Aussie stumps $100k for Airbus A380 tickets

An Aussie air enthusiast has stumped up a cool $100,380 for the honour of travelling on Singapore Airlines' maiden commercial flight of the A380 Airbus, Singapore News reports.

Julian Hayward snapped up the "Suite Class package" - including two one-way tickets for the 25 October flight from Singapore to Sydney and the chance to "join SIA as guests for the historical delivery of the first Airbus A380 at Toulouse" - on eBay, where auctions for 102 seats over the weekend drummed up more than $400,000.

Hayward said: "It's been so long since we've had an aeronautical feat of engineering: the 747 or even Concorde. I'm extremely excited to have the opportunity to be the first-ever passenger on such a large feat of engineering and even better, that charities are benefiting from the maiden flight."

Other successful bids included $5,000 for Economy Class, $8,303 for Business Class and $20,800 for the "Suites". Singapore Airlines is agreeably donating the proceeds to various charities, and if you've got a few quid laying about, auctions for the 26 October Sydney to Singapore return trip kick off tomorrow and run until 10 September, while there are still some Singapore to Oz seats up for grabs here. ®