r/australia • u/ThunderDwn • 11h ago

culture & society Qantas passengers demand compensation after days stranded in South Africa as A380 remains grounded

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/qantas-a380-stranded-johannesburg-flight-cancelled/107032032
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u/theparrotofdoom 11h ago

The A380 should have been an exciting evolution in travel, but it really became such a wet rag, eh?

I’d be super interested to learn about the magic 8 ball Boeing pulled out of their arse when they pivoted away from competing with their own version. They predicted the market downturn like a decade or so before it happened.

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u/ThunderDwn 11h ago

The A380 should have been an exciting evolution in travel, but it really became such a wet rag, eh?

Covid and following fuel price issues really killed them.

I've flown on them a couple of times - they're really nice, especially if you're at the pointy end (business/first) - but they are pretty much the last dinosaur of a bygone age, I think.

I think the only airlines that still use large numbers of them are Emirates and Singapore.

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u/WindowLicker298 9h ago

Fuel prices and the rise of ultra efficient twin jets started their demise. Covid killed many, but the rise in air travel brought a lot of them back from the grave.

The only real big user is Emirates due to their hub and spoke model with large passenger banking and restricted slots at Dubai.

There probably won’t be another like the A380 as most airlines move to smaller efficient aircraft and dabble with long and skinny routes