Review: Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment London to Abu Dhabi

Introduction
Planning & Booking
Planning & Booking II
Washington Dulles (IAD) Lounge Hopping
United Airlines 777-200 Global First Washington to London
United Arrivals Lounge London
Andaz London Liverpool Street
Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge London
Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment London to Abu Dhabi
Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways Premium Lounge Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment Abu Dhabi to New York
American Express Centurion Lounge LGA

Let me get this out of the way before I start the review.  We've had the pleasure of flying international first class on some of the best carriers in the world.  We've flown north of 20 segments in long haul international first class over the past few years.  

We've had some amazing flights on Singapore, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, and Emirates.  But honestly, all of those flights pale in comparison to what Etihad offers in their First Class Apartment.  The biggest commodity on a commercial aircraft is space.  And with this product, Etihad delivers - plane and simple.

Etihad Airways A380

We stepped onto the upper deck of the plane where we were warmly greeted by the crew.  The lobby of Etihad's A380 looks more like a hotel lobby than an aircraft.  We turned left and were shown to our apartments (1H/2H) at the front of the cabin. 

First Class Apartments

I thought I knew what we were getting into but you can't fully appreciate it until you are face to face with an entire room to yourself.  

Apartment 1H

On a plane.  Normally, an A380 operator would go 1-2-1 in first class.  Singapore does it but on the wider lower deck.  Same with Asiana.  But Etihad goes 1-1...that's right.  There's just a single aisle separating the apartments on the upper deck.

Divider on left hand side lowers

The cabin crew offered to lower the divider between our apartments and we gladly obliged.  Emily was seated in 1H which faced the rear of the aircraft with me in 2H.  First up - pajamas and slippers were delivered.  

Blanket, slippers, PJ's

There was already a super soft blanket waiting on the bench part of the apartment when we arrived.  The amenity kit (which is gorgeous btw) sits within the vanity where all the amenities (Le Labo!) are located.  

Amenity kit and vanity

Both of us ended up grabbing all the amenities and putting them into the kit.  Seems like Etihad should go ahead and do that with their kits.

Etihad First Class Apartment Amenities

Champagne was offered (Bollinger Grande Annee 2005) while we explored the apartments.  

Champs and Arabic Coffee

The centerpiece is the super comfortable and wide seat itself.

The giant HDTV.

The IFE touch screen next to the seat (there is another one next to the bed).

The seat controller.

The vanity.

The bench that turns into a bed.

And of course, the maximum occupancy (three) next to the door.

And three windows per seat with automatic shades/blinds.

Champagne was delivered with a note from the cabin manager welcoming us onboard, dates, and a warm towel.

Welcome aboard!

Along with Champagne, Arabic Coffee was poured.

I explored the lavatories a bit before takeoff.  There are two on the right side of aircraft - immediately in front of apartment 1H.  The first one is actually a bit smaller and contains the shower.  The second is larger and more of a "changing room."  Either way, both lavatories were designed very well with a tiled backsplash and designer sinks.

I'm not sure why Etihad put the shower in the small lavatory - it really doesn't make sense.  The shower is much smaller than Emirates' shower but it's cool to say we've now showered in the sky twice - on two different carriers.

We pushed back right on time and the travel prayer played.  

Always a neat experience and a reminder that we're nowhere close to home.  Etihad offers multiple outside cameras on the A380 and I listened to music while watching the takeoff from the tail camera.

Once we were airborne, the real fun began.  Etihad has an onboard chef who will take your order and make recommendations on wine pairings.  I wasn't that impressed with Etihad's liquor selection (for example, there isn't a high end whiskey - something they could step up) but enjoyed the Bollinger and the Duval-Leroy Rose.

I ordered the Arabic Mezze which was outstanding although quite a bit smaller than Emirates'.  But first, an amuse-bouche.  

After the Mezze, a palette cleanser.

The steak sandwich (with fries) was awesome.  It's Etihad's signature dish and didn't disappoint.  The fries were well done - hard to do that on a plane.  

What a perfect afternoon this was turning out to be.  

By the time meal service finished up, we were about four hours from Abu Dhabi.  Etihad offers live streaming tv (BBC, CNBC, CNN, etc...) in addition to internet.  I found watching the news about United's activist shareholders on CNBC while flying on Etihad pretty amusing.

Towards the end of the flight, we did check out Etihad's onboard bar (The Lobby) but it wasn't the same as Emirates' lively onboard tended bar.  The space is a bit cramped (only 6 seats) and it is dark due to the lack of windows.  The apartment is so spacious there's really no reason to leave.  Especially with two seats next to each other, the divider lowered, and the doors shut.

All too soon, the 6.5 hour flight was coming to an end.  We were excited to spend some time in Abu Dhabi and knew that in just 36 hours, we'd be back at this again flying home to JFK.  We arrived at the gate a few minutes ahead of schedule and bid adieu to the lovely crew.  While we had fast track immigration, it took nearly 30 minutes to get through.  Another 20 minutes for our bags...and then a long walk to the curb where our Etihad Chauffeur was waiting.  

By this point, it was nearly 2:30AM Abu Dhabi time and both of us were in need of a real bed.  

Next up:  Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi!

Final Thoughts:

This is the pinnacle of commercial flying at the moment.  While there are some small improvements to the service (liquor, amenity kit setup, shower, etc...) the hard product is the best in the sky.  Etihad is super stylish - everything from the design of the apartments, cabin crew uniforms, and color scheme.  It is more our "style" than any other carrier we've flown thus far.  Emirates is more "fun" and Singapore's service is more refined.  But there's nothing else out there like Etihad's First Class Apartment!