Brit coughs up $110,000 for A380 seat
SINGAPORE – The mystery bidder who paid more than $110,000 for a ticket on the first A380 superjumbo flight from Singapore to Sydney has been revealed.
Julian Hayward, a 38-year-old Briton based in Sydney, sought a “little bit of history” by flying in seat 1A in the first class area of the plane on next week’s journey.
An internet auction for tickets on the inaugural flight raised $US1.3 million for charity.
The first delivered Airbus A380 superjumbo, owned by Singapore Airlines, has arrived in Singapore. It will make its first commercial flight on October 25 between Singapore and Sydney.
The plane includes 12 private suites, each with a large, first-class size seat and a real bed with full-size mattress.
Each suite has a 58-centimetre flat-screen television and sheets by French designer Givenchy.
The “suite class” seats on the Singapore-Sydney route are to be 40-80 per cent more expensive than first class on a Boeing 747, a spokesman told Agence France-Presse. The price of a suite on this route is to be about $A12,600.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025