Seats on Qantas’ new flagship, the Airbus A380, went on sale today, ahead of the airline’s first A380 flight between Los Angeles and Melbourne on October 20, 2008.

Qantas Senior Executive Vice President, The Americas and Pacific, Mr. Wally R. Mariani, said the A380 would operate on selected flights from Los Angeles to Melbourne and Sydney, and would be progressively introduced on selected flights from Sydney to Singapore and London from early 2009.

“The first Qantas A380 will operate two round-trip services each week between Los Angeles and Australia – one to Melbourne, starting on October 20 and one to Sydney, starting on October 24, 2008,” Mr. Mariani said. “As the commencement of A380 services represents such an important milestone in the history of Qantas’ international operations, including here at our Los Angeles launch gateway, we are offering a limited number of very special A380 fares,” he added.

With the introduction of a second A380 aircraft in November, Qantas will operate a total of five A380 flights per week between Los Angeles and Australia: two round-trip flights to Melbourne and three flights to Sydney.

“All four classes of the A380 will offer passengers greater levels of space and comfort, as well as state-of-the-art interiors designed by Qantas Creative Director Marc Newson,” Mr. Mariani said.

The Qantas A380 will be configured with 450 seats – 14 individual First Suites, 72 in Business, 32 in Premium Economy cabin and 332 in Economy.

Qantas A380 features will include:

• completely redesigned First cabin, offering customers privacy and luxury in their own First Suite;
• fully-flat next generation Skybed and separate, dedicated lounge area in Business;
• the airline’s Premium Economy cabin, with extra wide Recaro seats;
• new ergonomically designed Recaro seats and self-service refreshment bars in Economy; and
• on demand entertainment system with over 1000 entertainment options and onboard connectivity.

“The A380 will also offer significant improvements in terms of environmental performance, including reduced fuel consumption and emissions, greater efficiency and less noise,” Mr. Mariani said.

Mr. Mariani said that while the A380 would provide customers with an all-new inflight experience, lead in fares would initially be the same as those currently offered on comparable Qantas B747 services, however the airline’s state-of-the-art new First Suite would be priced at a premium.