Why No US Operator Has Ever Flown The Airbus A380

Introduced into service in 2007 by launch customer Singapore Airlines, the Airbus a380 was set to be the plane of the future, offering unparalleled passenger comfort and providing airlines with game-changing capacity.

But only around 250 Airbus A380s ever rolled off the manufacturer's assembly lines, and even fewer remain in service today, with production halted in 2021.

Why didn't any US carriers order the type?

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[johannesbols]

I remember in April 1998 British Airways had two 747s departing LHR Terminal 4 to Tokyo within an hour of each other. The A380 certainly was a wise choice for that route.

[cabottaxi]

Having flown on both the 747 and the 380 I can honestly say the 380 is without doubt more comfortable to travel on as a passenger. If a 380 is flying between LHR and New York I will always choose the flight operated by a 380

[GarlandTexasSpotter]

Even 747-8i and 777X have no orders from Airlines in America

[markiangooley]

Delta has a huge hub at ATL but most of their planes flying to or from there aren’t widebodies, except maybe on international flights. When the A380 was introduced, I think they were thinking, “We might as well fly a few 777s between ATL and LHR or CDG or wherever. More flexibility!”

[eamonahern]

Those mock ups of US legacy carrier liveries look good on the A380

[jsan]

I feel so lucky to have flown the a380 twice and once more in a month it's lovely to be on

[bbbl]

I don't think any passengers would say that they didn't want to see the A380 flying with their carriers anywhere in the world. It was unparalleled in terms of space and luxury, but passengers don't make the buying decisions of an airline. And it seems only middle-eastern airlines had the perfect model for using the A380.

[MrRjsnowden]

The A380 has got to be one of the most comfortable air liners ever built. Even in economy there is nothing like it. To bad it will soon be fazed out.

[cocafanta]

That A380 with Delta livery in the thumbnail looks just SPECTACULAR AND GORGEOUS!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[alooga]

FedEx placed an order for the freighter version of the A380, but it ended up canceling the 10-plane order.

[GeeBoggs]

This was a particularly interesting and informative video.

[RichardsAV]

This is why the passenger 747-8i also didnt get orders

[badboy]

The A380 is a beautiful plane! Riding it is a joy!!! Between the 747 and the A380, I would chose the A380 any say of the week!

[rajnirvan]

I wonder had Pan Am and TWA still flown would they have chosen A380

[JeanClaudeCOCO]

US airlines mainly fly to Europe which are driven by business class passengers, frequency and the busy summer travel time for Americans who vacation in Europe (a normal A330, 767, 777, 757, A321 XLR etc world do), Latin America and the Caribbean for shorter family vacations (777, 767, 757, 737, A320, A321 would do), visiting relatives and friends to Asian destinations are heavily served by US carriers and Asian airlines which is driven by cost with onward journeys via major airline hubs in Asia a priority so partnering is the key to success.

So there is no need to have a big A380 when existing planes are more than enough to perform the duties the US carriers required. With the few exceptions to Africa, the Middle East and India that require US airlines metals on specific profitable routes, their alliance group airlines can fulfill the missions beyond what US carriers deem financially sound for them.

[NightTrainIndustries]

The MD-12 was never even seriously considered and by then US airlines had announced they were getting rid of 747s. Airbus knew they wouldn't see a single A380 sale to a US airline.

[Mr.Martini]

It doesn’t bother me that US carriers have shied away from the A380. The A350 in the Delta livery looks fabulous. I’d like to see more US carriers add 350s to their fleets.

[michlo]

US carriers have HUGE domestic networks, the A380 is too much plane for a Newark to Cincinnati red-eye. And the decline of Hub and spoke in America has led to jets like the 747 and A380 making less and less sense. Especially when a Triple 7 or a 787 can give you greater flexibility without being so unwieldy. Still, it would have been neat to see. Delta does fly the A350 though! so that's cool.

[javianjohnson]

I believe the biggest reason after the concern of filling those 500+ seats each flight is the massive amount of money that would've needed to be spent to upgrade airport infrastructure in order for it to be equipped to handle the A380. I believe only 4 airports in the U.S. have the capability to support the A380, and they had to spend money on new facilities and expand runways in order for it to work. Which is crazy to think about

[KC-gpmf]

US airlines didn't order the 747-8 either.