Hello from France, as I just flew Etihad Airways Airbus A380 The Residence on the 6hr50min flight from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Paris (CDG), as part of my review trip.
Continue reading: Etihad A380 The Residence: The Pinnacle Of Commercial Aviation
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
It is interesting to see how polished their service is given just the sheer growth they have had over the past 3+ years. It is not easy to keep product standards, and it seems like they have. The other thing that is impressive is to see how their commercial team has evolved the Residence offering. When you put it all together, I truly think Etihad is one of the most fun airlines to keep an eye out on.
Marvelous! Makes me very excited for a Residence flight I booked for early next year. Not knocking the Palmes d’Or (I find it refreshing to have a unique Champagne selection), but it’s interesting that the special selection for the Residence is roughly the same price as La Grande Dame, poured to the rest of the F cabin. Do you know if every route gets a distinct Champagne or is it just CDG?
Easiest way to join the mile high club comfortably without flying private? I’m sold
Fly The Residence without your husband? I guess it's easier to get forgiveness than permission. I wouldn't dare LOL
I wonder if CXs upcoming Halo Suites would be superior to The Residence in terms of the suites alone (sans shower) assuming the concept photos comes close to the real thing?
Right now it's 6,300 CAD for a flight I have booked for early next year. That's up from 5,600 CAD last month. Surprised to see that price go up closer to departure.
The separate spaces, the shower and a private bathroom! A girl can dream and wake up without wondering what's on the lavatory floor.
@ Gavin -- Officially you're not supposed to be able to, but unofficially, some crews do seem to allow it (at least in some capacity).
@ eric -- The upgrade price is the same whether one or two people are upgrading, so it would be $1,600(ish) either way. That being said, while I understand the allure of experiencing this with someone else, the bed is definitely on the tight side if not alone.
@ Mike O. -- Halo Suites is probably the biggest wild card when it comes to future first class products, and I'm mighty curious what the airline actually introduces!
@ Motion to Dismiss -- I think every A380 route gets the same champagne in first class, and then the same separate champagne in The Residence. That being said, it does alternate over time.
@ Nathan -- In this post I shared what the upgrade costs are supposed to be in various markets (though as Nathan notes, there's some inconsistency):
https://onemileatatime.com/guides/etihad-residence/
@Ben… AF new first or EY residence? In terms of ground handling, cabin and service?
@ Phil -- Don't ask me such impossible questions! :p Fortunately it's not something you'd ever have to decide, given that the products directly overlap in exactly zero markets.
I think La Premiere is the best first class product there is, especially when you factor in the ground experience. That being said, I'd probably have to give The Residence the edge, for the sheer amount of space you get, plus the private bathroom and shower. It really almost feels more like a private aviation experience.
Ben wrote:
“The Residence can accommodate two people, though I maintain that if traveling with someone, I’d prefer two First Class Apartments; the bed just isn’t wide enough to comfortably accommodate two people, and the living room can’t be converted into a bed”.
Thank you Ben, for confirming exactly what I deduced about a decade or so ago, on our first EY suites experience. Trust me two people would not be as comfortable in The Residence, as they would in two adjoining suites.
My burning question is Ben, how does the overall EY experience compare to the only true competitive product, AF’s New La Premiere? One is certain that others would value your views too.
Ben, are you saying that The Residence is only viable or better than La Premiere if one is a single traveler? I believe that a 10-13+ hour flight for two in The Residence could almost be purgatory in comparison to La Premiere?
They should make it an option to have the residence cleaned first and then be able to board directly afterwards while the rest of the plane is cleaned. Especially if you can sleep in the bed during takeoff (?) to maximize sleep.
For the hardcore fans though of course.
They should make it an option to have the residence cleaned first and then be able to board directly afterwards while the rest of the plane is cleaned. Especially if you can sleep in the bed during takeoff (?) to maximize sleep.
For the hardcore fans though of course.
It was $3998 USD when I upgraded for Mar 2026. I booked with miles. Hope that helps as a DP
Aside from your butler, I still remember the lobster roll, monogrammed bathrobe, down to the photo of a celebrity I forgot by your bedside as well as a model A380 and your request to walk around the aircraft getting denied!
I'm not totally sure I agree. During university days a single bed was extremely the exact right size.
Not a chance now, of course.
Ben, I have a question now that you have flown both the Residence and 321LR First. Their commercial leaders were adamant that the reason for the LR First was to have more people be provided a seamless First journey to new markets that were not possible. Like your Cambodia to France routing. So, based on this, did Etihad succeed in providing a seamless experience or could you tell this was just marketing fluffy talk?
This took me back to when I flew in The Residence in March and April. The outbound was AUH - SIN and the return was AUH - LHR. With both sectors it was on board A6 - APJ. What a coincidence! It was a great experience both times and I was well looked after from beginning to end.
At LHR the meet & greet person escorted me to passport control and then they went off to Baggage Reclaim to retrieve my case from the carousel. Both were waiting for me afterwards.
It'll be interesting to see how another airline compares when I fly in a similar cabin to NZ next year.
I'm afraid the option to flake out in that comfortable bed when you enter 1A isn't available. The assigned cabin attendant locks the door into the bedroom, aka 1B, just prior to leaving and it's unlocked when the A380 is well and truly airborne.
Free upgrades to the Residence happen. I got one earlier this year on this same route. I had booked F using AA miles, and when I arrived at the F lounge, they asked me if I wanted to be upgraded to the Residence. I have no elite status with Etihad.
It was such a great, fun flight!
I would be too busy trying every single thing on the menu to take advantage of that actually comfortable looking bed... but a real bed in-flight is a dream!
Purely in terms of space, I think two connecting SQ Suites would beat The Residence. Especially for a couple paying two F fares (miles or cash). The only time I was in the new SQ Suites was on a SIN-NRT flight in Jan 2020 (just before everything shut down), my friend and I were the only passengers in the F cabin. They made a double bed for each one of us, we had two bathrooms and two flight attendants working the cabin. Haven't flown the Residence, but I doubt the onboard experience would be better than that.
Oh, definitely La P, EY residence is something I probably only flew once unless it is super cheap. The service just has too many flaws, you got an economy level of coordination of everything with a bedroom in the sky but with some flaws again. On my flight a few years ago, they did not prepare any alcohol onboard for the residence passengers, the chauffeur dropped me at the business counter with no one welcomed you. The complimentary transfer hotel at AUH is just a joke, they do not have any priority for you to book that. And there are too many bugs to just book this upgrade. I think all other comments have already showed how many small bugs their products have.