OREANDA-NEWS. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport welcomed the arrival of its first scheduled Airbus A380 service, a Qantas A380 arriving from Sydney, Australia. The up-gauge from Boeing 747-400ER service to the double-decker Airbus A380-800 will mean that Qantas now serves the longest scheduled commercial flight in the world with the largest passenger jet in the world.

Legendary film actor John Travolta greeted arriving passengers in his role as a Qantas special ambassador. The arrival of the superjumbo aircraft was also met with the traditional DFW Airport “shower of affection” water cannon salute from the Airport's Department of Public Safety.

“The arrival of the Qantas A380 at DFW opens a new era of international competition for our Airport and for the Dallas/Fort Worth region, and elevates the level of service available to our customers,” said Sean Donohue, CEO of DFW International Airport. “We're proud to have the A380 operating on the Sydney to DFW route, because it is a testament to the strength of the Dallas/Fort Worth market, and because it elevates DFW in the minds of international customers. We want to be known for having outstanding customer service and options for travelers, and A380 service helps us achieve that goal.”

Qantas Flight 7 from Sydney to DFW and Qantas Flight 8 from DFW back to Sydney are the world's longest scheduled non-stop flights, covering a distance of 8578 miles, and taking between 15.5 and 16 hours to complete.

Qantas Airways Senior Executive Vice President, The Americas, Vanessa Hudson said the introduction of the Qantas A380 would offer more comfort and greater travel options for US travelers.

“Our new A380 service from Dallas/Fort Worth to Sydney means Americans can now fly on the world's largest passenger aircraft and enjoy its spacious interiors and quiet cabins on our overnight service to Australia,” said Ms. Hudson. “We know time is a precious commodity for our US customers, whether travelling for business or leisure, so we've invested heavily to ensure our customers enjoy their journey from the moment they step onboard to the time when they land in Sydney.”

Given the additional range of the A380, Qantas Flight 8 from DFW to Australia will now operate directly to Sydney rather than stopping first in Brisbane. The new A380 service will operate with six flights per week between Dallas/Fort Worth and Sydney (every day except Tuesdays), representing a net increase of seats on the route by about 10 percent per week.

DFW has reconfigured two gates, namely D15 and D16, to simultaneously accommodate A380 flights while on the ground, utilizing a total of three boarding bridges. DFW Airport also completed modifications to the airfield, specifically ramps and taxiways in order to accommodate A380 service, and the Airport installed a new seating configuration to double the seating capacity in the Terminal D15/D16 gate waiting area.

DFW airline partners offer nonstop service to 55 international destinations and 147 cities in the United States, with every major city in the continental U.S., Canada and Mexico within a four-hour flight. For Qantas customers, DFW's partner airlines including oneworld® alliance partner American Airlines offer excellent connectivity to more than 100 destinations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.