Qantas 'makes history' with A380 flight

Qantas announced today (October 20th) that it has made history by launching the first Airbus A380 flights between Australia and the west coast of the USA.

The airline's inaugural service departed Melbourne at 11:15 local time en route for Los Angeles, where it will be greeted by the celebrities John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

Geoff Dixon, chief executive officer of Qantas, said that the flight shows the airline's commitment to the transpacific market.

"We have operated air services between Australia and the United States since 1954 and have invested significantly over our 54 years of operation to develop these routes," he added.

"Today, we offer 47 services a week to the US, plus daily extensions to New York. In fact, we offer more services to the USA than any other international market with the exception of New Zealand."

Qantas will launch A380 services from Sydney to Los Angeles on October 24th before deploying the superjumbo on a route to London via Singapore in January 2009.

The Qantas A380 offers 450 seats in four cabins, including 72 spaces in business class.

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