business

With the holiday season just underway, Airbus brought an airline CEO's ultimate gift to the Twin Cities on Tuesday for some window shopping.

France-based Airbus gave Northwest Airlines executives and employees a ride on its new A380, which has a list price of $300 million. The Eagan-based carrier has 162 other Airbus jets, including the largest A330 fleet in the world.

Although Airbus executives didn't make a public pitch to Northwest on Tuesday, they are looking for a partner to become the first U.S.-based airline to use the gargantuan, double-decker A380.

People lined up along Post Road on Tuesday morning to catch a glimpse of the airplane during a demonstration flight. Northwest employee Jay Hassett said it "looked like a cruise ship sailing in" when it arrived Monday night.

"It's like two wide-body airplanes -- one on top of the other," said Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus Americas, who joined Northwest CEO Doug Steenland on Tuesday's flight.

Steenland described the plane as a "tremendous technological accomplishment" in speaking to about 200 employees, customers and other guests who were on the two-hour demonstration flight. But he did not make any commitment to buy the plane, which was designed to serve high-demand international routes.

"We don't have any specific intentions right now, but the airplane will be here for a long time and as things progress, we'll obviously give it consideration," he told reporters.

Singapore Airlines took delivery of the first A380 a few weeks ago, and McArtor said that 16 foreign customers -- including Qantas Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa, and Air France -- have placed orders for a total of 193 airplanes.

The four-engine aircraft can seat more than 500 passengers. Flight crew members distributed Airbus brochures Tuesday that showed a configuration of 12 first-class seats and 307 economy seats on the main deck and 64 business class and 136 economy class seats on the upper deck.

The main level also includes a first-class bar, where champagne was served Tuesday.

Aviation consultant Michael Roach said that Northwest might want to press Airbus for a "giveaway price" in return for giving the big plane an entry into the U.S. market. Roach, based in San Francisco, said Northwest could deploy the A380 on Asian routes, where demand is expected to grow sharply over the years as U.S.-China ties increase.

Dan Kasper, a Massachusetts-based consultant who served as an expert witness for Northwest during its bankruptcy, said the A380 eventually could replace Northwest's 747-400s, but he added: "I don't think they have any reason to rush" on a fleet decision.

At the end of the third quarter, Northwest had 16 of the 403-passenger 747-400s.

In an interview, Steenland said it would be "plausible" for Northwest to operate the A380 in the Pacific market. "As a result of traffic growth and slot congestion at [Tokyo's] Narita [airport], instead of operating three flights a day from the city, you'd operate two," Steenland said.

But he stressed that it's "not possible or realistic" to make any predictions about whether or when Northwest would acquire any A380s.

Northwest plans to be the U.S. launch customer for Boeing's next-generation long-haul aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner. It has ordered 18. Steenland said Northwest expects to receive the first 787 in early 2009, and wants to use the Dreamliner for nonstop Detroit-Shanghai service.

The A380 will be one of multiple choices when it comes time to replace the 747-400s, Steenland said.

Northwest employees who got a close look at the A380 Tuesday were impressed by its vast dimensions, including the two passenger decks that are the size of three tennis courts.