A380 era is underway

"New Rule: I don't want to fly on a bus. That's why people pay more money to fly! So they don't have to take a bus. And I don't care that it's huge, because I've never once gotten on a flight and thought, 'Boy, I wish there were more people on this plane.'"

That was Bill Maher on HBO Friday night. Today, the A380 airbus (seen above in its LAX debut) made its first commercial flight. The Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 , the world's largest jetliner, left Singapore for Sydney at 8:16 am on a 7 1/2-hour flight that launches a new era in air travel. The A380 boasts luxurious suites enclosed by sliding doors, double beds, a bar and the quietest interior of any plane. Four hundred and fifty five passengers bought their seats at a charity auction. Top bidder Julian Hayward, 38, a Brit who lives in Sydney, paid more than 100,000 US dollars "to be a part of history." He's flying in seat 1A. Austrian Georg Burdicek paid 560 dollars for the cheapest seat. Georg flies economy. Also on board Flight SQ380 are a crew of about 30 including four pilots.