Did you know that there is a 50% off sale on Airbus A380’s? Sadly, even with the markdown, they haven’t sold one to a passenger airline in over a year and there is no sign of that changing anytime soon. Smaller, smarter and more fuel efficient with accessibility to more destinations, that’s the way things are going. There is a little known fact in the airline industry: planes are relatively inexpensive to buy, but maintenance contracts to keep them in flight are tremendously expensive. Four engines mean more fuel, more potential problems and thus more need for maintenance. I know what you are thinking; Luftansa, Qatar, Emirates, Singapore, Korean, Air France, Asiana, Thai and Qantas all have one; so why would the Airbus A380 disappear? Running an airline is expensive. Flying the largest jumbo passenger jet in the world, half empty, is really expensive. If you enjoy the Airbus A380 for its sheer size or its state of the art cabin, make an extra effort to fly it because it won’t last forever. In case you were banking on getting a ride from Prince Al Waleed Bil Talal of Saudi Arabia on his “palace in the sky”, he’s cancelled his order too.

In time, the A380 will follow the likes of its predecessor Boeing 747, the first jumbo jet, which is now being phased out of virtually every airline fleet across the globe. Boeing has for the most part now ceased production of the 747 and Airbus did not receive an A380 order in 2014 and has yet to in 2015. Airlines love full planes and they want more people flying on them, from more cities worldwide. When planes are near capacity, airlines charge more for the remaining seats; and on smaller, more fuel efficient jets, their profit margin rises as fuel costs drop. The list of operators flying the Airbus A380 is an impressive “who’s who” in luxury airlines, but there is a fundamental flaw: not one of them is a North American carrier. 

Everyone thought that the aircraft would pick up an order from a North American airline and become wildly popular, but it never happened, nor with a South American or African carrier for that matter. The truth is, most airlines only serve their longest haul destinations once or twice a day at best. They simply don’t have need for many aircraft of such magnitude, and have opted for smaller planes and more of them. The 380′ was designed to allow airlines to condense multiple flights into one, saving them a take off and landing slot, but the market has predominantly not responded. In the end, numbers have shown that on the most potentially effective A380 routes, like those of the US to Japan or China, that virtually no one has adopted the plane. Asian and North American carriers have instead opted for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, or the soon to hit the skies Airbus A350, the Dreamliner’s direct competitor. Many airlines believe that the key for expansion is presence in emerging travel markets. The accessibility of having a smaller aircraft using less fuel means more runways in more cities to which they can fly. 

Don’t get me wrong, you will still see the A380 gracing our skies for a long time to come. There are presently only 138 of them in the world and once previous orders are filled, I simply don’t think there will be many more. For comparison sake, the 787 Dreamliner is newer and has already delivered 235 planes in service, with another 836 on the way. Instead of becoming the staple of the long haul skies, the A380 has become a niche product of the ultra luxury airlines on their longest hauls. If continued technology creates more efficient planes, they will become more novelty than niche, and eventually, will face extinction like the 747. 

I am sadly yet to fly the A380, and don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance. Since I was a kid I cherished jumbo jets and was fascinated by the likes of the 747. Even though its old and wrinkly, I still get a kick out of flying on it or seeing it in the sky. The first time I saw the A380 approaching over New York, I thought the aliens had landed and I have wanted to fly it every day since. If you are an airline executive from Emirates, Singapore, Lufthansa, Qatar, Air France, Asiana, Korean Air or Qantas, give a kid a chance? I’ll write a nice review with pretty pictures…. 

Email me ; ) godsavethepoints@gmail.com

Gilbert Ott

Gilbert Ott is an ever curious traveler and one of the world's leading travel experts. His adventures take him all over the globe, often spanning over 200,000 miles a year and his travel exploits are regularly...

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165 Comments

  1. Rule #1 if youre trying to score some free airplane rides for an airline executive. Do not compare north american airlines to emirates, lufthansa or singapore.

    1. Haha Edo… To true. I promise I\’m not trying to compare. It\’s like holiday inns to four seasons. Just noting a demand shortage and an industry shift. Thanks for reading and if you are an airline exec, forgive me ; )

  2. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  3. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  4. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  5. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  6. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  7. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

    1. There is probably a lot of truth to this David. I think in general the plane has great use on certain routes but there just isn\’t demand for as many as they\’d hoped. Thanks for reading and joining the conversation. Best!

  8. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  9. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  10. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  11. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  12. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  13. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  14. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  15. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  16. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  17. The US airlines are all bust, broke. If they had the cash, they would buy the A380. BA, VS, LUFTHANSA and others are already flying them to and from the US. They are quiet and huge, good to fly from a pax point of view.. although i still prefer the 747 – which is still being made and sold by BOEING as the 747 8 series.

  18. Interesting point of view.

    I see this a little differently. If you look at who has bought this plane, it’s traditional ‘hub’ airlines who have to maximise their slots at hubs to ensure that each flight has the most seats sold on it. If you consider that BA, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Singapore, Qantas, Malaysian and Thai are all players on the long haul, hub to hub market, I think you have the answer. This plane was always intended to serve that market. Looking at the BA use case, they fly them to JFK, SFO, LAX, MIA and JXB now. All hubs where slots must be maximised. They’re also premium routes where the superior economy class of the 380 comes into play.

    Contrast that with the US airlines who are following the Southwest model that you suggest of going to more airport with smaller planes. There is no need for an A380 inside of the continental US for any of the carriers. Flight frequency takes care of it as well as passenger numbers.

    I’d say that all of the purchases of this plane came early from those looking to get ahead on the premium routes and for me they have. They’re offering a superior product in all classes using the enhanced space. This is probably why the 747-8 is now selling as well. It’s justifying the market is still there.

    My 2cents.

    1. Gareth, fantastic view point. I don’t disagree with a single thing said. I am looking into getting the experience because it has astoundingly great reviews. Thanks very much for sharing and reading. Please continue to be part of the discussion.

      Best,

      Gib // GodSaveThePoints

    2. Gareth, fantastic view point. I don\’t disagree with a single thing said. I am looking into getting the experience because it has astoundingly great reviews. Thanks very much for sharing and reading. Please continue to be part of the discussion.

      Best,

      Gib // GodSaveThePoints

  19. How many 747 ‘ s are being scrapped or layed up as inefficient because they have old engines and boeing is stopping producing after making air flow 1 president taxi

    1. Pretty much all. I totally agree that the 747 is done. I think its just a sign of the times that the 380 isn\’t as popular as expected and could eventually face a similar fate, though it could be a while… Thanks for reading.

  20. BA don’t fly the A380 to JFK, and Virgin Atlantic don’t have an A380, they are more likely to cancel thier orders for them.

  21. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  22. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  23. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  24. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  25. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  26. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn\’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  27. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  28. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  29. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  30. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  31. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  32. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  33. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  34. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  35. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  36. This is extremely funny, Emirates airlines currently has 58 of A380, the interesting thing is, they just placed an order for additional 100, which is planned to deliver by 2016.
    The most interesting thing for example, emirates fly 5 times daily to London, all are A380 , all are full.

    1. Mohsen, this is not fully accurate. There has been no such order placed. There has been an expression of interest in a yet to be developed plane with technology that presently doesn’t exist. If and when that happens I will report on it. Emirates are known to place and cancel orders.

      As to Emirates London route that is not entirely accurate either. Emirates has been one of the most successful carriers and is a top notch stellar airline but just because one airline has had moderate success does not mean many of the others have…

      Thanks for reading. All the best.

  37. This is so false it’s not even funny.. Why would Emirates be hiring new crew in the thousands? Oh that’s right, because they have 100 A380’s on order. Personally I operate all the A380 sectors for Emirates and they’re 99% of the time full except when they first start with the new aircraft at a destination for some reason but after 1 or 2 months it’s always full. I don’t think they would be investing in all of these crew and putting them through extensive training just to cancel their order.

    1. Noelle, thanks for reading. As of print time there are actually no orders of the plane. There is talks of ordering 100 if Airbus redesigns, re fits and changes engines. Lots of if’s and even if they all come true it’s a long way away. I think it’s an amazing plane and hope it does amazingly well. If you know anyone who can get me a ride on one I’ll write a very charming review.

    2. Noelle, thanks for reading. As of print time there are actually no orders of the plane. There is talks of ordering 100 if Airbus redesigns, re fits and changes engines. Lots of if\’s and even if they all come true it\’s a long way away. I think it\’s an amazing plane and hope it does amazingly well. If you know anyone who can get me a ride on one I\’ll write a very charming review.

    1. Thanks very much for reading and for your kind words. I believe the Etihad order was from before the time period I mentioned but I do think it’s interesting how successful the plane seems to be for them. Who wouldn’t want to fly in "the residence". I hope the 380 continues to grow. All the best.

    2. Thanks very much for reading and for your kind words. I believe the Etihad order was from before the time period I mentioned but I do think it\’s interesting how successful the plane seems to be for them. Who wouldn\’t want to fly in "the residence". I hope the 380 continues to grow. All the best.

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