MANILA, Philippines — The Airbus 380 is now officially the largest commercial aircraft in the world, featuring a double-deck that allows unprecedented comfort and amenities in first class, offering luxurious beds instead of reclining seats.

It seats 525 passengers in a typical three configuration or up to 853 people in all-economy- class configurations.

It was introduced to the world as the “Superjumbo” to distinguish it from the first “Jumbo” aircraft, the Boeing B747.

The first A380 aircraft entered service on October 25, 2007, flying between Singapore and Sydney.

But a double-deck aircraft offering sleeping quarter is old hat.

On December 9, 1937, Pan American gave Boeing rights to build a 100-seat long-range airliner and came up with its legendary B-314 flying boat. Historians say it was probably the finest flying boat ever produced and the largest commercial plane to fly until the advent of the jumbo jets 30 years later.

The double-decker B-314 had a range of 3,500 miles (5,633 kilometers) and could carry as many as 74 passengers. Each plane cost more than half a million dollars.

By comparison, an A380 costs $389.9 million.

After World War, Boeing re-entered the commercial market with a new long-range airliner, the Stratocruiser (Model 377).

The Stratocruiser (Strat), a four piston-engine behemoth, set a new standard for luxurious air travel with extra-wide passenger cabin and gold-appointed dressing rooms.

The aircraft also had two decks. The upper deck was for economy class customers, while the lower was a VIP lounge and bar. Passengers could walk down and get a drink on the long flights at cruising altitude. Most Stratocruisers had economy seats on both decks.

The Stratocruiser flew premier services to Hawaii, across both oceans, and elsewhere in the world until superseded in the 1960s by jets such as the Boeing 707, the Douglas DC8 and Britain’s De Havilland Comet.

The Strat 377’s spiral staircase inspired the one on the B747, according to Wikipedia. It was one of the few airliners with a double-deck seating arrangement (another was the French Breguet Deux-Ponts) until the advent of 747, though some airlines did have lower-level lounges on their L-1011 Tristar aircraft.

The B747 entered service on January 22, 1970, on Pan Am's New York–London route. Flight attendants prepared hot meals for 50 to 100 people in a state-of-the-art galley. As a sleeper, the Strat was equipped with 28 upper-and-lower bunk units.

The Airbus A380 is the latest incarnation of the double-deck airplane.

Designed to challenge Boeing’s monopoly in the large-aircraft market, the A380 made its maiden flight on 27 April 2005 and entered initial commercial service in October 2007.

The A380's upper deck extends along the entire length of the fuselage, with a width equivalent to a wide-body aircraft. The A380-800 has a range of 15,400 kilometers (8,300 nmi; 9,600 mi), sufficient to fly from New York to Hong Kong, and a cruising speed about 900 km/h or 560 mph at cruising altitude.

Although nobody among the country’s airlines operate an A380, we shall soon start retrofitting A380s. The first customer this coming April is a Qantas A380, which would need new seats at the Lufthansa Technik’s 8,500-square-meter hangar – one of four such hangars in the world – located at the former Villamor Air Base.