1st A380 Flight on 25-Oct, Delivery on 15-Oct

First A380 Flight on October 25-26
Thursday August 16, 2:11 am ET
Delivery Date Set for October 15

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Airbus and Singapore Airlines have agreed to a delivery timetable for the first A380 aircraft.
The aircraft is planned for handover by Airbus to Singapore Airlines on Monday, October 15, at a ceremony in Toulouse, France.

It will be configured with 471 seats in three classes: Economy, Business and the new Singapore Airlines Suites: a class beyond First.

Within a few days of delivery, the aircraft will fly to Singapore's Changi Airport: the world's first A380 home airport. There will be a short period set aside for crew and ground staff familiarization.

World aviation history will be made when the Singapore Airlines A380 makes its First Flight -- SQ380 -- to Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport on Thursday, October 25, and return to Singapore on Friday, October 26.

Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Chew Choon Seng, said the delivery would mark the beginning of a new chapter for the aviation industry.

"Everyone at Singapore Airlines is keenly anticipating the delivery of this new plane, and our people are working hard on final preparation for its entry into service. The first flight promises to be one of the most exciting occasions in aviation history.

"We are overwhelmed by the support of the community -- from all over the world -- for the charity auction. And I would like to thank the many partners and service providers that have followed the lead of our fuel supplier, ExxonMobil, and eBay, in donating their services for the First Flight's charitable causes.

"While occasions like this are few and far between, we hope this enthusiasm generates support for very worthwhile causes," Mr. Chew said.

Seats across all three classes will be auctioned on the global online marketplace, eBay. There will be plenty of seats put to auction, allowing many opportunities for travelers keen to be part of history to join the First Flight experience.

For the new Singapore Airlines Suites, the A380's First Flight will be the first ever occasion to fly on what will be a product that totally redefines luxury in the sky.

Entry into scheduled service will commence on the Sydney route soon after the First Flight. A further announcement will be made on this in due course.

Charity Auction Starts 27 August

The auction of seats on the First Flight will commence on Monday, August 27, 2007. Seats in all three classes will be sold progressively, across both legs of the flight. Bids will be staggered to finish at various times over a period of just over two weeks, with the auction cycle being completed on September 10, 2007.

The auction will be for single, double and multiple seats in each class.

All seats will be sold on a one-way basis, so people wanting fly on both legs of the First Flight will need to bid twice.

To participate in the auction, a bidder will need the following:
-- An eBay user ID... it's free and easy to get
-- The names and passport numbers of those traveling
-- For bids on packages in the premium classes (Business & Suites), or
bids over USD1,000 in Economy Class, pre-qualification will be
required. This ensures bids are not artificially inflated, and
gives bidders confidence they are bidding only against genuine and
pre-qualified bidders
Prequalification is initiated online. Singapore Airlines' global auction management agency, Auctionwire, has developed numerous ways for bidders to pre-qualify and lodge security deposits for bids requiring pre-qualification.

All information on packages available, bid prequalification and how to get an eBay user ID is available on the Singapore Airlines website, singaporeair.com/a380. A summary is attached to this news release.


100% of the proceeds of the auction will be donated to charities. They
are:
-- One-third to Singapore's Community Chest
-- One-third split between the Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick,
and The Children's Hospital at Westmead, both in Sydney
-- One-third to Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors Without
Borders.

For further information, please contact:

James Boyd
Singapore Airlines
(323) 964-5185
(212) 644-8801 ext. 242
(323) 791-2449

Hmm. What will happen first?

First 787 flight or first A380 commercial flight?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Winglets747

Hmm. What will happen first?

First 787 flight or first A380 commercial flight?

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Apples and grapefruit. Boeing should fly the 787 whenever they're good and ready. Although, I'd laugh and hoist a Pyramid in the general direction of Seattle if Big B made the first flight on the same day.