Goodbye to "First Apartment" and "The Residence": Etihad retires A380s
In recent months, many airlines have given up their most iconic planes, partly because of [...]
Etihad Airways
AUH
In recent months, there are many airlines that have given up their most iconic, partly because of the Covid-19 and a little bit for renew the various fleets, now Etihad is also preparing to saying goodbye to A380s And with them also goes one of the most exclusive First Class Of the planet.
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First unveiled in September 2014, the Airbus A380 was the company's first aircraft with the new livery, which was later adopted by the entire fleet.
The highlight of this Airbus lay precisely in its exclusive First Class which housed real mini apartments, with a sky-high price tag: tickets started from 20/25,000 euros one way.
A three-room apartment in the clouds
Imagine having a real three-room apartment in the skies of Abu Dhabi, London, New York, Sydney, Paris or Seoul: Etihad's "The Residence" offered you all this.
The apartment had a bathroom with shower, private bedroom and, as if that were not enough, a stay separate where to work, relax or eat a meal from the a la carte menu.
The suite could accommodate up to 2 people who had at their service an entire staff, thanks to the VIP Travel Concierge, who was available to guests throughout the entire trip, from when the limousine took you to the private lounge at the airport until you got on the plane.
Luxury at high altitude
First class is located on the upper deck at the front of the aircraft that accommodates up to 9 private cabins, including the incredible "Residence" or a real suite 3-room.
Imagine having guests and seating them in a refined living room with leather armchairs and champagne, only the living room is located at 10,000 meters Of height.
The experience is a mixture of comfort e luxury, the travel kit includes a little bit of everything, pajamas, slippers, perfume, toothbrush, various lotions, and some Etihad branded Bose headphones.
For dinner, however, the menu is varied, champagne e caviar in abundance and one chef on board to make sure passengers don't miss anything. For the showers instead just make a reservation, so that in turn whoever wants can use it, unless we are guests of the Residence, in which case the shower is all for us.
All surrounded by staff always available and ready to respond to the needs of all guests. Unfortunately, however, all this will soon fade away.
"We expect 2021 to be a very difficult year, while 2022 will be a transition year. In 2023, however, we expect a slow return to pre-Covid passenger numbers.
We made the strategic decision to park the A380s, it is very likely that they will no longer operate with Etihad."
Tony Douglas, CEO of Ethiad Aviation Group
Smaller, more efficient Airbuses
This seems to be the direction of Etihad, and not only that, the Airbus A380 in fact in addition to being one of the largest commercial aircraft ever built is also one of the less efficient ecologically and economically.
The squeeze that 2020 has put on tourism operators, along with the policies environmental of green transition, has prompted many airlines to cut costs and turn to greener and more efficient aircraft.
And while United is even thinking about the electric planes, other companies are turning to biofuels and greener engines in an effort to zeroing the carbon footprint And help our planet.
Etihad for its part has decided to target Boeing 787 Dreamliners, in addition to the new Airbus A350s. We still do not know if we will see suites in the skies again, we will have to wait for this period to pass and see Etihad's future moves.
