British Airways Rolls Out Red Carpet for A380 Superjumb

The British Airways A380 takes to the skies for its first long haul flight today on the BA269 to Los Angeles at 4.15pm. It will be the first and only A380 aircraft to operate between London and Los Angeles.

To mark the launch of the new service, passengers in Terminal 5 had to double take, as George Clooney, Angelina Jolie and Daniel Craig look-a-likes checked in early for the flight.

Passengers on the inaugural will be treated to music from Melanie C and Matt Cardle performing live in Terminal 5, ahead of the flight’s departure.

Dubbed the ‘red carpet route’ for its glamour, style and direct route to Tinseltown, British Airways’ A380 already has a string of celebrity fans. These include Hollywood actress Thandie Newton who described it as “a grand hotel in the sky”, as well as actress Gemma Arterton, model Georgia May Jagger and South African rugby player Bryan Habana - all frequent fliers who helped to launch the route.

More than 318,000 Brits flock to Los Angeles every year, accounting for the top five international visitors to the city, along with Mexico, Canada, China and Australia.