Etihad Airways: Fly like a Billionaire!

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has completely revolutionised how air travel can be experienced, by introducing First Class Apartments and First Class Residences onboard their new and upcoming aircraft. These First Class Residences onboard the A380 will contain a complete living space with a reclining lounge chair and an Ottoman (made by Poltrona Frau, who make the interiors of Ferraris), which can be converted to a 80-inch completely lay-flat bed.

There will only be one Residence on each plane, and the cost for a one-way ticket between London and Abu Dhabi, the home of Etihad, will be around £10,000, so it seems only the super-rich can only ever be able to afford this luxury!

The First Class Apartments are situated on Etihad’s A380 upper deck, and feature a chilled minibar, a personal wardrobe and vanity unit, plus access to a communal shower room and lounge facility, which includes a bar and live TV, and these are exclusively available to all first class passengers. The opinion from CNN on these new luxurious developments can be read HERE.

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I have been lucky enough to fly first class with Emirates, and that was an amazing experience in their first class suites, but it seems that Etihad have raised the bar even higher with the First Class Residence and accompanying Apartments.

It is not like Emirates to be outdone on the luxury stakes, so I expect them to fight back soon, as the luxury war in the air continues! For the rest of us, the cheap seats are of course still available: Etihad have over 400 of these on the lower deck of the plane, conveniently located well-away from the billionaires and oligarchs upstairs!