A380 goes transpacific with Korean Air

First transpacific A380 service to US East Coast

The A380 has begun flying transpacific between Asia and the US East Coast, following the inauguration of service with Korean Air from Seoul to New York. The first flight departed Seoul 9 August for the outbound service to the Big Apple, returning to Seoul today, 10 August. The non-stop services have flight times of around 13.55 hours outbound from Seoul and 14.20 hours on the return sector from New York.

New York is the first long haul destination to be served by Korean Air with its new A380 and comes in addition to the carrier's existing services to Tokyo and Hong Kong. The airline will be adding Los Angeles A380 service in October.

Passengers flying on Korean Air's transpacific A380 services will be able to enjoy the highest levels of comfort on board, with accommodation for just 407 passengers in three classes. This compares with a typical three class layout for the A380 of 525 seats.

Taking full advantage of the unrivalled space offered by the A380, the Korean Air aircraft features an all-business class upper deck with 94 fully lie-flat Prestige Sleeper seats spaced six feet apart, while the main deck features 12 luxurious First Class Kosmo Suites and 301 Economy Class seats. The aircraft also features a host of special amenities, including a full bar on the upper deck and the world's first Duty Free Showcase where passengers can view an extensive range of products.

Korean Air took delivery of its first A380 in May this year and inaugurated commercial services the following month. Altogether, the airline has placed orders for 10 A380s. In addition to New York and Los Angeles, the airline will also begin flying the A380 to Europe later this year with service to Paris.

Since entering service in 2007 the eco-efficient A380 has exceeded all expectations, flying more people further at lower cost. The spacious, quieter cabin and smooth ride have made the aircraft a firm favourite with passengers, providing airlines with a key competitive advantage wherever they operate the type.

Typically seating 525 passengers in a three class layout, the A380 is capable of flying 8,300 nautical miles or 15,300 kilometres. This enables non-stop service with a full payload from Seoul to any destination in Europe, and as far afield as the East Coast of the US.

Source from Airbus.com