Amazing vs. Practical

I can’t help but be impressed with the descriptions of the Airbus A380:

Since it started flying commercially seven years ago, the A380 has caught the imagination of travelers. Its two full-length decks total 6,000 square feet, 50 percent more than the original jumbo jet, the Boeing 747. Its wingspan barely fits inside a football field. Its four engines take this 560-ton airplane to a cruising altitude of 39,000 feet in less than 15 minutes, a surprisingly smooth ascent for such a bulky plane. Passengers love it because it’s quiet and more reminiscent of a cruise ship than an airplane.

How can you not be amazed by the fact that we can put a 560 ton thing in the air and fly it?

As the NY Times article goes on to point out, the practical requirements of the A380 are contributing to a slow adoption rate:

Not only do airlines take a big risk on the size and cost of the A380, but they also have to gain the cooperation of airports to modify gates and widen taxiways to make room for the plane. Apart from the main global hubs, few airports have made these investments. No airport in Brazil, for instance, can handle an A380. The plane was only recently allowed in Mumbai.

Requiring everyone else to change in order to accommodate your latest and greatest thing usually results in a long uphill adoption process. Even if it is something as impressive looking as the A380.