The idea came to Curt Larson earlier this month when he read The story of TPG about Airbus auctioning off parts of the A380 that once took the sky by storm.
Sure, the plane maker has a lot of items on sale that are worthy of AvGeek’s admiration, but that’s it. bar from Emirates business classIt’s going to be a completely showable thing, he feels.
“It’s just the origins and history of this bar,” he said. After all, he had previously had a chance to see a similar bar on a previous trip on the train Emirates – part of a premium service by a carrier based in Dubai. Combine that with what appears to be a finite future for superjumbo, and owning a piece of the iconic plane seems like a worthy investment.
Even so, Larson thought he wouldn’t be able to win. After all, Airbus intends to open bids for 20,000 euros – or about $20,000.
“I feel it’s going to go a lot,” he said.
A few weeks quickly passed, and Larson’s shock he did, in effect, gave way to intensive planning: How to get it to America and how it will count to a final rental is sure to be at the top of AvGeek’s list when it’s available.
A winning auction
While Larson had little hope that he would land the high-end cabin relic, he began to feel a glimmer of hope when the bid for the Emirates bar was opened with little fanfare. The auction house then lowered the entry bid to 5,000 euros (about $5,000), Larson said.
“However, no one bids,” he said.
So it was reduced to 10,000 euros ($10,000), which was good enough for him.
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“I started bidding a little bit,” he explains. The bids started to go up… but quickly slowed as the number approached 15,000 – which Larson decided would be his ceiling.
“I thought, let me try €15,100,” he said. “I’ve completely regretted the buyer.”
A hammer hit, and the auctioneer called out something in French – which Larson didn’t understand, didn’t speak French. But then he heard his name.
“What did I do ?!” he thought. “How can I even get this to the United States?”
Future plans for the bar
As Larson’s winning bid has dropped in recent weeks, so realize that his costs could double by the time he gets the bar shipped to the US; a process he expected could take months.
Still, the win is as personal as his bid seems, it’s a win you might one day enjoy too.
Larson plans to buy a property in Palm Springs, California, which he will lease as a short-term rental. “My plan is, this is going to be a big part of the marketing appeal,” he said. “This will help us rent our place.”
Yes, one day you can surf Airbnband track down a rental property where you can enjoy a drink (or as much as you like) at a bar that once served customers at 30,000 feet.
“It’s an opportunity to hang out at this bar for as long as you want,” Larson said.
Is Emirates business class travel aspiration, future redemption Or you want to reminisce about a highlight of your past travel, it’s sure to be a memorable stay.
Buyer’s remorse fades
As he negotiated the complicated shipping process for his big ticket purchase, it became clear that Larson’s buyer’s remorse was beginning to fade. “This bar is actually on an airplane that flies around the world,” he marvels. “I find it really great.”
He promised to share photos when it arrives and we’ll definitely keep an eye on that future rental listing.
Finally, he said, “There are certainly bigger aviation experts than me.”
We may even know a few of them.
Just enough bling: Review of Emirates’ new premium economy class on the A380 from Dubai to London
