The most exclusive premium first-class cabin returns to US air travel
- The Etihad Airways Airbus A380 resumed flights to JFK Airport, New York, US yesterday
- And its exclusive first-class air cabin, The Residence, is coming too
- It has a living room, bedroom, and rare onboard shower
Published on Apr 23, 2024 at 7:39 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Apr 25, 2024 at 6:58 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
The Etihad Airways Airbus A380 resumed flights to JFK Airport, New York, US yesterday – and it brought the most exclusive first-class air cabin in commercial aviation with it.
The re-inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi to New York was announced back in November – it had last flown the route in 2020.
The Airbus A380 is the only passenger aircraft to have two full levels and ‘The Residence’ sits at the top.
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While sizeable, the Boeing 747, with its stunning interiors, only has an upper level towards the front of the aircraft.
We recently saw the mammoth Airbus A380 landing nearly sideways in a breathtaking maneuver.
A return trip in the Etihad first-class cabin, ‘The Residence’ costs in excess of $50,000.
Booking via the Etihad website for a mid-May flight between New York and Abu Dhabi, sees first-class flights priced between $9,000 and $10,000 each way.
Another $3,000 per leg is added for access to the Residence.
So what are you getting for the cost of your ticket?
The Etihad Airbus A380 boasts the world’s only three-room suite on a passenger plane, complete with a bedroom and shower.
Only available by upgrading a first-class ticket, the suite can accommodate up to two passengers and is located on the second level of the superjumbo.
The first space you come to via a sliding door to ensure privacy from the rest of the aircraft is the living room with a giant flatscreen television and a multi-person couch.
Here passengers can eat in luxury at the dining table on caviar, steak, champagne, and wine, or have the space converted for sleeping by staff.
However, the butler service previously on offer will not be returning.
Down the hall, you’ll find the private bathroom of The Residence complete with a shower – which is rare onboard airliners considering the weight of water.
The Emirates is the only other carrier offering this service.
Last of all you’ll come to the bedroom with a double bed – which is also a scarce commodity on airliners.
We previously covered the ‘world’s most exclusive seat’ aboard the Etihad Airbus A380.
Below the surface, it’s one of the few passenger aircraft in commercial aviation with four engines.
Yesterday, flight EY1 departed Abu Dhabi International Airport at 04:00 and touched down at JFK at 09:43 local time.
The route is operated by A6-API, a seven-year-old A380 delivered to Etihad in October 2016.
Etihad CEO, Antonoaldo Neves, was on the re-inaugural flight and made a statement.
“This is a very important flight for us… We have worked very hard to make sure that we can put this amazing product for you to enjoy it to the US, an extremely important market for us,” he said.
He added that the airline flies to New York, Chicago, and Boston, which was recently inaugurated.
This is despite the airline nearly retiring the quad-engine superjumbo during the pandemic.
The airline’s A380 flight to JFK is one of two daily to JFK, and the other flight is operated by the Boeing 787.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
