Europe's largest airline is preparing to give Houston a nonstop portal to Germany on the world's largest commercial passenger airplane. Well, two portals, actually.
Because of its massive size and full upper and lower decks -- it will be the first full-on, double-deck aircraft to serve Bush Intercontinental Airport -- passengers will board and deplane the monster Airbus A380 through two jet bridges in Terminal D.
As configured by Germany's Lufthansa, which is flying it to Intercontinental, the aircraft has 526 seats in three passenger classes -- nearly one and a half times the seating capacity of a Boeing 747-800, the world's second-largest commercial aircraft.
Houston is the fourth U.S. city Lufthansa is serving with the double-deck plane, which took to the skies in 2005 and is quieter and more fuel-efficient than many older airliners.
The Houston Airport System is hustling to finish the revamp of Terminal D so Lufthansa can offer a daily flight to Frankfurt on the A380 starting Aug. 1, when the plane is scheduled to arrive in Houston on its inaugural flight.
Flight LH441 will take off every day at 4:20 p.m. and arrive in Frankfurt at 9:05 a.m. the next day.
A specially designed jet bridge that makes a curving sweep to reach the upper deck, 26 feet from the ground, arrived at Bush Intercontinental on Wednesday from a factory in Fort Worth and was installed immediately.
Passengers in the eight first class and 98 business class seats will sit on the upper deck and board through Gate 12A; passengers in the 420 coach seats will sit on the lower deck and board via the jet bridge at Gate 12. Round-trip first-class fare will cost more than $14,000.
The airport system already had started widening one of its runways to accommodate widebody aircraft like the A380, whose engines otherwise would blaze over dry grass, dirt and debris -- a fire hazard.
After Lufthansa approached airport officials about offering a daily flight on the A380, they launched a $17.1 million project to prepare.
Besides the jet bridge to reach the airplane's second deck -- wheelchair accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act -- the project has included installation of special fueling stations.
It will take two electric units and two air-conditioning units to keep the airplane powered and cool when it's parked at the gate. Other jetliners require only one of each.
Lufthansa is footing the bill for a specially designed $800,000 lifting truck for delivering food to the aircraft.
Hobby debate
Earlier this year, during the debate over whether to allow Southwest Airlines to serve international destinations from Hobby Airport, Lufthansa sent a letter to Mayor Annise Parker suggesting that it might reconsider the A380 service to Bush Intercontinental if the city granted Southwest's request.
"Dividing international traffic between two airports will stretch resources, reduce connectivity and undermine the economic vitality that makes IAH such an attractive hub," the letter said.
But preparations for the giant airplane remain in full force three weeks after the Houston City Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of Southwest's proposal.
"You have to be crazy to walk away from this market," Houston Airport System Chief Mario Diaz said in a recent interview.
'A natural portal'
Lufthansa said in a statement that Houston is "a natural portal for the premium service with our A380" because the airline serves more than 35 energy industry destinations worldwide.
But it vowed to "remain vigilant on current traffic streams and continue to assess what potential impact varying traffic patterns mean to our load factors."
For now, said Matt Strong, a Lufthansa sales manager, high passenger load factors make Houston "one of the most profitable markets in the U.S."
Lufthansa now has seasonal A380 flights serving Miami, New York and San Francisco.
But Houston will be the first U.S. city to get year-round A380 service, Lufthansa said in announcing the service late last year, because its business community and booming oil and gas sector make the Bayou City a prime market for the luxury aircraft.
The numbers back up the sentiment: Houston-Frankfurt A380 flights are about 70 percent booked through October.
Copyright 2012 - Houston Chronicle
