I don't know how much attention you've paid to airline travel lately, but for us, well, we keep a pretty close watch on it. As you can imagine we have to. Anything new can alter the industry landscape significantly and, more importantly, screw up ticket prices.

That's why this whole Airbus A380 plane is just so wacky.

If you haven't seen anything about it, the A380 is the new double-decker, super-jumbo jet from Airbus. It's the world's largest passenger airliner, actually. And since Dubai loves all things "world's largest", naturally Dubai-based Emirates Airline has placed the biggest order for the plane so far. (They hope to have 58 Airbus A380s by 2012).

Anyway just the other day Emirates annouced that starting on October 1 of this year they'll offer daily flights to JFK Airport in New York from Dubai.

Service to London Heathrow starts on December 1 and to Auckland and Sydney on February 1, 2009.

All three of the routes will offer a staggering 489 seats (14 in first class, 76 in business and 399 in economy).

In comparison, the Boeing 777-200ER that Delta flies from Dubai to Atlanta carries a mere 268 passengers.

All of this, of course, doesn't do much for Liz and me - we'll be moved home by October. I guess we could come back and visit, but right now I'm too concerned with getting home first to think about coming back ...


An A380 flies by the Burj al-Arab in this publicity still
(click to enlarge)