Are you one of the tragically hip that must be the first on the biggest and best the world has to offer?   If so, set your sights on being the first to fly on Air France’s cool new Airbus A380, which is the world’s biggest passenger plane.  But here’s

Air France auctions off seats on innaugaural A380 flights.

the catch:  You have to bid for a seat.

As of right now, Air France is auctioning off  seats on the jet’s two inaugural flights from Paris to New York on Nov. 20 and from New York to Paris on Nov. 21.

The auction is being held on eBay through Oct. 21.

Air France said the opening bid “in most cases” will be $380 for Voyageur (economy) class and $1,380 in Affaires (business) class, but that it may change during the auction.  (The auction includes a return ticket on a regular Air France flight.)  Proceeds go to charities in France, India and South Africa.

For full details and links to the auction, which will involve 380 seats on each flight, visit the airline’s A380 mini-site.   Also, if your French is up to par you can track the auction on Twitter, @AFEncheresA380.

Air France A380s will begin regular commercial operation on the Paris-New York route on Nov. 23. Routes to open later include Paris-Dubai and Paris-Tokyo. The airline has ordered 12 of the giant jets, each able to carry up to 538 passengers (449 economy, 80 business, 9 first class) over a maximum distance of 8,078 miles.

~~ Raine Devries