Rather than taking a free, hourlong flight on the world's largest aircraft, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other local dignitaries will have to settle for touring the plane on the runway.
The jaunt -- taking off from LAX with a quick return -- was grounded this week because it would have violated a state law and city ethics provisions that keep politicians from accepting extravagant gifts, according to an opinion from the City Attorney's Office.
The trip aboard the Airbus A380 was expected to demonstrate how the behemoth aircraft operates, coinciding with a series of tests scheduled for later this month at Los Angeles International Airport.
But transportation companies are prohibited from granting free passes or discounts to anyone holding office in California, according to the state constitution.
Violators could be removed from office.
``The plane may not be going to any particular destination, and it may be a short flight, but we are not going to violate the law,'' said mayoral spokesman Darryl Ryan.
``We follow what the law states, and it says elected officials cannot take free flights,'' he said. ``So we're not going to take it.''
Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose 11th District includes LAX, said he respected the intent of the law, but noted that it could be relaxed.
``Sometimes trips, like getting on the Airbus A380, isn't necessarily a pleasure trip because you want to get a better look at what's flying into your city,'' Rosendahl said.
``But our city attorney said it would be clearly illegal to board that flight,'' he said. ``Until then, we need to examine how to reform campaign finance laws so that kinks like this can be removed.''
Officials with Airbus America first pitched the idea of a demonstration flight to Villaraigosa's representatives during a conference call Tuesday, according to Ryan.
After mulling the matter over, the Mayor's Office turned the trip down, citing the conflict of interest code embedded in the state constitution.
``They wanted to do a nice event so that the mayor and other officials could see how the plane operates firsthand,'' Ryan said. ``But we said it's something we cannot do because the law prohibits us.''
Airbus America still plans to hold a demonstration flight, but it remained unclear who would board the A380 along with members of the media, according to Mary Anne Greczyn, communications manager for the Herndon, Va.-based aircraft company.
``We will proceed with the flight as planned, with an adjustment to the passenger manifest,'' Greczyn said.
The A380 is scheduled to return for a second visit to Los Angeles on Nov. 28 as a joint venture with Qantas Airlines. The Australian airline will be the first to offer A380 service at LAX in October 2008.
Airbus and city officials had hoped to use the flight to show that LAX is ready for megasize airliners. The $1.2 billion Midfield Concourse, set for completion in January 2012, is expected to hold eight to 10 new gates large enough to handle the A380 and the Boeing 787.
