David Watts

So we just switched from a 767 to a 757 on this route and Air France adds an A380. This makes since. We are the worlds biggest airline and our management wants to fly smaller planes and give away our market.

Air France adds D.C. to list of A380 cities - USATODAY.com

Air France adds D.C. to list of A380 citiesBy Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

Air France's first-ever regularly scheduled A380 flight to the Washington, D.C., area lands at Dulles International on June 6, 2011. Washington Dulles has become the latest U.S. airport to host regularly scheduled service on the Airbus A380. It earned that distinction yesterday when Air France added the world's largest commercial passenger jet to its Paris-Washington schedule.

And with the arrival of Air France Flight 28, Washington joined New York JFK, Los Angeles and San Francisco as the only other U.S. airports to have regularly scheduled service on the superjumbo jet.

FROM THE SCENE: Superjumbo A380 lands at Dulles (photo gallery)

Miami will join that group Friday, when Lufthansa adds service to Frankfurt.

In Washington, Dulles officials promoted the event with a media photo session -- from the actual airfield -- that allowed for pictures and video of the arrival of Air France Flight 28, the first regularly scheduled passenger flight to Washington on the A380.

And even with the fading newness of the A380 its growing footprint in North America, landing service on the jet still seems to generate big headlines when it first comes to a new city.

PHOTO GALLERY: Lufthansa's A380 takes off on maiden flight

Even in Washington, where presidential politics are ramping up and there's a new politician's scandal to talk about, nearly every TV and newspaper outlet in the area turned out to report on the first regular passenger A380 flight to the D.C. area.

The Washington Times notes that though the A380 has previously landed at Dulles before on proving flights, "Monday's flight was the first time an A380 arrived at the … airport with paying customers aboard."

"I just can't imagine how it ever gets off the runway," passenger Dan Ranard says to Washington's ABC 7.

Another passenger commented about how smooth and quiet the jet seems to be.

"You cannot feel anything, even the takeoff (and) landing. Nothing," the passenger says to NBC 4 about her trip on Flight 28.

Also on Monday, Air France began flying the A380 between Paris and San Francisco. Unlike on the Washington route, however, Air France will use the A380 for San Francisco service only through Sept. 4.

Also unlike Washington, San Francisco already had regularly scheduled A380 service (Lufthansa to Frankfurt.)

Love To Fly

Duck and run management. Jeff will probably explore adding drop tanks to an RJ so it can make the journey.

HSLD

Is this the new UAL mascot?

SoCalGuy

Very apropos HSLD.....Could not help but to notice the strong resemblance of "Jeffery Lorenzo" in our flag waving friend.

Somebody please get that chimp a desk down at "Mecca" on Wacker, he couldn't do much worse in pilot relations at this point.

pilotgolfer

Maybe that A380 will wipe out a few RJs as it taxis to the terminal.

Lambourne

We still have the 777 flight from IAD to CDG. We are adding a CO 757 flight in the late bank. Therefore we actually have gone from ONE flight to TWO. Sometime in the fall the B777 is downgauged to another CO 757 for two flights in the winter period. Just to keep the facts straight...

L

contrail67

Well I think its about time to Spank the Monkey.

JCBA....or release us.

David Watts

Thanks. I couldn't exactly remember. It still seems like a downgrade with less first/business seats available on the route.

btwissel

don't forget that 380 is replacing a 747 or 340, so they're adding fewer seats than you guys are with the extra 75.

threeighteen

What angers me more is that UA doesn't run any 747s through DEN anymore because it's not profitable... yet LH is laughing all of the way to the bank with their direct DEN-FRA 747 route that we won't compete on with even a 777.