Asiana To Begin A380 Flights In June

Korea's Asiana Airlines will launch its first Airbus A380 flights in June this year, becoming only the eleventh carrier with the superjumbo in its fleet.

At a press conference in Seoul, Asiana Airlines' President Soo Cheon Kim revealed the superjumbo's inaugural route would be between Seoul and Los Angeles from July.

However, Kim said Asiana will begin flying the superjumbos in June to on short-range regional destinations including Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong and Bangkok.

The new aircraft will be configured with 12 first class suites, 66 business class and 417 economy 'Travel Class' seats, carrying a total of 495 passengers, only slightly higher than Qantas' 484 headcount.

Asiana's A380 layout mirrors that of many other superjumbos.

A dozen OZ First Suites (named after the airline's flight code) are nestled in the nose of the main deck and boasts the world's largest inflight screen – a 32 inch (81cm) high-definition panel – plus a minibar.

The 66 Oz Business Smartium seats are ranked in a staggered layout along most of the upper deck.


Economy is split over both decks, with a 106 seat cabin upstairs and 311 more seats on the main deck.

Asiana has six A380s on order, while its competitor Korean Air already has eight in the air and orders for two more to follow.

However, with almost 100 more seats than Korean Air's superjumbo, Asiana has had to forego a few frills such as Korean's two inflight lounge and bar areas...

and a duty free showcase lined with high-end cosmetics, perfumes and liquor to catch the eye and prise open the wallet or purse.