8hrs on World’s Best First Class Flight | Etihad The Residence

today I'm flying the world's best first class for eight hours from London over to Abu Dhabi this is the Etihad residence a private three-room Suite on board the Airbus A380 I'll show you exactly what it's like from my living room fully enclosed bedroom and ensuite bathroom with its own shower all this does not come cheap though historically costing over twenty thousand dollars but today you're joining me on the very first flight back in the residence so with that let's pick up our journey in London well good morning from London Heathrow Terminal 4. it's bright and early but that won't stop my excitement to try a flight I've wanted to board since it was introduced back in 2014. the pandemic of course stopped any chance of me trying this and today is the first day of etihad's A380 operation in over three years given that there's only one passenger me in the residence check-in is slightly different as I approached the first class counter a lovely member of the Etihad team comes to introduce herself and presents me with my golden ticket I'm informed that she'll be personally escorting me right up until I bought the aircraft right let's head through security and it goes about saying that we have a special expedited Channel with thankfully no queuing involved all through security and it's time to check out the lounge terminal 4 is quite the hub for airline operated lounges for example Qatar and golf have their own outstations Eddie had of course is no exception access is granted for those in business first class and of course the residents whilst the main Lounge is a lovely space with plenty of comfy seats and a la carte dining I'm shown through to a separate room this is solely for guests or should I say guests traveling in the residence complete with private dining sofas and an ensuite bathroom with shower let's settle in and take a peek at what's on the menu [Music] it's extensive from my favorite eggs benedict to a full-on dinner service though I'll be saving my appetite for on board instead let's indulge in a glass of Rose champagne to start the morning right it's not all too long before boarding commences so the same friendly Eddie had team member comes to chaperone me over to the gate thankfully it's only a short walk though being an A380 it's absolutely packed with nearly 500 passengers waiting to get on board I also get my first glance of our aircraft a seven-year-old Airbus A380 the first of four which Eddie had will return to service right enough looking Let's Get Down that Jet Bridge we get on board it's time for a quick word from today's video sponsor surfshark an award-winning virtual private Network or VPN it's a must-have for any traveler or frequent flyer and there's a ton of great reasons to use surf shark by using a VPN you surf the Internet safe and anonymously especially when using public Wi-Fi you get around censorship all over the world whether that's Instagram in China Tick Tock in India or Whatsapp calls in the UAE where we're heading today it also works on all of your devices but let me show you my favorite perk take this as an example this evening in Dubai or log into iPlayer to stream a show but it's blocked down to licensing issues however if I set my location as inside the UK I can access iPlayer as if I'm home and go back to watching my favorite shows oh and by using my link in the description box down below or using Code Trek trendy you will get three additional months free thank you surfshark for sponsoring today's video [Music] walking on board the first class cabin is like an entirely different world there are just nine Suites here or what Eddie have calls Apartments the residence is located right at the front in one alpha not that it has a seat number I feel a little lost for words here as this is just one of three rooms I have to myself foreign let's celebrate a bit and indulge in a pre-departure champagne Eddie had server 2002 de valeroy Grand crew in the residence which retails at around 350 a bottle I'd never tried it before but it's delicious with notes of citrus and Mandarin yeah I had to look that up I make it time for pushback so let's get my seat belt on as the safety video begins to screen your handset and tray table are put away and windows are clear our cabin crew will now pass through the cabin to carry out a final check with that we tax you out over to the runway and within a few moments we're hurtling along and up into the clouds so what's our route today well unsurprisingly as ETI had is the national carrier of the UAE will be heading to its capital Abu Dhabi with a blocked flight time of approximately eight hours it's not long before we reach our cruising altitude of 35 000 feet I also forget just how smooth and quiet the a380s are I guess it's partly due to where we're sitting right at the front on the top deck in the residence I'm assigned dedicated cabin crew a fantastic lady named Daniela she suggests that I try the Rose champagne also and who am I to say no to another glass as with most first-class products you can dine at any time so let's take a look at the menu and make our mind up [Music] I love the attention to detail with even the menu reflecting we're on the first A380 flight I'm impressed to see how extensive the menu is but I'm sure many of you will be very aware of my predictability by now with my order placed I think it's time we take a proper look around our aircraft we're currently located here upstairs on the mammoth A380 with an incredible 498 passengers on board the upper deck is an entirely premium configuration with the majority being 70 Business Class studios in between business and first is a bar area and whilst not a hit on the Emirates one it's a lovely place to hang out make new friends and enjoy a drink or two now for first class which is really in a league of its own named Apartments these are among the largest first-class seats in the sky lastly of course we get to the residence where we are today featuring 125 square feet of luxury from the living room fully enclosed bedroom and ensuite bathroom complete with a shower we'll focus firstly on the living room which features a super comfy two-person Italian leather sofa there's also a mini bar which I've already asked can be replaced with DC at my request there's a 32 inch TV and a fold-out dining table of which we'll be using now for lunch next I'm served some fresh bread as my appetizer is plated no surprises here I've opted for the signature caviar service served with all the trimmings creme fraiche grated egg whites and yolk and finely chopped onions the caveat itself is Punchy stuff retailing at sixty dollars for this small 30 gram tin and the taste fabulous of course next up my second appetizer The Beef Carpaccio served with a bernet sauce asparagus and cherry tomatoes again phenomenal prior to my main course I'm offered a palette cleanser of raspberry sorbet I'm aware this is very much a thing with fine dining but to me it feels like having a dessert part way through now for the main event and you guessed it steak cut to my preference of medium now I'm told that actually able to use a hot plate in the galley to cook this though I suspect it's already part cooked I'd say this is up there with one of the best steaks I've ever had in flight being full to burst now I'll have dessert later on in my bedroom yes dinner in bed is a thing here instead I'm offered some Swiss chocolates some sparkling water and a cold towel let's get the living room door closed then [Music] it's also time to boot the Tims off and put on the provided slippers [Music] my ensuite is adjacent to the living room at the entrance to the corridor leading to the bedroom the bathroom is on the smaller side but given it's just for me it's perfect it's also stocked with a personal favorite of mine Aqua de Palmer amenities okay the shower residence guests have a whole 10 minutes of running water which can apparently be extended on request though that's more than enough for me and double that of the Emirate Shower Spa as far as showers go it's Fab with good pressure and no it's not lost on me that I'm sharing at 35 000 feet in the sky now if you do wash your hair there is certainly means to dry it with the provided hair dryer behind your vanity mirror now that's much better should we head to the bedroom oh yeah I almost forgot to mention not only are PJs provided but also a dressing gown now this is a first for me in the sky let's close the bedroom door for additional privacy and make our way to the party piece a fully enclosed private bedroom in the sky this is the stuff of dreams and honestly the closest you can get to Flying private commercially there's even in-flight entertainment which we'll be checking out later well it may be a day flight but I'm off for an afternoon nap [Music] many hours later well that was the comfiest bed in the sky I've ever slept in [Music] should we order some room service to have in bed I can order anything off the menu but I told Daniella to surprise me a few moments later I'm surprised she did I've got a beautiful spread of fresh fruits pastries and a mimosa now this really is a pinch me moment I also have the chance to try one of the desserts I couldn't manage earlier this is the Yuzu matcha Sakura cheesecake [Music] post food let's relax a bit and enjoy some TV in bed with just 45 minutes remaining of our flight I reluctantly think it's time to get changed back into my clothes unfortunately I don't think you can come into land while still in bed when we get to Abu Dhabi I'll explain exactly how I booked this [Music] it's time to sit back in my living room for one last time let's get the Tim's back on and of course my seat belt on for landing This truly has been one incredible experience and one which I'll remember for a long time to come [Music] okay let's talk cast I paid in full for this trip it wasn't a press invite or anything like that I booked several months ago on the etihab website and to get into the residence you must initially book into first class and then if available you're offered the residence as a further upgrade for around 2 000 pounds so to break it down it was 3486 pounds plus an upgrade fee of 1968 for the residents making a grand total of 5454 pounds as always let me know what you thought to the trip down below and I'll catch you all again next time

Channel: Trek Trendy

Views: 1,057,631

Keywords: etihad the residence, etihad first class, etihad residence, airbus a380, first class review, worlds best first class, best first class flight, first class flight

Id: fQnvs8oz38w

Length: 11min 54sec (714 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 26 2023