More than two decades after the aircraft first took to the skies, nothing else quite matches the experience of walking towards the gate and seeing that enormous double-deck fuselage waiting outside.

British Airways operates the A380 on some of its most important long-haul routes, and recently I had the chance to take one across the Atlantic from London Heathrow to Los Angeles.

But this time, I wasn't turning left.

I was flying World Traveller, British Airways’ Economy Class, and specifically in the small Economy cabin tucked away at the rear of the A380's upper deck.

After spending 10 hours and 38 minutes onboard, is this actually one of the best ways to fly long-haul Economy with British Airways?

British Airways' A380 is unusual because Economy isn't confined to the aircraft's enormous main deck.

At the rear of the upper deck you'll also find a smaller World Traveller cabin, and this was where I'd be spending the flight to California.

For me, this is one of the A380's biggest advantages.

The cabin feels smaller and more intimate than the huge Economy sections you'll find downstairs, while sitting on the upper deck also gives you those fantastic storage compartments alongside the window seats.

If you're travelling with plenty of bits and pieces you want to keep nearby, they're genuinely useful.

And then there's the aircraft itself.

The A380 remains remarkably quiet for something so enormous. Combined with the feeling of space inside the cabin, it creates a much more pleasant environment for a long flight than you might expect from Economy.

On paper, then, we're off to a very good start.

My journey began at British Airways' home at Heathrow Terminal 5, with check-in and bag drop before heading airside.

Before the flight I visited the Plaza Premium Lounge, giving me somewhere to grab something to eat and relax before making my way to the departure gate.

Eventually, it was time for the main event.

Waiting outside was G-XLEE, one of British Airways' 12 Airbus A380s.

Even after all the flights I've taken over the years, boarding an A380 still puts a smile on my face. There's simply nothing else in passenger service quite like it.

And heading upstairs while holding an Economy boarding pass makes the experience even more unusual.

This is where the age of British Airways' A380 starts to become apparent.

The seats themselves are perfectly comfortable, and I found the legroom reasonable for Economy. For a flight of nearly 11 hours, I certainly wasn't dreading spending the day there. But nobody is going to mistake this for BA's newest cabin.

British Airways introduced the A380 into service back in 2013, and elements of the interior increasingly reflect that.

The inflight entertainment system is perhaps the most obvious example.

Screens have come a very long way over the past decade, particularly on newer-generation aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. Against those newer cabins, the A380's older screens and interface are noticeably dated.

Does that ruin the flight? Not at all.

But if you boarded expecting the world's largest passenger aircraft to also contain BA's most modern Economy product, you might be disappointed.

This particular journey cost me 35,000 Avios plus £75 in taxes and fees for the one-way flight from Heathrow to Los Angeles. It was one of BA’s Reward Flight Saver tickets.

Considering this was a flight of more than ten hours to the west coast of the United States, I thought that represented a pretty decent use of Avios.

Cash fares and redemption values obviously vary enormously depending on when you're travelling, so it's always worth comparing the Avios options with the cash price before booking. For me though, the cash price of the ticket was an eye-watering £1,236 in Economy!

So for £75 out of pocket and 35,000 Avios, I was happy with what I'd secured.

Especially when it meant flying upstairs on an A380.

Once airborne, the service began with drinks before lunch was served. There were two options; a chicken tikka masala or a vegetarian pasta dish with tomato and ricotta sauce. I had the pasta, the husband had the curry. Both were good.

There were two main meal services during the journey, along with a snack service in between, which helped break up what is a very long westbound flight.

Catering is one of those areas where Economy reviews can sometimes become slightly unrealistic. This is mass-produced food being served to hundreds of people several miles above the ground, so I'm not expecting restaurant dining.

What matters to me is whether it's tasty, whether there's enough of it and how the overall service is delivered.

Fortuitously, British Airways partner with DO & CO, who are, in my humble opinion, the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of airline caterers. I can’t recall ever knowingly receiving a bad meal that’s been loaded by them.

And that leads to something which made a much bigger difference to this journey than the age of the seat or the resolution of the entertainment screen.

The cabin crew were excellent.

Having previously worked as British Airways cabin crew myself, I probably notice some of the smaller details of onboard service more than the average passenger.

This crew were warm, engaging and professional throughout the journey and on a flight approaching 11 hours, that matters enormously.

You can install the newest seats, the biggest screens and the fastest Wi-Fi in the world, but the people delivering the experience can still make or break a journey.

Here, they made it considerably better.

If you've never flown on an A380 before, one of the things that can surprise you is just how refined it feels in the air.

The cabin is quiet, the aircraft feels incredibly spacious and even the take-off experience is unusual. You have this enormous machine accelerating down the runway, yet from inside it can all feel remarkably calm.

We did encounter some turbulence during the journey, but overall I managed to get some sleep and arrived in Los Angeles feeling considerably better than I might have expected after more than ten hours in Economy.

That's arguably where the A380 still excels.

The hardware inside might be getting older, but the fundamental aircraft remains an exceptionally good platform for carrying passengers long distances.

There's an important reason to talk about the age of this particular cabin as British Airways is preparing to give its A380 fleet a major makeover.

The airline has previously confirmed plans to refurbish the aircraft with new interiors, including its latest-generation cabins, see the beautiful new First above. That should eventually address one of my biggest criticisms of the current aircraft: the considerable gap between the A380's fantastic passenger environment and some of the ageing technology installed inside it.

And I think that's quite exciting because the basic ingredients are already here…

Give the A380 a modern entertainment system, updated seats and a fresher cabin, while retaining the quiet ride and enormous interior and BA could have a seriously compelling long-haul aircraft on its hands.

Sadly however, British Airways appear to be removing the small Upper Deck World Traveller (Economy) section in favour of an all-premium retrofit.

You can watch my complete British Airways A380 Economy review from London Heathrow to Los Angeles on my YouTube channel, including check-in at Heathrow, the upper-deck cabin and seat, both meal services, inflight entertainment and my final thoughts after arriving at LAX.

I'm tempted to say yes, with an asterisk*

If we're judging purely on how modern the cabin feels, no. BA has far newer aircraft with newer interiors and technology, like it’s A350-1000 and 787-10 fleet, but that's only part of the Economy experience.

After flying from Heathrow to Los Angeles on G-XLEE, I was reminded just how good the Airbus A380 itself is for passengers.

It's quiet. It's spacious. It feels stable. And if you can secure the right seat in that smaller upper-deck Economy cabin, there's a sense of space and exclusivity that is difficult to replicate on BA's other long-haul aircraft.

Add an excellent crew and a good Avios redemption into the mix, and I came away very impressed.

The cabin is showing its age.

The aircraft, most certainly, isn't.