Disclaimer: I rarely post trip reports, so this definitely won't be anything professional and detailed. I'm sharing it because of my love for aviation and flying on an aircraft that, while not the most successful in terms of profitability, is still a historical and important aircraft in terms of technological development in aviation.

Here's my video showing the takeoffs and landings of both flights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRv4Fd8Ny0U

Awhile back I posted on here about flying on the A380 post-COVID. I was very fortunate to have flown on the 747 before most passenger variants were retired, and naturally I wanted to fly on the A380 at some point. With the pandemic obliterating much of the demand left for double-decker planes and seeing airlines retire their A380 fleets it became a higher priority to get on one. In theory EK will have their 100+ fleet of A380s for at least a decade, but of course things can change and I felt the need to take the first opportunity to fly on an A380 when it presented itself, even if it was during the pandemic.

So how did this opportunity present itself? Well I took a nearly 3-week vacation in Amsterdam in December (I'll post a separate trip report of the KL and DL flights). I was watching a video of plane spotting at AMS and upon seeing a China Southern A380 I was intrigued that at least one airline was still flying them there. With a quick check I saw that EK was also flying the A380 to AMS, and the idea popped into my head of flying to Dubai just to say I've been on the A380. At first it seemed crazy, yet I looked on the EK website to see how much it would be and the logistics of flying to DXB and then going right back to AMS. At first the roundtrip fare in economy was around $1,200, and I didn't think it was worth it. The next day however, I checked a different date simply out of curiosity and it was around $800 roundtrip. I'm definitely not an expert in determining good airfare deals, but to me this felt like a deal I couldn't pass up, and it was the opportunity to fly on the A380 I was looking for. I would only need to be in Dubai overnight and I would be back in Amsterdam at noon the next day. With that in mind I booked it. Coincidentally AMS is where I flew on the 747 for the first time (KL to ORD back in 2018), and now it's where I flew on the A380 for the first time.

A week later I headed to the airport. Since I had plenty of time to get to the airport I decided to take a longer way there with a stopover at one of the spotting locations at AMS (specifically the one right by the Schiphol Noord bus terminal). Upon getting off the bus the first plane I saw was an EK 777 landing after just completing its trip from DXB. Despite the pandemic apparently there's enough demand for EK to send two flights to AMS (plus KL also has a DXB flight). I was hoping to see my A380 land while spotting there, but it wouldn't be coming until I was already passed security.

With all required documents in hand including a negative COVID test, getting through check-in and security at AMS was pretty quick. The check-in person was slightly confused seeing my itinerary involved going to DXB and then going right back to AMS the next day, but she seemed to understand when I said I was just doing it to fly on the A380. I had over an hour before boarding would begin, so I walked around AMS and watched various aircraft coming and going. Both this and spotting at AMS a few times showed how rare 4-engine passenger aircraft have become. Maybe this was longer ago than I think, but I swear the 747 (both passenger and cargo) used to have a large presence at AMS whereas now I only saw a few 747 freighters plus the daily EK A380. The 787, 777, A350, and A330 were pretty much the only wide-body passenger aircraft at AMS, which made me feel more glad I was taking this trip.

When we began boarding several people (including me of course) took pictures of our A380 plus some families brought their children up to the window to get a good look at the giant aircraft they were about to be on. While the A380 wasn't as successful as the 747, I believe it's as iconic, especially in an era where 2-engine aircraft of similar looks are the norm.

Segment: AMS-DXB
Date: 11th December 2021
Flight: EK148
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Registration: A6-EUM
Takeoff: 3:00 PM local time
Landing: midnight local time

The aircraft had the usual EK colors but with an Expo 2020 sticker slapped on it.

Both the takeoff and landing were surprisingly quiet and mostly smooth.

I was seated near the front of the plane in economy class. The middle seat was empty while the aisle seat was occupied. Leg room was good as a person who is 6 feet and 4 inches tall. The IFE was okay, though they really pushed ads of Dubai, Expo 2020, and EK on us. After takeoff most of my time was spent playing games and watching a couple movies on the IFE. To be honest I forget what the meals were, but I do know they were good. Better than your stereotypical airline food, but obviously not something grand served on china.

Not only was this my first A380 flight, but also my first time setting foot in Asia (technically, even though I never left the airport I'm counting it). I'm the first in my immediate family and only the second or third in my entire family to have been to Asia.

I believe we parked at Concourse A at Terminal 3. Not surprisingly the interior of the terminal was quite grand. It did feel kind of stuffy inside, but it didn't help that I was dressed for Dutch winter. Conveniently DXB offers a "sleep n' fly" option for people who just want a quick rest without leaving security. I walked around trying to find it, and after awhile gave up and asked an EK employee where it's located. I didn't realize I had to go through security again, but after that quick and easy process I found it. The sleep n' fly offers tiny pods able to fit one person. I bought one which cost $86 USD for 6 hours. They also offer small rooms able to fit 2 or more people. Obviously the sleeping pod wasn't as nice as a hotel room, but far better than trying to sleep on an airport bench. Not surprisingly there was noise typical of an airport, but it was far enough from the hustle and bustle that it was easy to ignore. I'm not sure if I slept, but if I did it was only for a couple hours at most. The rest of the time I just laid down and browsed on my phone. At around 5:30 in the morning in a half-asleep state I could hear what sounded like singing on the intercom. For a moment I was confused, but upon remembering where I was I realized it was the Islamic call to prayer. It was a reminder that I was in a very different place from what I'm used to, not that that's a bad thing. I enjoyed hearing the call to prayer and it was the most memorable part of my brief stay in Dubai.

Just before 7 AM I left the sleep n' fly and headed towards my gate. I stopped at a store to buy a couple souvenirs as well as a bottle of water since I was dehydrated. During the boarding process it was a little difficult answering the gate agent's questions: where I came from, purpose of my trip, the necessity of my trip, why I was only in Dubai for 8 hours, etc. With the required documents in hand though he eventually let me through to board.

Segment: DXB-AMS
Date: 12th December 2021
Flight: EK147
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Registration: A6-EUM
Takeoff: around 8:00 AM local time
Landing: around 12:30 PM local time

This time I was seated in the middle section of the plane. The two seats next to me were empty. After waiting awhile for flights ahead of us to takeoff it was eventually our turn to fly into the hazy Dubai skies. The takeoff was unusually rough, perhaps because I was seated directly above the main landing gear but I'm not sure. I was able to see the Burj Khalifa along with much of the Dubai skyline, but unfortunately I wasn't able to see any of the artificial islands (I think, unless I caught part of them in my video without realizing). It was nice to see a landscape I rarely ever see: arid and mountainous, specifically over Iraq and Turkey. Also while I didn't see it I know we flew directly over Baghdad.

There was nothing different from the previous flight in terms of meals and IFE. However, I did sneak up to the second deck and see the first class section. Now I can say I've been to the top deck of the A380 inflight without paying thousands of dollars. With a brief look around and looking out the window to see how different the view of the wing and engines are from the top deck, I went back down to economy class. A cleaning person spotted me and said I wasn't allowed in the first class section, but she didn't make a fuss about it after I explained I didn't know (kind of a lie, but in my defense the rope wasn't blocking the stairs and I didn't see any signs) and was just checking it out. I promise I was only up there for 15 seconds and didn't touch anything (though the first class pods were very tempting to sit in).

Not surprisingly it was cloudy and rainy while landing in Amsterdam. I was exhausted, but I think the sleep n' fly at DXB helped to keep me going as I continued my adventuring of Amsterdam right after exiting AMS.

Along with the KL 747 flight, my two flights on an EK A380 have a special spot in my memories of past flights.

Wow, that must be real passion to book such trip!
It would have been more simpler to fly just FRA-LHR or MAD-LHR on BA A380. Lokking fwd to the next TR!