May 19, 2010 - Lufthansa Airlines is getting a special delivery today: an Airbus A380-800. Named "Frankfurt am Main," which was first tested in October of 2009, it will fly from Hamburg, Germany to Frankfort. Lufthansa is the fifth airline to operate the A380 and with 15 more on order, is expected to become the largest carrier of the plane.Lufthansa recently held a contest in which customers could name the next A380 to be delivered. The winning name was "Lady Bee." Lufthansa offered one million miles to the winner of the contest. Personally, I think they could have chosen something more clever or more flattering for the plane; however, it is pretty cool that they have given the general public a say in what to call it.
500 passengers and 22 crew will be present on the maiden voyage, leaving 4 seats empty. Lufthansa apparently went even further to "include" passengers in their experience on board and are boasting new and exciting features on-board their A380 (although mostly for first-class passengers, naturally). In addition to a relaxing and subtle decor, first-class passengers can enjoy a curtain for which they can decide how much privacy they would like from the rest of the plane. These curtains block out noises from the cabin, as well, which is a nice luxury in an already much quieter plane. There are also bigger beds, a better air conditioning system, and ambient lighting. Finally, first-class passengers are also given a lockable closet rather than overhead storage bins. They have, of course, showers as well. A bit excessive, perhaps, but it is nice to have these options if you can afford them, I suppose.
