Just when you think the airlines are in the doldrums, one of them does something really spectacular. I’m usually sitting in Economy class in a middle seat enjoying my 16 hour flight, but this is certainly a better way going forward. I have flown Etihad before, thrice actually and had excellent service, so I’m looking forward to these changes.
Introducing The Residence, a three-room suite onboard the all new Airbus A380 from Etihad Airways. Yes, you heard me, three rooms! The bathroom, the bedroom and the living room (you have to sit somewhere right?) where you can invite guests to chat, have a cup of tea or a meal.
Don’t get too excited though as there are only two of these on each Airbus A380 and they are getting ten A380s in all. Plus, you can only pay for these seats, no upgrades allowed. You can see the seatmap here.
This is insane, so you have to see their promotional video by one of their Guest Ambassadors, Dannii Minogue:
So as if what you see in the video is not enough, here’s what this level of service comes with:
- VIP Travel Concierge Service
- They’ve got your back from booking to destination arrival
- The usual suspects; a chauffeur, private check-in area and Lounge access
- The Etihad Butler
- yes, you have a butler at your convenience onboard and after the flight if you so desire
- Inflight Chef
You are perhaps asking what does all this cost, right? It varies of course, and you can’t ride one until 27, December 2014 on their first route Abu Dhabi to London-Heathrow. Here’s more details to help you with your search:
- EY11 Abu Dhabi, UAE (UAH) to London-Heathrow, England (LHR) 2:35a 6:35a
- EY12 London-Heathrow, England (LHR) to Abu Dhabi, UAE (AUH) 9:15a 8:05p
All times are local.
That’s a fare of $21,018.78 USD!
So why don’t you head over to Etihad.com and check out the pricing for a route you want to fly.
Now they’ve not forgotten about Economy class on the new Boeing 787-9 and the Airbus A380. They’ve got headrests, well you may say, but so does other airlines, except these are made with local camel leather. They are calling this new seat, the economy smart seat.
You’ll have 750 hours of audio/video on demand as well complete with noise canceling headsets.
Insane! You can find out more about The Residence program on Etihad.com. Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think of The Residence.
Photos and videos courtesy of Etihad Airways.
