Sunday, March 18, 2007
LAX expects A380's arrival to be huge
With the jet due to land
Monday, officials are bracing for crowds not seen since the Concorde's
debut.
By Jennifer Oldham
The Los Angeles (CA) Times
As it lumbers in for a landing at Los Angeles International
Airport on Monday morning, the world's largest passenger jet will make its West
Coast debut in what could be the biggest spectacle at the facility in more than
three decades.
Officials expect thousands of onlookers to line airport
fences to see the Airbus A380, an eight-story-high behemoth with a double-decked
cabin and a wingspan nearly the length of a football field.
"We're
planning for the largest turnout since the Concorde came in 1974," said Paul
Haney, deputy executive director of airports and security for Los Angeles World
Airports. "This could be huge, and we're doing everything possible to be
ready."
Southern California already is experiencing an uplift from the
massive jet: More than 100 area suppliers contributed to the aircraft's
construction, pumping $1.5 billion into the region's economy since
2003.
Los Angeles fought to host this pivotal moment in U.S. aviation
history. Despite having promised to bring the A380 to LAX first if improvements
were made at the airport, Airbus announced earlier this year plans to land the
jumbo jet in New York instead. LAX officials sent a strongly worded letter to
company executives in Toulouse, France, and Airbus relented just three weeks
ago.
So at 9:30 a.m., one of two inaugural U.S. test flights is scheduled
to touch down at LAX from Toulouse, about the same time a second aircraft will
land at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport from Frankfurt,
Germany.
About 550 of Lufthansa's frequent fliers, along with reporters
and news crews, will be aboard the New York flight. Several dozen technicians
will arrive on the LAX test jet, which will carry primarily instrumentation and
water-filled tanks designed to adjust the aircraft's center of
gravity.
But beyond the short-term buzz generated by the A380's arrival
is the question of what mark the jet ultimately will make on aviation
history.
Airlines say that when they start to fly the 555-seat jet
commercially in the next few years, it will allow them to carry more passengers
per trip, lowering costs. The super jumbo jet also could help space-constrained
airports, including LAX, by allowing carriers to combine several flights into
one.
Even so, the A380 is not expected to transform the industry the way
its predecessor, Boeing Co.'s venerable 747, did when it arrived in 1970 and
finally helped make flying affordable for the masses. Not enough A380s have been
sold so far to fuel this kind of change, analysts say.
"It's not going to
be a revolution; it's going to be an evolution," said Bob van der Linden,
chairman of the aeronautics division at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space
Museum. "You and I, and everybody else who flies, will determine whether this
airplane is a hit or a flop."
To be sure, the A380, which is about 30%
larger than Boeing's 747, is considered by many to be an engineering marvel. But
it doesn't represent change on the scale its older cousin did. When the 747 came
into service in the early 1970s, it was 2 1/2 times larger than the airplane it
replaced.
There are some similarities between the flying giants.
Skeptics contended that there wasn't a market for the 747 either, and the plane
didn't sell well in the beginning. Airports said they wouldn't be able to wedge
its signature hump into their facilities. To date, Boeing has sold 1,500 747s.
Airbus has orders for 156 A380s.
But the 21st century air travel market
is different from that of the early 1970s. More people are flying than ever, and
they want frequent, nonstop routes between many cities. Boeing — Airbus' main
rival — is betting that because of this, airlines will favor smaller, more
efficient jets that can bypass larger hubs. Airbus, on the other hand, believes
there is a strong market for new super jumbo jets that will patronize these hub
airports.
The A380 flights to the U.S. are a way for Airbus to burnish
its image after wiring problems caused a two-year delay in deliveries and led to
the resignation of top executives and layoffs of 10,000 workers. In the U.S.,
Airbus' woes helped Boeing sell more planes, including an updated version of the
747 that Airbus had hoped would fade away when it introduced the A380. Boeing
sold a record number of airplanes last year and surpassed Airbus in orders for
the first time since 2000.
The ongoing dogfight between the U.S. and
European plane makers aside, Airbus officials say the A380 will benefit Los
Angeles economically because seven carriers at LAX have ordered the massive jet.
The airport is expected to serve more A380s than any other U.S. facility because
of its status as the country's largest gateway to the Pacific Rim.
"It's
almost like the A380 was specifically designed for Los Angeles," said Allan
McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America. "Los Angeles is an airport that is
constrained by its boundaries — in a community that is very environmentally
sensitive to both emissions and noise — and there's a need to be more efficient
with respect to aircraft movements."
The A380 makes half the noise of a
747, produces fewer emissions and is more fuel efficient, Airbus says. The
aircraft will offer airlines a 20% savings per seat over a 747-400, McArtor
added. What's less clear is how full the flights will need to be to generate
those savings, and whether airlines will pass them on to
consumers.
Passengers could see discounted fares or little or no increase
in current ticket prices, said Wally Mariani, a senior executive vice president
at Qantas Airways, which plans to fly the A380 commercially to LAX next
year.
Qantas also will help the aircraft maker and airport officials test
the jet's compatibility with airfield layout, terminal gate docking and ground
handling services.
Using passengers on the New York flight, Lufthansa
will test boarding and unloading procedures as well as catering and baggage
handling.
Los Angeles' airport agency ultimately plans to spend $121
million to prepare for the A380. It already has written checks for half that
amount to improve runway and taxiway intersections, and for a $9-million
double-bridge gate at the Tom Bradley International Terminal, where the plane
will park for Monday's tests.
Officials liken the A380's visit to the
last aircraft debut at LAX, by the supersonic Concorde, which landed in October
1974 after flying from Anchorage in 2 hours, 35 minutes.
The visit
attracted tens of thousands of spectators. Motorists on Imperial Highway and
Century Boulevard stopped in the middle of the street and crooked their necks to
gawk.
Over the last three weeks, airport officials have worked overtime
to prepare for the A380's arrival, devoting hours to meetings about where
pedestrians should stand, what streets to shut down and how to provide security
and traffic control. They suggest spectators arrive as early as 5 a.m. Monday to
get a spot to watch the jet, which is scheduled to arrive on LAX' s northernmost
runway.
Several locations near the intersection of Sepulveda and Lincoln
boulevards are considered prime viewing areas. Officials plan to shut down only
Northside Parkway, but crowds and traffic could necessitate closing Lincoln and
Westchester Parkway for safety reasons.
After landing, the plane will
taxi to the Imperial Terminal on the airport's south side, where it will be
parked for welcoming ceremonies. The public should be able to glimpse the plane
at the Imperial Terminal from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday from high points in
El Segundo along the airport's boundary.
The jet is scheduled to leave
LAX around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, using a south runway. Spectators may see it
overhead by parking at Dockweiler State Beach.
"The sheer size of it is
something that you remember," said Qantas' Mariani. "This will give us all these
opportunities to show the A380 off."
A touchdown for
LAX
The world's largest passenger plane is scheduled to arrive Monday
morning. The public cannot approach the plane but can watch its arrival and
departure. Officials suggest that spectators arrive as early as 5 a.m. Here are
some prime viewing areas and public parking lots. Tune to LAX radio, 530 AM, for
live parking and traffic updates.
Airbus 380 landing schedule
1.
9:30 a.m. Monday A380 lands and moves to airport's southern edge.
2.
10:15 a.m. Pilot descends stairs for 10:30 a.m. arrival ceremony.
3. 2
p.m. The plane moves to a specially modified gate.
4. 7:15 to 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday A380 departs.
Jumbo jet comparison
Airbus
A380
Passengers*: 555
Length: 239 ft., 3 in.
Height: 79
ft., 7 in.
Wingspan: 261 ft., 8 in.
Maximum takeoff wt.: 1,235,000
lbs.
Range: 8,000 nautical miles
Fuselage cross section
23
ft., 5 in.
Boeing 747-400ER
Passengers*: 416
Length: 231
ft., 10 in.
Height: 63 ft., 8 in.
Wingspan: 211 ft., 5
in.
Maximum takeoff wt.: 910,000 lbs.
Range: 7,670 nautical
miles
Fuselage cross section
21 ft., 4 in.
*Three-class
configurations.
Sources: Boeing Co., Airbus, LAPD, Los Angeles World
Airports, Times reporting, ESRI