Flight Review: Etihad Residence

Etihad’s residence is the most exclusive and luxurious commercial airline experience available. The residence features 3 private rooms (seating area, bedroom, and private bathroom), dedicated service, and top notch dining. Nothing else really comes close. The only downsides are the limited availability of Etihad’s A380 and the high cost.

Flight Route: LHR to AUH Flight Date: May 2024 Airplane: Etihad A380

Our Rating: 10/10

Booking

The residence can only be found on Etihad’s A380s which are currently flying to LHR, JFK, BOM, and CDG. To book the residence, you must first purchase a First Class ticket and then pay in cash or miles to upgrade to the residence. Unfortunately, if you book first class with AAdvantage miles (by far the most cost effective option) you aren’t able to pay for the upgrade to the residence. For this flight we redeemed Etihad Guest miles (transferred from American Express) for first class and upgraded to the Residence. Pre-covid residence fares hovered in the $20k range, but now the upgrade runs from $2-6k on top of the first class fare depending on the length of the flight. Interestingly, the residence costs the same whether you have 1 or 2 people in it.

Check-in and Lounge

The residence experience starts right from check-in where we were greeted by one of the station managers who walked us through check-in and then escorted us through security and straight to the lounge.

Upon arrival to the lounge, we were escorted to our private VIP room located within the Etihad First & Business class lounge. The private lounge consisted of a seating area, dining table, and private bathroom with shower. We were well taken care of by a dedicated server and had the ability to order off an a-la-carte menu which was served at our dining table. The food was great and was a fantastic start to the residence experience on the ground.

The Residence

After a relaxing stay in the lounge, it was time for the main event. The residence is located on the upper deck of the A380 and takes up the front left portion of the plane. Upon boarding, we first passed through the first class apartments and found our seat, 1A. The residence is made up of 3 rooms, a living room, bedroom, and bathroom. The living room featured a leather sofa that was wide enough to fit 3 adults comfortably (the maximum occupancy is 2 adults). It also had a large TV and huge tray tables that came out of both arm rests.

Moving towards the font of the plane, we passed through a narrow hallway to the private bedroom at the front of the plane. Many airlines have nice lie-flat beds in first and even business class, but nothing can compare to the real full sized mattress of the residence. It was extremely comfortable and could fit 2 people if you are close and willing to cuddle a bit. An overlooked aspect of the bedroom was just how quiet and private it was. When we had the door closed we couldn’t even hear our infant who was a bit cranky after waking up from his nap. I wished that we were on a longer flight so that we could take more advantage of the bedroom.

Lastly, between the living room and bedroom was our private bathroom which was stocked with high end products and contained our private shower.

Dining Experience

While there is no longer a specific residence menu, we still had access to the standard Etihad first class menu which was extensive especially for this short of a flight. We started with some pre departure champagne and light bites, followed by a full multi course lunch of caviar and steak in the sky. I’ll let the pictures of our meal do most of the talking here. It was a great meal in the sky!

Service and Amenities

Pre-covid the residence offered the services of a specially trained Savoy butler from check in to deplaning. Unfortunately, this service has been discontinued, but we were still well looked after by a dedicated flight attendant who could not have been more amazing. The service across the board was 11/10.

As far as amenities go, we were presented with Espa amenity kits and very comfortable Giorgio Armani loungewear. These are so nice that we still use them today.

Finally, the ultimate extra amenity was the private shower. It’s truly special to be able to take a shower high above the clouds especially since only 2 airlines in the world have an onboard shower. We were each able to take a 5 minute shower in our private bathroom, although we could have asked for extended time since our flight was empty.

Bottom Line

The residence is a truly special experience and something I would always recommend if you have the opportunity to book it. The amount of personal space and privacy is unmatched and while the food and service has been reduced compared to pre-covid, it still remains top-tier.