The Superjumbo jet of Lufthansa is back in service.
The German airline successfully brought back its first Airbus A380 to service on Thursday, bringing hope to a fleet that was previously written off amid a gloomy outlook for international travel.
The airline's return trip for the big double-decker made an Atlantic hop from Munich Airport (MUC) to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), before heading back to Munich later that evening.
The airline industry can hardly keep up with the rising demand for travel, even deciding to operate fewer flights in order to keep operations more reliable, three years after Lufthansa initially "retired" the A380 due to a fall in international travel associated with the COVID-19 epidemic.
The current demand has presented a conundrum for Lufthansa in particular, whose capacity expansion plans depend on new aircraft development and delivery from Boeing and Airbus. Travel demand increased back to pre-pandemic levels earlier than anticipated, but new aircraft deliveries have been put off due to growing supply chain problems; this made it urgently necessary to expand its network's capacity.
So, only three years after bidding the A380 farewell, the German airline took the opulent aircraft out of storage and reintroduced it to the skies, beginning with the Munich-Boston route.
Starting the next month, Lufthansa will also begin using the double-decker on its flight between Munich and JFK in New York.
Employees from Lufthansa and Boston Logan Airport watched the plane land and taxi to its gate from the ground, noting that it was the first time the German airline has transported its largest plane to the New England airport. Although Emirates flew an A380 to Boston prior to the pandemic and British Airways flies an A380 on one of its daily frequencies between Boston and London during the summer, it's nevertheless amazing for the locals to witness the flagship aircraft land in their city.
Short speeches in the lounge and photos and celebrations on the ramp and at the gate rounded out the happy welcome.
Some of the groundings from the peak of the pandemic in 2020 appear a little rushed because carriers were rushing to add planes and pilots. For instance, United frequently mentions that by choosing to keep all of its wide-body aircraft in service, it is well-positioned to take advantage of rising demand in 2021 and 2022.
Dirk Janzen, the region manager for Lufthansa in the Americas, is hesitant to label the initially intended retirement as a mistake.
"At the time, with the knowledge that we had, it was a reasonable decision," Janzen said in an interview with us at the occasion. "We didn't anticipate the return of demand to be at that quick a pace."
"If I could go back in time, yes, probably, we wouldn't retire it," he continued.
In addition to business class, the plane also has first-class seating, which gives the airline a new chance to sell tickets to wealthy "premium leisure" travelers, a market segment that has developed and expanded since the pandemic started. Only Lufthansa's A340-600 and Boeing 747-8 also offer the top cabin in addition to business class.
Premium leisure is simply very strong, according to Janzen. Many passengers are prepared to pay more to seat in first class, business class, or even premium economy. That has altered since COVID, then.
The four cabins on Lufthansa's A380s can accommodate 509 passengers. There are 371 economy seats, 78 business class seats, 52 premium economy recliner seats, and 8 first-class seats available.
As part of its new Allegris cabin design, which will make its debut later this year, Lufthansa will introduce a new first-class cabin.
There are many options to book a flight if you want to take advantage of this second opportunity to fly the storied two-story airliner because Lufthansa intends to have four A380s back in service by the end of the year.
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