Influx

Tomorrow, Europe’s brand Airbus will unveil the world’s largest passenger jet, the A380. Although, the plane is not going into service until 2006, it will be the first time the plane has been shown off to the world.

The A380 is one of the riskiest strategies ever pursued in commercial aviation and one of the most expensive commercial developments in history. Airbus is banking $35 billion that its vision of the super jet represents the future of air travel. Surprisingly, it’s the Europeans who believe bigger is better with America’s Boeing believing that the future belongs to smaller planes.

The A380′s statistics are impressive: it has the capacity to carry 850 passengers, although most airlines plan to carry around 550, and it has a range of 9,320 miles. The plane has proved popular enough with the airlines already that 149 of the monsters have already been sold.

Singapore Airlines will be the first to put the plane into service. The in-air experience is likely to be new and different for passengers. The plane is so big, 50% bigger than the 747, the seats are on two levels and there will be a two-lane staircase connecting the two floors. Airlines will have the flexibility to create their own interior plans and to use the space according to their needs.

It seems that roominess will be the key consumer benefit; those in economy will have areas where they can stretch their legs and congregate as well as wider aisles and bigger storage bins.

Singapore Airlines have already announced that its A380s will have only 515 seats, suggesting that that there will be lots of space for all passengers.

Business-class customers can also expect more comfortable, roomier sleeper seats with additions such as live television, email and internet access.

The new aircraft could also foster the more widespread introduction of premium economy classes already seen on several airlines.

Critics like Airbus’s competitor, Boeing, point out that the strategy is flawed. Carrying 500+ passengers will just make it harder for everyone on the ground from immigration to the baggage handlers, resulting in longer wait times for passengers.

Despite the challenges, Airbus and the airlines supporting the plane are likely to crank up their marketing efforts to encourage people to fly it. It will mark the first time since the introduction of the 747 and the operation of Concorde, that the plane, rather than the destination becomes the center of consumer’s attention. Singapore has already developed its ad campaign, the tag line “Be the first to experience the A380.”