Keep Mailing: Re: [ ::: ♥Keep_Mailing♥ ::: ]™ FLYING IN STYLE

VERY NICE

On Sun, Mar 22, 2015 at 4:46 PM, Mohamed Jaffer <mjkassam@gmail.com> wrote:

What it's really like inside Etihad's luxurious £12,500 penthouse in the sky (and there's already a waiting list)
With much fanfare and theatrics, Etihad has unveiled its brand new flagship aircraft, the behemoth Airbus A380, which
boasts the world's only penthouse in the sky, and the Boeing B787 Dreamliner.
Stepping onto the A380 is more like arriving at a chichi business hotel than a plane. Even the galley is like an elegant reception
with chocolate brown and champagne-hued décor and ‘food and beverage managers’ looking as if they’re about to go to a ball.
Turning left (something most of us never do on an aircraft) and ascending to the upper deck, one is taken straight to the
airline’s piece de resistance: The Residence – a 125-square-foot, three-room private suite, which comes with
a Savoy-trained butler and, according to the airline bosses, is already booked up and has had encouraging sales so far.

The Residence is a one-of-a-kind, three-room suite that costs £12,500 for a one-way flight
In addition to a bedroom, The Residence boasts a private ensuite bathroom (pictured) and living room
Journalists tour the first class section on Etihad Airways' new Boeing B787 Dreamliner at Abu Dhabi airport
A journalist sits in one of the first class suites on Etihad Airways' Boeing B787 Dreamliner

Etihad has unveiled its revolutionary Airbus A380, with the interior more like a luxury hotel than a plane
The living room is suitably glamorous, with gold cushions strewn over a leather-clad sofa; and the shower and bathroom put other
airline facilities to shame. Guests will certainly avoid the usual hold-your-nose-and-think-of-England approach
needed in most airborne lavatories.
And it’s hard to believe a double bed can fit on a plane, even the gargantuan A380. But there it is, beckoning weary and
heavy-walleted travellers into its comfy fold.
But it’s all actually a little smaller than one might imagine, so as well as a seven-figure salary you'll require
a relatively trim physique to enjoy it.
The airline declined to comment on who is on the waiting list to fly in The Residence but with the hefty one-way price
tag of £12,500 for single or double occupancy,
the names Mr and Mrs Beckham spring to mind. Super-rich, celebrities, perhaps even royalty will grace
this quite unreal space – a design feat unchallenged by any other airline.
Guests who book The Residence wake up to breakfast in bed and have their own private living room
Etihad Airways says The Residence has sold out for its initial flights between London and Abu Dhabi
Etihad's Boeing B787 Dreamliner will enter commercial service with a flight from Abu Dhabi to Dusseldorf
Etihad's Airbus A380 offers the world's first penthouse in the sky - but costs £12,500 each way
Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer of the United Arab Emirates' national airline, said:
‘For a three-room cabin, it’s not overpriced. Effectively it’s four times the price of a first class ticket,
so that’s double if you’re travelling in a couple.’
To regain its prestige, The Residence will not be available for upgrade. ‘It would lose its aspirational value,’ said Baumgartner.
The A380 is also the only Etihad aircraft to offer the new First Apartment – a complete living space with reclining
lounge chair and an ottoman which opens up to become a separate 80.5-inch fully flat bed.
First class passengers can get total privacy, but if they’re travelling together – or just want to get a little closer to their neighbour –
the centre seats can be joined to create a double bed.
In economy, the seats are no bigger with no added legroom, but passengers will benefit from revolutionary new pillows,
which split in half to become comfortable travel pillows.
The A380 enters commercial service on December 27 with daily flights between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow Airport.
Journalists tour the first class cabin of a Dreamliner, which enters commercial service in February
The economy class cabin on Etihad's new A380 feature ergonomically-designed seats for added comfort
The A380 is also the only Etihad Aircraft to offer the new First Apartment – a complete living space
Etihad presented its new aircraft during a glitzy event at Abu Dhabi's airport, where 200 members of the press gathered in
a hangar draped in black. With a spectacular curtain drop, the A380 was unveiled to the sound of Richard Strauss’ Sprach Zarathustra.
The big event showcased The Residence, Etihad's revamped first class and business suites as well as a slightly tweaked economy cabin,
and the carrier’s fancy new livery – a mixture of ‘desert’ inspired browns and beiges and new interiors.
The unveiling was followed by a fashion show featuring 22 cabin crew, who strutted down a catwalk donning the airline’s brand new uniform.
The airline has replaced its steely grey number with an autumnal, slightly seventies get-up designed by
Italian haute couturier, Ettore Bilotta.
Etihad Chief President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said: ‘As we have done so many times in our short history,
we are reshaping the landscape of modern air travel in our own way.
'Today is the culmination of many years of hard work and tremendous endeavour by hundreds of people both in our airline and outside.'
Perfectly suited for the launch of Etihad's new aircraft, the cabin crew showed off their new work attire
Etihad has also revealed a total makeover for its cabin crew, from the classic steely grey skirts and jackets to browns and purples – and
most notably, there is no longer a veil attached to female cabin crew’s hats.
Chief Commercial Officer, Peter Baumgartner, told MailOnline Travel: ‘The modern Arabic brand is rooted here, from the patterns in the
ceiling inspired but the Louvre, we are very respectful of the local culture.
‘Modern Arabia is what is going on in Abu Dhabi, we are inspired by what’s going on in the rest of the world, but through the lens of the local DNA.
'The new uniform designs are an opportunity for us to differentiate ourselves from other airlines – whether there is a veil or not.’
But the brown is not to everyone’s tastes. One female cabin crew member told Mail Online Travel: ‘I like the purple, it’s more colourful than the old uniform.
‘And the brown goes with the new interiors. But with a cabin crew of 124 different nationalities, it’s not going to suit everyone’
While another admitted: ‘When we saw it on the hanger, we weren’t sure.’
Despite mixed opinions, the crew certainly looked impressive, in keeping with what must be one of the most lavish revamps in the history of air travel.

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