Old media hands recognize a “dog & pony” show when they see one, and that’s what the “Traveling Airbus Tour” sure looks like. One of the huge A380’s has been dropping in, here and there (Minneapolis, Orlando, Los Angeles) to strut its stuff (and just maybe, find some more buyers). Certainly, it’s got plenty of “stuff” to strut, including a wing span that’s just about as wide as a football field One place not on the dog & pony trail was Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport; there were rumors that the A380 might pay a visit, but nothing was ever finalized. Kind of a pity, as DFW would be an exceptionally welcoming venue for the A380 …

Back when they were planning this huge airport (which opened in 1974), designers took into consideration Airbus-sized planes of the future. “We are A380 ready now (for a visiting flight),” said David Magana, Manager of DFW Airport Public Affairs while chatting with Anne, the editor of FareCompare.com. He went on to say that DFW could accommodate regularly scheduled flights in perhaps 18-months (though none are on the horizon).

But many other airports are not ready. And some of them would require extensive, expensive renovations to handle these Jetzillas. At DFW, though, final preparations for Airbus flights would not involve huge outlays (according to Magana): among other things, they’d have to widen shoulders on the taxiways, and, get a second jetway.

A second jetway? Sure, because the A380 holds more than 500-passengers; deplaning an A380 with just one jetway would be, as my granny used to say, “like trying to get watermelon seeds out of a bottle.” In a word …slow.