Most Expensive Airline Tickets

While the world’s largest passenger plane is readied for its inaugural flight, Singapore Airlines are making a killing by selling tickets on eBay. Sold to an Australian man for over $100,000 USD, two tickets on the maiden commercial voyage of the Airbus A380 have become the most expensive airline tickets in the world.

The plane on which these expensive tickets will be used is a double-decker airliner with four engines. The A380 can carry up to 853 passengers in economy configuration or 525 in the usual three-class configuration. These accommodations, eclipsing those of Boeing’s 747, have earned the airliner classification as a superjumbo plane.

The Airbus A380

While the world’s most expensive airline tickets are being auctioned off in 2007, the plane’s first flight was actually in 2005. During its test flight from Toulouse, France, the plane was flown by only six people. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft toured Southeast Asia and Australia for additional testing and promotional purposes.

Boeing has its own superjumbo offering in the works—the 787 Dreamliner. Unfortunately for them, while both companies have been dogged with delays to their superjumbo craft, the Dreamliner won’t be entering service until 2008.

Singapore made great preparations to welcome the world’s largest plane Airbus A380, European consortium that is all set to fly next week to carve another laurel in its record-history. After its flight to Singapore and then Changi Airport, the plane made its first commercial flight to Sydney on 25 October. At an investment of $13 billion, this double-decker aircraft took more than seven years.

True, its entry is the after the gap of two-years behind the scheduled year of 2005 but this feature-packed revolutionary jetliner justify the delay. The plane has been discovered as a highly fuel-efficient aircraft offering silent cabin in all large passenger jets. The entry of the jet is like a golden feather to the existing fleet of Singaporean AIRLINES.

The front side of the plane is equipped with 12 first class luxury groups with each offering elite amenities including a proper bed, a 23-inch flat panel TV, working table, a lounge chair and epicurean food. Out of the 12, two suites are privileged with double bed facility.

For the business class, the upper deck accommodates 60 passengers on unique seats that can be molded into a horizontal bed. Around 399 seats are offered for economy class spread over both decks, assuring even the lowest ticket to the jet would be offered the comfort of leg room and knee room.

Singapore Airlines showed its interest in A380 when it was just a concept in September 2000. The placed order of 10 A380s was increased to 15 and then 19 in July 2006. For this value addition, the order of 19 jets including engines and sundry would cost $5.7 billion. Airbus was to deliever the order of 13 planes to Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines and Quantas 2008, 25 in 2009, and 45 in 2010.