A380 now a 615-seater

That's nothing. In a one-class arrangement you could pack in up to 813...
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Airliner with most seats ever unveiled

By Thom Patterson, CNN
Updated 5:47 PM ET, Tue November 10, 2015

That maiden test flight was a success, much to the relief of Airbus, which
had sunk $13 billion and 11 years of work into developing the aircraft.

(CNN)The biggest airliner in the world just got more seats than ever before.

Over the weekend, Emirates airline unveiled a new Airbus A380 outfitted with
615 seats.

"For those keeping score, that is the most ever," writes aviation blogger
Gilbert Ott. Currently Air France A380s fly the largest capacity
configuration in active service -- 538 seats.

Think about it: 615 passengers is like an entire town flying on one
airplane.

In fact, assuming the 2010 Census is accurate, this plane actually has
enough seats to fly the entire population of Circle, Montana.

For those who don't follow the industry, the A380 is basically a flying
building.

It's the monster truck of airliners, with four engines and two floors of
seats.

The 615-seater is expected to begin flying a route between Dubai and
Copenhagen in December, The National reports.

The new configuration has airline and travel industry followers debating the
pros and cons of capacity versus comfort.

"What are you thinking?" Chris Leeds asks on Twitter.

Emirates hasn't responded to CNN's request for comment.

With the new configuration, the potential for making a higher
profit-per-seat goes up.

But there's a tradeoff.

And one that Jennifer Aniston, Emirates latest celebrity spokeperson, might
not be thrilled with.

This new Emirates airliner gained more seats by losing its roomy first-class
section and legendary shower facilities.

Result: 58 business-class seats and 557 in economy, reports AirwaysNews.

How many bathrooms?

Before the new configuration, Emirates had 15 passenger lavatories aboard
its A380-800s.

Will that be enough for all the extra people?

What about boarding?

Will boarding and de-planing so many extra passengers slow things down?

The plane's double-decker design allows for boarding through its upper and
lower doors.

Four-engine wide-body jetliners have been falling out of favor lately among
carriers, as new, super-efficient, lightweight, twin-engine planes fly
longer and longer routes.

When the A380 debuted a decade ago, the design was based on the idea that
airlines would need larger aircraft to fly passengers between expanding
major air hubs.

But sales, though initially strong, have tailed off in recent years.

Related: Does the A380 have a future?

Believe it or not, 615 passengers aboard the A380 isn't the maximum.

Even more passengers could fit on these giant planes.

Adding 11-abreast seating in the economy section of the main deck would
increase the A380-800 capacity by an additional 35 to 40 seats.

Will Emirates and other A380 operators resort to that option?

Much depends on demand from the flying public.

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