First-class passengers have their own staircase to the A380's upper deck.
By my watch, the takeoff roll for Air France Flight 380 lasted 35 seconds. "39 seconds," corrected Laurent Bonnard, a French historian, as we chatted in a lounge area later. Either way, all the planiacs on board Air France's inaugural A380 Airbus flight from New York City to Paris agreed the takeoff was a thing of beauty. Imagine an apartment building with wings that steps into the sky with the quiet grace of a ballet dancer. The lack of engine noise — it's 50% quieter than a 747-400 on takeoff — was downright eerie. The A380 is so big...
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