Air France to Launch A380 Flights to Washington

Washington, the capital of the United States, will become the 2nd U.S. destination served by Air France’s A380 super jumbo, after New York, launched one year ago.

In June 2011, Air France will operate the A380 to 5 destinations out of Paris-Charles de Gaulle: New York-JFK, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Montreal and Washington.

With the A380, Air France can rationalize its frequencies on these busy routes by combining two flights which leave at similar times while offering the same seat capacity at a 20% reduction in operating costs. The main deck of the A380 boasts equivalent capacity of a Boeing 777-200 and the upper deck that of an Airbus A340-300.

Air France’s A380 is currently equipped with 538 seats, divided between three classes: La Première (First), with 9 seats on the main deck, Business, comprising 80 seats on the upper deck, and Voyageur (Economy), with 449 seats divided between the two decks.

Starting next summer 2011, the A380s will be progressively equipped with Premium Voyageur, situated between the Business and Voyageur cabins, offering 9 seats in Première, 80 in Business, 38 in Premium Voyageur and 389 in Voyageur.

“With Washington, three of the five destinations served by Air France’s A380 during summer 2011 will be in North America. This effectively illustrates the airline’s investment in the North trans-Atlantic network. The A380, highly appreciated by our customers, will strengthen our assets on one of the world’s most competitive markets,” said Patrick Roux, Senior Vice President Americas.

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