After spending 3 hours in the lovely Etihad London lounge, It was time to board and head to Abu Dhabi. I’ve flown the apartments six times now but haven’t reviewed them in depth so I made sure I would for this flight. So here is my review of the Etihad A380 Apartments from London – Abu Dhabi.

Etihad’s A380 features only 9 First Class Apartments and 1 Residence meaning unparalleled privacy for all guests. The suites have fully closing doors, a slightly reclining chair for takeoff and landing and a separate 6-foot bed, all in one suite!

For this flight, I got my favourite seat 4A which is forward facing. If you’re travelling as a couple, the best seats for you would be 4A & 3A and 3K & 4K. These suites face each other and have a divider which can be lowered if you want to be closer.  If you’re travelling solo, I would recommend 1H, 2C, 2H, 5H and 5C. But any seat is incredible anyway.

The suites are both very comfortable and spacious. You can get up and walk around in your own suite, something you can’t do in any other product on the market.

The massive sitting chair doesn’t recline flat, but it does recline. It features a massage function and houses the seat controls, window controls and tray table.

The main thing people love about the Apartment is the bed. The bed is 6-foot long and comfortable. When you decide to sleep, a crew member will come and make it for you. Etihad uses new mattress toppers, and they are divine!

Each apartment features one of the signature Etihad blankets, which is now their most stolen item onboard. I understand why; they are so soft.

 

 

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After getting settled in my suite, I was introduced to Fernanda, the main crew member who would be looking after me on the flight. She was really friendly, and we chatted extensively about the airline, the Residence and general flying. Etihad’s consistently fantastic staff is another reason I love flying them so often.

I was brought a welcome tray which contained warm Arabic coffee, dates, a hot towel and a welcome letter.

After having some Arabic coffee I was greeted by the Chef, can’t remember his name sorry. He handed me the menus and asked what time I would like to dine and what is my preferred drink to have after takeoff and with the meals.

Here are the menus:

Now I’ll give you a run down of the seat and suite. On the right side of the seat, you’ll find the touch screen which has seating and lighting controls.

Underneath the touch-screen, you’ll find more pre-set seating controls as well as window button for the window shades.

Above the seat, you’ll find 1 of 2 IFE remote controls. The second controller is located next to the bed.

And underneath the the IFE controller you’ll find the headphone port as well as the HDMI & USB ports.

Before takeoff, you are handed pyjamas and slippers. I chose to get changed into them before taking off, and it makes it a little more comfortable to do so.

Here are some more pictures of the suite’s components. The suite has a heap of storage, both under the bed and next to the seat. Next, to the seat, you’ll find a draw which can fit phones, passports, wallets, etc.

Underneath the draw, you’ll find the chilled minibar which unlike it’s competitors is actually chilled.

Just above that, you’ll find the In-seat Power point.

And directly below the power, you’ll find a pull-out table which is a fantastic place to put drinks while you’re sleeping.

Another big aspect of the suite is the vanity mirror which houses all the amenity kit contents.

Etihad recently changed from their Le Labo first class kits to their new Christian Lacroix and Omorovicza kits which are fantastic.

 

 

The leather kit really feels luxurious, and the contents are high quality.

 

The weather in London was absolutely terrible, that morning there was 100 metres visibility, and I was convinced we would be heavily delayed but we left London only 1 hour behind schedule. Pretty great considering the circumstances.

I elected to dine after takeoff to maximise relaxing in the suite. Fernanda brought a snack tray with olives, warm nuts and a refreshing Ice-tea.

From the bread selection, I chose the Pretzel Bread.

Lunch started with an Amuse Bouche

For the entree, I went with the tomato soup.

And the sorbet to cleanse the palette for the main or in my case mains.

I was quite hungry, so I decided to go with two main dishes, the chicken biryani and the lamb loin.

As is the norm with Etihad, the food was fantastic, I’ve never been disappointed with the food on the airline.

After eating I decided just to sit and relax. The flight landed at 2:00 in the morning in Abu Dhabi so I decided not to sleep on the flight.

As I said earlier the new mattress pads are fantastic and make the bed really comfortable. I’ve been able to get 11 hours of sleep on it, and I’m usually a light sleeper. When the bed is made, the screen can be moved to face you.

 

The Chef came and asked how everything was and offered a dessert. At this point I was quite full but how can you turn down dessert? 😉 I asked him to surprise me, and this was the result, A banana split. Awesome!

Ice-cream, Suits, lie-flat bed at 38,000 feet = AMAZING!

The side panel has a headphone port and lighting controls.

Sadly the flight just isn’t long enough, and soon enough we started our descent into Abu Dhabi. Just before descent I went and got some shots of the lounge and bathrooms.

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The A380 has two bathrooms for First Class passengers. 1 has a shower; one doesn’t. The one without is often called the change room as it has more space to move around.

Each passenger can have 5 minutes of water, for this flight I didn’t bother having one. The shower is a saviour on the Sydney – Abu Dhabi flight which lands early. It’s a cool thing to do, and it really does feel strange.

 

 

 

Before we landed, Fernanda asked if I would like anything before the galley closes and I asked if I could have a coffee to keep myself awake.

I was also brought a hot towel.

Bottom Line

Again, Etihad show why they are 5 stars. I love how consistent the airline is and I’ve always had a fantastic experience. It’s an airline I get excited about when booking flights on them for myself and clients.