Au revoir: Air France operates its final A380 flight Friday
Air France is sending its Airbus A380s off to retirement with little public fanfare. The airline is welcoming staff who used to work the aircraft along for one special final flight, one to which passengers aren't invited.
On Friday, Air France's final planned A380 flight will take to the skies with just its A380 staff on board. Operating as Air France flight AF380, the aircraft will fly from the airline's home base at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and back.
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With a planned departure time of around 3:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET), the aircraft will take a "tour de France" route around the country, before landing back at CDG around 5:45 p.m. local time (11:45 a.m. ET). On Friday, you can track the flight here.
AF380 will be operated by the superjumbo registered as F-HPJH. The aircraft is just a little more than eight years old, with Air France having taken delivery of it in May 2012. According to PlaneSpotters, F-HPJH was withdrawn from service on March 23. Its last commercial flight was from Miami to Paris on March 22, before being stored as a result of the coronavirus crisis and its devastating effect on the aviation industry.
Related: Will the Airbus A380 fly again once travel resumes?
While Air France has had a troubled relationship with the A380, it was the first European airline to operate the superjumbo in 2009. The carrier's first commercial flight with the A380 departed on Nov. 23, 2009, from Paris (CDG) to New York (JFK) — also as flight AF380.
Over the course of the 11 years the airline flew the A380, it operated a total of 10 of the aircraft, serving 16 destinations. During the course of its lifetime, the A380 operated more than 40,000 flights for Air France and carried almost 18 million passengers, most frequently serving New York JFK. The aircraft also operated flights to Johannesburg, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Mexico City, Shanghai, Abidjan, Hong Kong, Miami, Tokyo, Montreal, Singapore, Atlanta, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and even London — for short crew-training flights — during its lifetime.
In May, the airline announced that it would be retiring its entire A380 fleet effective immediately. Benjamin Smith, CEO of the Air France-KLM Group, long opposed the A380 in Air France's fleet, deeming it too inefficient. In replacement of the superjumbo, Air France will use its smaller but more fuel-efficient twin-engine Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft.
While many AvGeeks love the A380 for its sheer size, Air France's version of the aircraft left a lot to be desired. Inside the aircraft, each of the four cabins on board offered a sub-par passenger experience — even in La Première, the carrier's award-winning first-class product.
In a post-coronavirus aviation world, airlines will be forced to reevaluate their fleet plans and route networks. The A380 has largely been one of the first things to go for airlines looking to conserve cash during the period of reduced demand. Lufthansa confirmed that its A380s will remain grounded until at least 2021, and will only return if demand does.
Meanwhile, for the world's largest A380 carrier Emirates, the plan is to resume A380 service to both London and Paris from July 15.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.