ceremony though it was still visible from Imperial Highway. It ended its first day in Los Angeles by taxing to the Tom Bradley International Terminal where it will spend the night before departing tomorrow evening at approximately 7PM local time. Other news outlets have reported that its take off will be visiable from Dockweiler State Beach.

More than two years overdue to its "lauch" customers, which include QANTAS (the sponsor of LAX's plane), Lufthansa, Singapore and Malaysian Airlines, the A380 is a marvel to see. In a three class configuration it will seat approximately 555 passengers. Not since the introduction of Boeing's 747 series has a new "jumbo" jet made it into production.

The first commercial flights to Los Angeles are scheduled to begin in 2008.

By Marc Meredith who lives and works in Los Angeles. When he's not thinking about planes or the next place he wants to travel he's the Dean of Admissions at Otis College of Art and Design.