For the most exciting flight of my Iceland to The Residence via Cambodia trip, it was time to fly Etihad Airways’ Airbus A380 The Residence on the 6hr50min flight from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Paris (CDG).
For those not familiar, The Residence is a product above first class, and it consists of a private three-room suite, with a living room, bedroom, and private bathroom and shower. In terms of the amount of space and privacy you’re allocated, there’s simply nothing else like this in commercial aviation.
While I’m grateful whenever I get to fly in a premium cabin, flying in The Residence is in a completely different league, and is definitely one of those “pinch me” moments, even for those of us who might be a bit jaded at times. In addition to an unreal amount of space, The Residence also offers an excellent soft product, with friendly service and great food.
If you ever have the chance to experience The Residence, I can’t recommend it enough!
How I booked my Etihad The Residence ticket
To start, it’s worth talking about how I booked my ticket in The Residence. Nowadays, The Residence can’t be booked directly, but instead, is available as a paid upgrade option for anyone confirmed in A380 first class on an Etihad issued ticket. It’s fine if you paid cash or redeemed miles, though the ticket has to be issued through Etihad (so award tickets would only qualify if issued through Etihad Guest, and not through other programs).
In my case, I booked the following ticket from Phnom Penh to Paris via Abu Dhabi, for $2,701.12 in first class:
11/04 EY437 Phnom Penh to Abu Dhabi departing 7:50PM arriving 12:45AM
11/05 EY31 Abu Dhabi to Paris departing 2:30AM arriving 7:10AM
However, I actually redeemed Chase points toward the cost of this ticket, at the rate of 1.5 cents each, meaning I paid around 180,000 points for the first class ticket (while I booked through Chase, the ticket was still issued by Etihad). The ability to redeem this way is being scaled back, but existing cardmembers still have some time to redeem this way.
Some people may be surprised by my decision to redeem points for “only” 1.5 cents each, when I value them at 1.7 cents each. I explained my logic in this post, but long story short, this was still cheaper than outright booking an award ticket on these flights.
Once my ticket was issued, I could upgrade it with cash. The cost to upgrade from first class to The Residence was $1,590. Note that the cost to upgrade is the same whether you’re one or two people — I feel like it should be cheaper if there’s two people (since you’re freeing up two first class seats, rather than one), but I digress.
The Residence is (relatively speaking) much more affordable than back in the day. Going back to before the pandemic, tickets in The Residence had to be booked outright, and cost $20K+ one-way. However, that also came with a more differentiated soft product, including a customized meal service, a private onboard butler, etc. I reviewed The Residence experience at the time, and was looking forward to seeing how it had changed.
Etihad The Residence lounge & boarding
In the previous installment, I reviewed the incredible Etihad The Residence Abu Dhabi ground experience. This included access to a private lounge within the Etihad First Lounge Abu Dhabi, a meet & greet service on arrival from my connecting flight, and being escorted onto the A380 flight.
The ground experience really is stellar, and couldn’t have been more seamless. For what it’s worth, boarding started at around 1:40AM (50 minutes before departure), and I was the first onboard. The flight was departing from gate D43, which offers direct access from the Etihad Business Lounge Abu Dhabi.
Etihad A380 The Residence three-room suite
At the forward upper deck door, I was handed off from the Etihad ground agent to the excellent crew, who immediately greeted me by name and escorted me to my seat. Etihad’s first class cabin consists of a total of 10(ish) seats. That includes nine of the standard first class seats, marketed as First Class Apartments, which are spread across five rows, in a 1-1 configuration.
However, the most exciting seat on the plane is 1A, the seat on the left side in the first row, which is The Residence. This is the world’s only private three-room suite in commercial aviation, which occupies 125 square feet (11.5 square meters).
As you enter The Residence, you’ll first find yourself in the living room. Keep in mind The Residence can accommodate up to two passengers, so the living room has a sofa (perhaps more like a large loveseat), with an ottoman as well.
The living room is really only intended for lounging, as the seating doesn’t turn into a flat bed. The below picture shows the most recline that you’ll find with these seats.
Across from the couch is an ottoman, which can also be opened up for storage space, as this is where bags can be placed during the flight.
You’ll find that underneath the far ottoman is a minibar, which some soft drinks and water.
There’s also a 32″ entertainment monitor, which is a very good size.
Each armrest on the sofa is quite large, and that’s because each has a tray table, so that up to two guests can enjoy a meal while sitting next to one another (assuming you don’t want to sit across from one another, as that’s also possible).
In the side console you’ll find a panel with the seat controls, as well as charging ports — there’s no shortage of AC and USB-A charging, though don’t expect any USB-C or wireless charging. I’ve gotta say, I find the AC power outlet situation to be annoying, because you can’t really plug a laptop with a chargiing “brick” in, due to the way the outlet is positioned.
The Residence has the same size sliding door as the other first class seats. There are a couple of minor differences, though. First, there’s a bit of a heightened privacy partition behind the seat, not that it makes a huge difference in terms of privacy, but it does visually differentiate the seat. Furthermore, as a standard, the crew keeps the door to The Residence closed, including during boarding, during the flight, etc.
Beyond the living room, there’s then a hallway leading to the bathroom and bedroom.
Of course the most exciting feature of The Residence is that you have a proper bedroom. Yes, a real bedroom with a door and full privacy, in a way you won’t otherwise find in commercial aviation.
The bed is 82″ long, and it’s my understanding that it’s 47.5″ wide. While it’s marketed as a double bed, in reality, it’s more between a twin and double bed. A twin bed is ordinarily 38″, while a double bed is ordinarily 54″, so it’s closer to a double than a twin, but not quite there.
The bedroom also has its own 27″ personal television. The entertainment can be controlled from the remote next to the bed, and there’s also a panel there to control lighting, along with some charging ports.
If you’re traveling alone, having a real bed is a next-level amenity, unlike anything in commercial aviation. I will say, if I were traveling with someone, I might think twice about upgrading to The Residence. This bed is definitely on the narrow side for two people, and I’m not sure I’d prefer it to two separate first class beds.
Then of course to wrap up the three rooms, there’s also the bathroom. The bathroom has a toilet, sink, and shower, and I’ll talk more about that a little bit later.
The Residence is simply an unbelievably impressive product, and also such a good use of space, in terms of creating a halo effect. Essentially, The Residence takes up the same usable space where you’d usually find one of the standard first class seats.
However, rather than having a shared bathroom in the front left of the cabin (which isn’t otherwise usable space for seats, due to lack of windows), that space is dedicated to the bedroom and private bathroom. So think of this as basically taking up the same space as the Emirates A380 shower spa.
One last note about the hard product — at this point Etihad’s A380s are around 10 years old on average, and the planes haven’t undergone any major cabin overhauls since launch. The cabins are still in good shape, but you’ll find technology might not be quite as good as in some other new products, storage compartments don’t quite close perfectly, etc. But that’s all minor in the scheme of things.
Etihad A380 The Residence entertainment & Wi-Fi
As mentioned above, The Residence has two separate TVs — there’s the 32″ TV in the living room, and a 27″ TV in the bedroom. Both have the same Etihad E-BOX programming, consisting of endless movies, TV shows, live TV, audio, games, and more. I find Etihad has among the best entertainment systems out there, so there’s no shortage of content.
Of course my favorite feature is always the flight path, as well as the tail camera.
Etihad’s A380s are equipped with inflight Wi-Fi, in partnership with Panasonic.
A full flight pass typically costs $2.99 for chatting or $9.99 for surfing. However, for being in The Residence, I was given a voucher for free Wi-Fi, which also allowed me to switch between devices.
While Panasonic’s system isn’t the fastest inflight connectivity out there, I found speeds to be sufficient, not that I used the internet that much on this very early morning flight.
Etihad The Residence amenities
I was offered an impressive number of amenities when traveling in The Residence. For one, waiting at my seat upon boarding were several pillows, plus a couple of blankets. These are intended for getting comfortable while lounging around, as obviously the bed is properly made as well, for when it’s time to sleep.
Taking care of me in The Residence was Marcel from the Czech Republic. He was incredibly professional. As soon as I settled in, he offered me a pre-departure drink, so I opted for a glass of champagne. That was accompanied by a warm towel, plus by dates and some Arabic coffee.
I was then presented with the amenity kit, which is a folio bag by Giorgio Armani, big enough to carry a 13″ laptop.
The amenity kit had a dental kit, eyeshades, earplugs, and a handful of products from ESPA.
There were also Giorgio Armani pajamas and slippers, which I quite liked.
I was also given the menu and drink list for the flight, in leather binders.
Next up, there were noise canceling headphones, the same you’ll find in first class.
Lastly, there was the voucher for free Wi-Fi.
For a flight of this length, I thought the amenities were excellent, though as you can tell, they’re basically the same as in first class.
Etihad A380 departure from Abu Dhabi
Being in The Residence, I really had no sense of the chaos level for boarding, as you’re pretty isolated from the rest of the plane. Not only is there no foot traffic in first class on the A380, but the door to The Residence was closed throughout the boarding process.
At around 2:20AM the captain was on the PA to announce that boarding was complete, and we’d soon be starting our 6hr50min flight to Paris, which he anticipated would be smooth and punctual.
Sure enough, at 2:30AM all the cabin doors were closed, at which point the safety video was screened. At 2:40AM we began our pushback, and at 2:45AM we began our taxi.
We’d be departing from runway 31R, and as you’d expect at 3AM in the Middle East, there was a bit of a traffic jam to get to the runway. We ended up being cleared for takeoff at 3:10AM. We had a beautifully smooth climb out, and the seatbelt sign was turned off five minutes after takeoff.
Etihad The Residence main meal service
It’s a full dine on demand concept in The Residence, though most people have more of a dinner-type snack after takeoff, and then breakfast before landing. For what it’s worth, the food and drinks are very similar to first class, except service is more attentive, plating is different, and there’s an extra champagne option.
You can find the menu for The Residence below. As you can see, this has the “lounge & grill concept,” where you can customize your protein, sides, and sauces, along with a selection of other options.
You can find The Residence drink list below.
Marcel did an incredible job looking after me, and within 15 minutes of takeoff, he served me my first drink. I enjoyed a glass or three of champagne immensely, and that was accompanied by a trio of snacks, including mixed nuts, olives, and feta with tomatoes.
For those curious, Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d’Or Brut Champagne 2009 was the selection exclusively for The Residence (which wasn’t mentioned in the wine list, oddly).
To kick off the meal, I ordered the caviar and smoked salmon from the breakfast menu. This was a very nice presentation, and it’s elevated in The Residence compared to first class.
As soon as that was cleared, I was served the appetizer, from which I opted for the burrata with lettuce, pumpkin seeds, dehydrated cherry tomato, and balsamic vinaigrette.
Once that was cleared, I was served the main, where I chose the beef tenderloin with pommes frites and béarnaise sauce. It’s not often I order beef, so you’re welcome, to those who accuse me of not mixing things up enough. 😉
I was so stuffed at that point, I couldn’t possibly have anything else to eat. It was an excellent meal, with equally good service. What more could you ask for on such a short and awkwardly timed late night flight?
Etihad A380 The Residence bed
After dinner, it was time to get some rest. I had coordinated with Marcel, that he’d wake me up around two hours before landing, so that I could shower and have breakfast in bed (you heard that right!).
When I got in bed, I was so excited about the whole experience that I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep. However, I eventually managed to convince myself to rest.
I finally got to sleep with around 4hr30min remaining to Paris…
…and I woke up with around 1hr55min remaining inflight.
While it wasn’t a very long sleep, it was excellent!
Etihad A380 The Residence bathroom & shower
As soon as I woke up, Marcel prepared the bathroom for me to be able to shower, which included hanging up the towel, putting out the floor mat, etc. It’s pretty epic to have a private bathroom on a plane, eh?
Showering on a plane is a treat that can’t help but make me giddy. I will say, Emirates’ A380 shower suites definitely feel a bit more spacious and luxurious than Etihad’s A380 shower suites, but then again, that’s like comparing private jets — either way, no one is going to feel bad for you. 😉
Marcel explained the safety features of the shower, and then I got started! There are a total of five minutes of water available, though you can start and stop the water at will, to make the shower last a bit longer.
Toiletries were from ESPA, and it’s also pretty special how there’s a bathrobe you can hang out in.
Etihad The Residence pre-landing breakfast
As soon as I finished up my shower, I got back in bed, so that Marcel could serve me breakfast. That’s right, breakfast in bed! Exclusively in The Residence, Etihad has a little tray setup so that you can eat in bed, and how could I not do that for the novelty? Ugh, does this make me like one of those people who has a floating breakfast at a resort?
For what it’s worth, you can find the breakfast menu below.
I was presented the entire breakfast on one tray, and I might have ordered a bit too much. To drink, I ordered a cappuccino and a carrot juice. Then to eat, I asked for the three cheese and tomato omelet, plus the bircher muesli. I was also served a side of fruit, plus a selection of pastries.
What a treat! After changing back into my regular clothes and once in the living room portion of the suite, I just ordered one americano, as I needed a bit more of a caffeine hit, given the short night.
After that, I was presented with a warm towel, a box of chocolates from Emirati chocolatier Mirzam, and the choice of a finjan (the small cups in which Arabic coffee are typically served). Etihad has been adding a lot of new destinations lately, so the airline offers passengers a cup with the name of a city that Etihad recently added, as a memory of the flight. That’s a cute way to create a collectible item!
Etihad The Residence service
I was very impressed by the service level in The Residence. While Etihad no longer has personal Savoy-trained butlers for passengers in The Residence, the airline still offers a much higher level of service than in first class.
Marcel was taking care of me in The Residence, and I’d say he was extremely friendly, professional, and engaging. If I understood correctly, he had only recently been promoted to first class crew, so he seemed to be especially enthusiastic.
He was incredibly attentive. As I understood it, he was primarily there to take care of me, but then also served others when there was time. While he checked on me frequently, he also told me to just push the call button whenever I need something, given that there’s a certain balance with not wanting to seem overly attentive in The Residence (with the door closed, and everything).
So I have nothing but good things to say about the service. Etihad has really impressed me lately when it comes to the quality of crews.
Etihad A380 arrival in Paris & deplaning
At around 6:10AM local time, the captain was on the PA to announce that we’d landing in around 50 minutes, at 7AM. We started our descent at around 6:30AM.
The seatbelt sign was turned on around 6:40AM. While it was still dark outside, the sun was starting to rise, and that made for some incredible views on the tail camera. We ended up landing on runway 9L at around 7AM.
From there, we had a roughly five-minute taxi to our arrival gate area. However, we had to wait for the ground crew to be properly set up, which took around five minutes, so we ultimately pulled into the gate at around 7:10AM.
I was once again impressed by the ground service on arrival. There was someone there to meet me, as I guess Etihad also has a special arrival ground experience for The Residence. It was essentially the same type of contracted escort service you’d get if booking an airport meet & greet when staying at a top hotel.
She helped me ultimately change terminals and get through security, ahead of my Aer Lingus A321LR AerSpace flight to Dublin (DUB).
Bottom line
Etihad’s A380 The Residence continues to be an absolute delight, and is the peak of commercial aviation, as I see it. Space is the most precious commodity on a plane (well, other than oxygen, I guess), so to get three rooms all to yourself, is wild. In particular, having a private bedroom and private shower on a plane is stuff that’s otherwise reserved for private aviation.
Obviously The Residence isn’t quite as elevated as it was in the past, but as a passenger, I like this version a lot more. It’s still a splurge, but The Residence costs a fraction as much as it used to, so it’s definitely more attainable and a better value. If you have the chance to treat yourself to this experience, I can’t recommend it enough!
What’s your take on Etihad’s A380 The Residence?