LAX receives its A380 passenger flight
An A380 -- the world's largest airliner -- operated by Qantas arrives from Melbourne with about 450 people aboard. A380 flights are expected to provide an economic boost to the region.
The world's largest airliner landed at Los Angeles International Airport this morning, with about 450 people aboard, kicking off Southern California's first A380 passenger service and providing a welcome economic boost for the slumping airport.
Qantas Flight 93 from Melbourne touched down at 7:30 a.m. and was greeted by public officials and Hollywood celebrities including actor John Travolta and singer Olivia Newton John. The jetliner is scheduled to begin its return flight to Australia late tonight.
Passengers, most of them Australians, described the flight as very quiet and smooth. They also said they had little problem getting through customs and retrieving their bags.
"I'm surprised. I'm stunned actually," said Phillip Prendergast, who flew from Melbourne with his wife Carmen. "The custom agents were reassuring and friendly, too."
Today marked the start of the first scheduled passenger service of the new A380 at Los Angeles International, which by 2012 is expected to serve more super-jumbo jets than anywhere else in the world.
The double-decked Airbus A380 is expected to alter the skies over Southern California much the way Boeing Co.'s 747 awed spectators and travelers when it began flying out of LAX nearly 40 years ago.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, on hand for the event, noted that the A380 was "finally here" after a two-year delay and touted how the start of the service would be an economic engine that could pump more than $600 million annually into the region and create 3,000 jobs.
The Qantas flights also provide a much-needed boost to LAX, which is seeing flights dwindle as airlines slash service amid high fuel costs and low demand.
Total weekly departures at LAX are expected to dip nearly 20% in November compared to the same period a year ago. The deepest cuts have come from U.S. carriers such as United and Delta airlines.
But foreign carriers are mitigating some of the falloff. Next week, Emirates Airlines is scheduled to begin nonstop service from LAX to Dubai, and carriers based in South Korea are likely to increase flights to LAX after President Bush last week approved a visa waiver program for that country.
Under the program, which had been mostly confined to western European allies, South Korean visitors will no longer need to apply for a visa if they stay in the U.S. for less than 90 days. It is seen boosting travel by friends and family of Korean immigrants in the region, which has the largest concentration of Koreans outside of the Asian country.
