The number of Preferred seats varies by aircraft type:

Airbus A380-800 – 23 seats
Airbus A380-800A – 11
Airbus A330 – 4
Boeing 777-300ER – 8
Boeing 747-400 – 8
Boeing 777-300 – 4
Boeing 777-300A – 6
Boeing 777-200 (3 Class) – 4
Boeing 777-200 (2 Class) – 4
Boeing 777-200ER – 0 (no exit rows)

A Preferred seat is marked as ‘P’ on the seat maps. They are not available on short-haul routes around south-east Asia or flights to Taiwan and Japan.

Best seats on the A380 plane

The best seats to get are on the Airbus A380-800 upper deck which has a small economy cabin at the back of the aircraft with a 2-4-2 configuration. The pick of the bunch are the window seat pairs on row 81 – seats A/C or H/K at the “mini” cabin right at the back. Further forward, row 71 also has great legroom but is windowless.

We recently tried out the A380 upper deck economy cabin on a 13 hour flight between London Heathrow and Singapore Changi airport. We found the $50 investment for row 81 was money very well spent. In comparison, Qantas charges AUD80 (around US$80) for a pre-assigned exit row (A380 lower deck or 747) on the same route.

The upper economy deck has a quieter and more intimate ambience than the large cabins on the lower deck. However, Singapore’s newer A380 deliveries have the economy cabin removed so that the entire upper deck is dedicated to business class. The original configuration will remain on SQ’s first 12 A380s for the time being.

On the lower deck, preferred seats can be purchased for exit rows 44 and 55, and also middle row seat 48D which has no seat (47D) in front.

It is likely that the newer config aircraft (A380-800A) with no economy upper deck will eventually be deployed on the London-Singapore route – so check your aircraft type carefully when booking. You should also book early to secure a Preferred seat – particularly if flying on the A380 upper deck.

Other airlines that have a small economy cabin on the upper deck of the A380 are Air France and Thai Airways.

Buenos Aires is one of the great South American cities and the gateway to Argentina. The main airport is Ezeiza International/Ministro Pistarini (EZE) and flight time from Europe takes approximately 12-14 hours non-stop.

The distance between Madrid (Spain) and Buenos Aires is 6,250 miles – even longer from northern European cities.

Fares – Airfares from Europe to South America in general tend to be higher than more competitive routes of similar distance – such as Europe to south-east Asia. The cheapest fares are often found ex-Madrid which is the principal Latin American hub in Europe. Reasonable fares can also be found ex-London.

Below is a rough guideline to “value” for the Europe-Buenos Aires route in economy class priced in pounds sterling:

Excellent Deal – under £500
Good Deal – £500-£600
Average – £600-£750
Expensive – £750-£1,000
Ouch – over £1,000

Normal business class fares are priced in the £2,000-£2,500 range – anything under £2,000 is a good deal whilst biz fares under £1,500 are considered excellent.

Exchange Rate – The Argentine Peso has been consistently weak (currently 1GBP = 6.5 ARS, 1EUR = 5.6 ARS, 1USD/1AUD = 4 ARS). Argentina remains good value for visitors despite experiencing some heavy price inflation of late.

Airlines – The following airlines fly non-stop between various European airports and Buenos Aires:

Iberia - Spanish carrier (now merging with British Airways under the International Airlines Group) which flies 2x daily from Madrid using Airbus A340 aircraft. Plenty of connections are available to many EU airports – but note, Iberia’s short-haul flights are no-frills. Service standards on long-haul can be variable, especially in economy class.

Alitalia - The Italian airline flies daily from Rome (FCO) to Buenos Aires using a Boeing 777-200 with 3-3-3 config in economy class and 2-2-2 in business.

Air France – Flies daily from Paris CDG also using a Boeing 777-200. Config is 3-3-3 for economy, 2-3-2 business and 4 first (Premiere) seats up front.

Lufthansa - The German Star Alliance carrier flies daily (except Tuesday) between Frankfurt and Buenos Aires using a Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Upper deck has LH’s first class cabin with 8 seats.

KLM - The Dutch carrier will re-start non-stop flights between Amsterdam and EZE on October 31st 2011. The 3x weekly service will be operated by a 2 class Boeing 777-200 going to 4x weekly in 2012. KLM has a good feeder network to/from many UK regional airports.

British Airways – BA will start a daily non-stop flight from London Heathrow to Buenos Aires from the end of March 2011 (the current service makes a stop in Sao Paolo in Brazil). The flights will be operated by a 3 class Boeing 777. Looking at prices today, BA’s lowest quoted fare is £950 economy, £1,380 in premium economy and a whopping £3,700 in Club – although prices ex-Europe are cheaper.

Air Europa – This Skyteam airline flies daily from Madrid to EZE using an Airbus A330-200. Includes a small 2-2-2 business cabin. Prices can be competitive although service is probably lacking compared with the major carriers.

Aerolineas Argentinas – The Argentine national carrier flies from daily from Madrid to Buenos Aires using an (older series) Boeing 747-400. It also serves both Barcelona (BCN) and Rome (FCO) 4x weekly with an Airbus A340. Again, service standards are known to vary and it wouldn’t be our first choice.

Other airlines serving Europe to BA via stops:

LAN Chile – The OneWorld carrier is probably south America’s best airline and a recommended alternative option. It flies Frankfurt-Madrid-Santiago using an Airbus A340. The 700 mile SCL-EZE sector is done with either A320s or B767s.

TAM – Brazilian airline TAM flies to Sao Paolo (GRU) from Madrid, London, Milan, Paris and Frankfurt. (Variety of aircraft used: A340/A330/B777). Onward connecting flight from GRU to EZE done on A320s. Note, Star Alliance TAM is merging with Oneworld’s LAN shortly.

Air Canada – Flies daily from Toronto to Buenos Aires with a short stop in Santiago (SCL) using a Boeing 767-300ER. From Toronto, AC serves a number of EU destinations.

Singapore Airlines – The Star Alliance carrier will start operating a 3x weekly service from Barcelona to Sao Paolo using a Boeing 777-300ER. Flights start March 28th 2011. From GRU take the TAM flight onward to EZE.

For Europeans willing to go through the relative hassle of a US stopover there are the following options:

American Airlines – Flies New York (JFK) and Miami (MIA) to Buenos Aires using Boeing 777s.

Delta Airlines – Flies from Atlanta (ATL) to Buenos Aires using Boeing 767s.

United Airlines – Flies from Washington (IAD) using Boeing 767s. Partner Continental serves EZE from its Houston (IAH) hub also with B767s.

Note that Buenos Aires has a second airport – Jorge Newbury (AEP) nearer the city centre – where many domestic flights depart. Be aware that domestic airfares for Argentine residents are lower than for non-residents. We recommend flying LAN Argentina over Aerolineas for domestic flights.

Singapore Airlines
A380 launch customer
First flight: Oct 2007
A380s in service: 11
A380s total order size: 19
Engines: Rolls Royce Trent 900

Routes from Singapore (SIN):
Hong Kong (HKG), London (LHR), Melbourne (MEL), Paris (CDG), Sydney (SYD), Tokyo (NRT) and Zurich (ZRH).

As a precaution, Singapore Airlines is replacing some of its engines.

Emirates
First flight: Aug 2008
A380s in service: 13
A380s total order size: 90
Engines: Engine Alliance GP7000

Routes from Dubai (DXB):
London Heathrow (LHR), Sydney (SYD), Bangkok (BKK) and on to Hong Kong (HKG), Toronto (YYZ), Paris (CDG), Seoul (ICN), Jeddah (JED), Beijing (PEK), Manchester (MAN), , New York (JFK).

There is also a daily Sydney to Auckland (AKL) service.

Qantas
First flight: Oct 2008
A380s in service: 6
A380s total order size: 20
Engines: Rolls Royce Trent 900

Routes from both Sydney (SYD) and Melbourne (MEL):
Singapore (SIN) and on to London Heathrow (LHR), Los Angeles (LAX)

QF A380s are currently grounded pending engine failure investigation.

Air France
First flight: Nov 2009
A380s in service: 4
A380s total order size: 12
Engines: Engine Alliance GP7000

Routes from Paris (CDG):
New York (JFK), Johannesburg (JNB), Tokyo (NRT)

Lufthansa
First flight: Jun 2010
A380s in service: 3
A380s total order size: 15
Engines: Rolls Royce Trent 900

Routes from Frankfurt (FRA):
Beijing (PEK), Johannesburg (JNB), Tokyo (NRT).

Lufthansa is replacing one of its engines, as a precaution.

Best A380 economy cabins – Both Singapore Airlines and Air France have smaller upper level economy cabins with 2-4-2 configuration – which have a more intimate feel than the lower level 3-4-3 economy config.

Australian carrier Qantas has special offer business class deals to various Aussie / Kiwi cities from London. Travel is up to 13th December, book by 30th June.

Prices are:

Perth £1,990
Melbourne £1,991
Adelaide £1,998
Sydney £1,999
Brisbane £2,001
Christchurch £2,089
Wellington £2,089
Auckland £2,099

It is possible to fly on the QF A380 via Singapore. Some flights are code-shares operated by partner British Airways. The flight is bookable at the Qantas website but we found cheaper fares on Netflights (£1,938 to SYD, £2,041 to AKL). Note, (1) these are non-changeable / non-refundable fares and (2) these don’t seem to be available on ba.com.

Emirates has an exceptional 2-for-1 business class offer from the UK to Australia / NZ (and other worldwide destinations). Note – you have to fly from Birmingham BHX with a companion. Prices are:

Perth £1,565
Melbourne £1,566
Sydney £1,574
Brisbane £1,575
Christchurch £1,587
Auckland £1,597 (£1,549 on Netflights)

These are excellent prices, some of the lowest business fares Down Under for a while. You must book by 10th June using promo code UKBHX21, outbound travel by 30th November.

This companion offer also has fares to Asia and South Africa at around the £900 mark.

You get a complimentary chauffeur as long as both passengers are collected from the same address. Changes are permitted (for a charge) as is a free stopover in Dubai.

You could fly on the EK A380 on some sectors – currently utilised on daily flights Dubai to Sydney/Auckland (EK 412/413). Also EK 372/373 Dubai – Bangkok if you’re heading to BKK.

Cathay Pacific are selling business class flights to both Australia and New Zealand for sub £2k. This seems to be a reaction to the Qantas sale. Prices:

Sydney £1,980
Melbourne £1,972
Adelaide £1,978
Perth £1,970
Brisbane £1,981
Auckland £1,990

Book by June 30th, some changes are allowed for a fee.

If you are considering Qantas or Cathay and are not 100% sure of your travel plans then it would probably make sense to go with the slightly more flexible Cathay fares.

We found lower fares on some agents, for example Netflights / Travelocity had Cathay flights to Sydney for £1,870 – however no changes or refunds are allowed!

Tip: Always understand the terms / conditions of your ticket before booking with an airline and especially an agent.

Finally, Travelocity is selling Singapore Airlines business fares to Sydney in July for as low as £1,926 (Perth £1,947). Travelocity also has Etihad flights to Sydney for £1,938 (via Abu Dhabi).