Send us your photos of today's flyover
Herald reporter Andrew Koubaridis was aboard this morning's A380 flight over Auckland.
KEY POINTS:
At first glance it didn't look that big ... but as soon as we got close to Qantas' A380 and saw it alongside all the other planes it was obvious what a monster we were about to fly on.
First class passengers I spoke to said they couldn't believe how much space they had. There are 14 private suites in the first class section, each of which have a dining room table and beds which allow passengers to lie down completely flat.
Back in business class - where I was sitting - the facilities were pretty impressive as well. The seats can fold back into beds and there's even a massage function for weary travellers.
Self-serve snack bars for the business and economy class passengers are another welcome addition for those who find themselves feeling peckish on a flight.
But perhaps the most impressive feature was the bird's eye view of the city afforded to passengers courtesy of a camera in the plane's tail.
The footage it captured could be viewed on the personal televisions installed in each seat and provided a unique view of this morning's takeoff - which was just as well because if we'd been relying on the usual firing-up of engine noises to let us know we'd left the ground, we'd have missed the moment all together.
That's right. All the rumours of the A380's legendary in-cabin quietness are true.
Even the passengers in economy class said they hardly heard a thing.
As we flew out over the Hauraki Gulf and then north to Whangarei, we were all party to some of the best views of the North Island outside of a postcard.
All of which made for a pretty spectacular flight - even for those who didn't manage to nab a window seat. And despite the first attempted landing having to be aborted because of wind sheer.
