Introduction
Gulf Air Falcon Gold Lounge London Heathrow
Gulf Air Business Class A330 London To Bahrain
Westin Bahrain City Centre
Etihad Airways Business Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport
Etihad Airways First Class Apartment A380 Abu Dhabi To London
Andaz London Liverpool Street Hotel
Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel Copenhagen
Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Copenhagen
Sheraton London Heathrow Hotel
Cathay Pacific Lounge London Heathrow Airport
American Airlines First Class 777-300ER London To New York
Sheraton New York JFK Airport
American Airlines Flagship Lounge New York JFK Airport
American Airlines First Class A321 New York To Los Angeles
Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa
American Airlines Admirals Club Honolulu Airport
American Airlines First Class 777-300ER Los Angeles To London
Sheraton Skyline Hotel London Heathrow
Etihad Airways Lounge London Heathrow Airport
Etihad Airways First Class 777-300ER London To Abu Dhabi
Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa
Cairo Airport VIP Service
Qatar Airways First Class 777-300ER Cairo To Doha
The Airport Hotel Doha Hamad International Airport
Qatar Airways Business Class A350 Doha To Frankfurt
Hilton Garden Inn Frankfurt Airport
US Airways Business Class A330 Frankfurt To Philadelphia
Etihad 11
Abu Dhabi (AUH) – London (LHR)
Saturday, December 27
Depart: 2:35AM
Arrive: 6:35AM
Duration: 8hr
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Seat: 4K (First Class Apartment)
I don’t think words can do justice to how excited I was when I boarded the Etihad A380. As soon as my boarding pass was scanned I jogged down the jet bridge to the door of the plane. That’s how excited I was.
At the door I was greeted by the cabin manager and one of the first class crew, who directed me left towards the First Class Apartment cabin.
Holy $hit. I try not to cuss too much in public, but that’s what I said. Actually, that phrase is about all that came out of my mouth for the first 10 minutes in the cabin.
Words can’t do justice to how beautiful the cabin is. There’s only a single aisle, which makes Etihad the first airline to use a single-aisle configuration on the A380.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment cabin
I was familiarized with my home, “Apartment 4K.” While I have my criticisms of Etihad, there’s no denying that their branding is absolutely brilliant.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 4K signage
On the outside of my seat was a large coat closet.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 4K closet
I just couldn’t get over the product. Seriously, Etihad has completely revolutionized commercial air travel with their A380 First Apartment. This is unlike any other first class hard product in the world.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 4K
My “Apartment” featured a forward facing seat in the far corner of my space, and it faced a large plush bench of sorts, which converts into a bed. You’ll also see there’s a “partition,” which can be lowered between rows three and four if you’re traveling with someone.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 4K
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 4K
The seat was comfortable and gorgeous, and to the left of it was the entertainment controller, headphone jack, seat controls, etc.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 4K
The seat controls were on the outside of the armrest, while inside the armrest was a more advanced control system, from which you could turn on/off lights, the “Do Not Disturb” sign, lower the window blinds, etc.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 4K entertainment & seat controls
Immediately in front of the seat was a huge TV, which can also extend and swivel so that it can be comfortably viewed from bed.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 4K
On the entertainment screen was the name of the captain, first officer, cabin manager, and onboard chef.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 4K entertainment screen
The cabin was just so indescribably gorgeous, even just with the perspective from my seat.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, view from seat 4K
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, view from seat 4K
As you can see, the seat in front of me in row three was actually a rear facing seat, so that the two “benches” are right next to one another, and can partially be turned into a “connected” bed.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, view from seat 4K
In terms of other seat features, my tray table was located on the window side of the seat, and it folded out quite easily.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment tray table
In front of it was the magazine rack, which also had the A380 safety card (which I was very tempted to take).
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment magazine pocket
The seat also featured a huge amount of storage. There was a small compartment which is perfect for phones, watches, etc.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment storage
Then your primary storage space is actually underneath the bench. There’s plenty of room for a rollaboard, and you simply lower the “protrusion” to slide it in, which can then be closed.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment storage
Opposite the bench and next to the seat (closer to the aisle) was a fold out compartment, which is where the duvet was located.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment storage
Above that was a vanity mirror, which I’m sure others have more of an appreciation of than I do. My amenity kit was located inside the vanity, with all the items conveniently placed in the “pouches” alongside the mirror. That’s great attention to detail!
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment vanity
Then below the vanity was a minibar with some water and soft drinks. It’s always funny that some airlines put minibars on planes, since presumably service should be attentive enough so that you can be served what you want when you want. But I’m guessing they just wanted to compete with Emirates on the bling front.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment minibar
After exploring my suite it was time to explore the rest of the cabin. Etihad’s A380s feature nine First Class Apartments and one Residence (there are four rows of First Class Apartments, and then one First Class Apartment in row one opposite The Residence).
Possibly the coolest thing about this flight was that nine of the ten passengers in First Apartments/The Residence were aviation geeks that specifically booked the flight to be on the inaugural. Most of us already knew one another, while a couple of new friends were made as well. So we almost had a “private” first class aviation geek party.
I first checked out seat 5H, the seat immediately behind me. It was a rear facing aisle seat.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 5H
The same is true for the seat across from it, though you’ll notice that the seats have different tones — that’s a nice touch which makes the product even more unique.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 5C
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment, seat 5C
After seeing the other seats, I was very happy having selected a seat in row four, which I consider to be the best row on the plane.
And then it was time to visit the one-and-only Residence. Gino was the Residence passenger, and while two passengers can fly in it for the same price, he was traveling alone. Gino is one of the coolest guys I know, and was far too kind in terms of how much “access” he gave us to The Residence.
The “living room” of The Residence is located opposite of a First Apartment. It’s definitely quite a bit larger than the First Apartments. Basically you have a two person couch instead of just one seat, and still have a “bench” like the other First Apartments. One other hilarious thing is that the partition around The Residence is higher than for any of the other seats.
Etihad A380 The Residence, living room
But of course the highlight of The Residence (at least in theory) is the private bedroom, which is located just in front of the living room. It’s a brilliant use of space that’s otherwise wasted, given that airlines don’t put seats in the “nose” of the upper deck, given the lack of windows.
Etihad A380 The Residence, bedroom
The bedroom even has its own flat screen TV against the wall.
Etihad A380 The Residence, bedroom TV
Then between the bedroom and living room is The Residence’s private bathroom and shower. It’s very similar to the bathroom/shower combo which the other nine First Apartment passengers share, which I’ll cover in more detail in a bit.
Etihad A380 The Residence, bathroom & shower
Etihad A380 The Residence, bathroom
Etihad A380 The Residence, shower
Etihad A380 The Residence, shower
Once back at my seat two of the first class crew, Jovanna and Sabrina, introduced themselves and asked if they could get me something to drink.
I ordered a glass of champagne, which was promptly served on a tray with a hot towel and a welcome letter from the cabin manager.
Etihad First Class welcome note
However, due to all the excitement and friends I had in the cabin, I didn’t drink it for about 10 minutes. In the meantime they came around to offer Arabic coffee and dates, which I had as well.
Etihad First Class pre-departure champagne, Arabic coffee, dates, hot towel, and welcome note
Since it was the maiden A380 flight, we were also given a special goodie bag, consisting of some candy, along with a beautiful passport holder.
Etihad A380 inaugural flight goodies
We were also offered a code for complimentary wifi. I’m not sure if this was available to all passengers on the inaugural or if this is something they’ll always offer in first class. They also had a fun contest whereby you could win a trip for two to anywhere Etihad flights by hashtagging stuff on social media with #Reimagined. The issue was that the wifi quality on the A380 sucked — I literally had to try a dozen times before something uploaded to Instagram.
Etihad A380 First Class complimentary wifi
We were also given a snazzy inaugural flight certificate (I received a similar one on the Etihad inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles last June).
Etihad A380 inaugural flight certificate
After that we were also offered the standard Etihad pajamas and slippers, which are simple but comfortable.
Etihad First Class pajamas, amenity kit, slippers, and blanket
Etihad First Class pajamas
We were a few minutes delayed for pushback. At around 2:35AM Captain Ali came on the PA to welcome us aboard the inaugural flight, and informed us of the anticipated flight time of 7hr10min. I guess because it was the inaugural flight they actually had three captains and one first office aboard — overstaffed cockpit, to say the least.
At 2:45AM we finally began our pushback and taxi to the departure runway. Th taxi took 25 minutes, given the construction going on at the airport. I turned on the tail camera and watched as we lined up and then rocketed off on our departure runway at 3:10AM sharp.
Etihad A380 tail camera
As we climbed out I browsed the entertainment selection. I had no intentions of actually using the entertainment system aside from the airshow, given how much other fun there was to be had aboard. But the entertainment selection was extensive, and was among the best out there. Which I’ve found to be true of Etihad’s entertainment in general.
Etihad E-Box entertainment system
Etihad airshow
Shortly after takeoff, the young and dapper looking South African onboard chef came by to introduce himself and take meal orders.
It goes without saying that this is an oddly timed redeye, so the primary meal is breakfast before landing, and then there’s an “all day dining” menu, if you fancy something after takeoff.
The menu read as follows:
And the wine/drink list read as follows:
I decided to start my meal off with a glass of champagne, which was served with a selection of things to nibble on, including nuts and olives.
Etihad First Class champagne and nibbles
Shortly thereafter my table was set. It’s worth noting that Etihad just recently changed up their first class service, so all the tableware was different than what I was used to in the past.
Etihad First Class table setting
I ordered the steak sandwich, which was delicious.
Etihad First Class steak sandwich
Etihad First Class steak sandwich
And I had a side garden salad to accompany it.
Etihad First Class garden salad
For dessert I ordered the hazelnut tart, which was delicious. The only catch is that I literally had to order it three times before it was served to me.
Etihad First Class crunchy hazelnut tart
I want to give the crew the benefit of the doubt since:
We weren’t the easiest people to work with, since we all knew one another and were constantly running around the cabin, presumably disturbing the “flow” of service
It was a completely new service concept for the crew, since they weren’t familiar with the A380 galley, and I imagine it’s tougher to work in a single aisle cabin
So I’m totally forgiving of the speed at which they served things (getting a refill of a glass of water usually took 10 minutes), but I tend to be less forgiving if they forget something altogether. I had to remind them three times over 45 minutes that I had ordered dessert.
Of course that didn’t put a damper on the actual flight. While it was 5:30AM in Abu Dhabi at this point, most of us were still going strong. The guy behind me had his bed made, which I snapped a picture of.
Etihad First Apartment A380 bed
Then it was time to head back to The Lobby, which is the shared social space between first & business class. The Lobby features a circular seating area with six seats, and then opposite of it is a drink display (though not a bar).
Etihad A380 bar
Etihad A380 lobby
Physically it’s a gorgeous space, though I do find the concept a bit odd, since I’m not sure what one is supposed to do there. Emirates, Korean Air, and Qatar have the onboard bar, which are just awesome. They’re so much fun, and I usually end up spending a good chunk of my flight at the bar.
Apparently the intention here isn’t to have any food or drinks served. So I figured it was a social area, though it’s a bit odd that they have headphone jacks so that you can watch the TV from those seats as well.
Etihad A380 lobby
Etihad A380 lobby
Etihad A380 lobby
So while it’s physically a beautiful area, I don’t understand the concept.
After checking out The Lobby I asked if I could take a quick tour of the lower deck, and the flight attendant told me that for security reasons I had to stay on my deck. That’s the first time I’ve ever been told I can’t go to the lower deck of a plane, which I found interesting. For a second I felt like I was flying a US airline.
After that it was shower time for me. While Emirates has a dedicated shower attendant (or two attendants on longhaul flights), the cabin crew perform their duties on Etihad.
There’s a large bathroom in front of the first class cabin, which is similar to what other airlines offer (as you can see it’s right in the nose, based on the curvature of the aircraft).
Etihad A380 First Apartment bathroom
Etihad A380 First Apartment bathroom
Etihad A380 First Apartment bathroom
And then immediately behind it is a smaller room with a shower and toilet.
Etihad A380 First Apartment shower
It’s worth noting that all the first class lavatories feature Le Labo Begamote 22 toiletries, which is among my favorite toiletry brand — awesome!
Etihad A380 First Apartment shower
Etihad A380 First Apartment shower
Etihad A380 First Apartment shower Le Labo toiletries
When it was my turn to shower, the flight attendant gave me a quick “rundown.” She explained I would receive five minutes of water (much like on Emirates) and that I could spend 20 minutes in the shower room.
What was different than Emirates is that she told me in the event of turbulence I should return to my seat right away (on Emirates you’re just supposed to sit down on the bench in the shower).
“So to clarify, I should return to my seat right away if the seatbelt sign goes on? Like, naked in a towel?”
“I guess.”
I’ll have to try that sometime.
The shower itself is roughly the same size as Emirates’, though there are three things I don’t love about it:
On Emirates the water comes out of a handheld device, while on Etihad it’s mounted into the ceiling
You have to close the shower door in order to turn on the water, and in order to do that you have to be in the shower, so you get sprayed with cold water initially, since you can’t point the nozzle away from you (on Emirates you can angle it away from you)
The shower really needs a floor mat. I nearly fell in there before even turning on the water, and surely I’m not the most fragile person using the shower
Ultimately those are total first world problems, and suffice to say that I giggled for most of my shower, much as I did when I had my first shower on Emirates.
Etihad A380 First Apartment shower
Etihad A380 First Apartment shower
Etihad A380 First Apartment shower
While business class was completely dark and everyone seemed to sleep, there was a party still going strong in first class. Gino, the first passenger in The Residence, received a pretty cool gift from Etihad. Actually, a couple of cool gifts.
Etihad’s first Residence passenger flight certificate
Etihad’s first Residence passenger gift
Eventually I had my bed made. Not so I could actually sleep (ain’t nobody got time for that), but rather so I could test out the bed.
It’s fascinating how they make the bed. Basically the bench flattens out so that it turns into a bed. And then they put the mattress pad and bedding on it.
Etihad First Class Apartment turndown service
They even have a cute turndown service note, which I think really captured how I felt in the moment.
Etihad First Class Apartment turndown service
So the Etihad First Apartment really is freaking amazing. It’s the only airline suite I’ve been in where you can close the door, have the bed fully made, and still be able to walk around inside your suite.
As you can see in the below picture, there’s a partition between rows three and four that slides, so that you can sleep face-to-face if you’re traveling with someone. It’s worth noting that only the partition on the left goes down, so at most the upper half of your torsos will be in the same “bed.”
Etihad First Class Apartment turndown service
Etihad First Class Apartment turndown service
Before I knew it, we were 90 minutes out, and it was time to order breakfast. I placed an order for some fruit and muesli, as well as a coffee.
Etihad airshow
Etihad airshow
Etihad airshow
Etihad airshow
Etihad airshow
After 30 minutes I still wasn’t served anything. I figured they were waiting until close to landing to serve me breakfast, which I was fine with.
45 minutes before landing a flight attendant came to me and said “do you need anything before we land?”
“Yes, just the breakfast order I had placed about 45 minutes ago, please. Let me know if you need it again.”
30 minutes out I still hadn’t been served breakfast, and it hadn’t been acknowledged that it was on the way or anything. I saw the cabin manager walk past me, so I pulled him aside. I emphasized that I realized they were all new to the plane and I wasn’t holding it against them, but figured he needed to know that I had ordered breakfast three times and still hadn’t been served it.
He was extremely apologetic (and kind of embarrassed), and he personally got my breakfast started.
Etihad First Class Apartment breakfast
I ate as we descended, and only had about 10 minutes to do so, given that the seatbelt sign was being turned on and I still hadn’t changed out of my pajamas.
The coffee, fruit, and muesli were great.
Soon enough we began our final descent into London, and at 6:30AM we had a “firm” touchdown on runway 27L at Heathrow.
After a short taxi we arrived at the gate exactly on-time, and I got the first “real” view of the Etihad A380, which I unfortunately only had the pleasure of seeing in darkness.
Etihad A380 upon arrival in London
I thanked the crew, said bye to all my friends (both new and old), and went on my merry way.
Etihad A380 First Class Apartment bottom line
The Etihad First Apartment is absolutely revolutionary. It’s truly in a league of its own in terms of first class products. There’s no hard product out there that comes even remotely close.
While a lot of the marketing of the Etihad A380 was centered around The Residence, I actually thought the First Apartment was the show stopper.
The crew was well intentioned and the cabin manager was extremely professional, though clearly there’s a bit of a learning curve with the A380. I’ve never had to repeat orders as much as on this flight.
I can’t wait to fly the Etihad A380 First Apartment again between Abu Dhabi and Sydney in a few months.
Have you flown the Etihad A380 First Apartment yet? If so, what was your experience like?
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