The Residence, Etihad's A380 Three-Room Suite: Details, Pricing, And More

Not saying I am itching to spend the extra $ but it's a bucket list kinda item and these planes won't fly forever. So I'm very tempted to try this if it ever works out.

FYI new rules regarding Etihad Guest redemption tickets are in place since 19 June 2025, including revised rules for cancellation and changes (no more 75% refund penalty!). Worth looking into.

Ben, not sure how to send you a tip, so commenting here.

Apparently Grand Hyatt Playa Del Carmen is rebranding as an adults-only AI as of July 31, 2025. Per the website and a thread on Reddit started by someone who had their wedding cancelled. This is a terrible development considering (a) the glut of AIs in the area, and (b) the terrible value proposition of an AI located in the middle of an urban area full of amazing and cheap restaurants! IMO, AI only makes sense when you don't want to leave the hotel - but isn't that the point of staying in the middle of downtown PDC instead of at one of the many secluded beachfront properties along the Riviera Maya?

Where can I find this. I googled it and can only find the old rules. I was not aware they have eased the cancellation policy and have a trip where I’ve been eyeing to book 1st and upgrade to the residence but the cancellation policy is brutal.

If you go to book a reward ticket there are now 2 options. The lower option has the same old cancellation policy and the higher one is now more flexible. That flexibility comes at a price. For a flight that used to be 200k in first class it’s now 170 for the less flexible and 230 for the more flexible one.

The cost to upgrade for AUH-YYZ or YYZ-AUH is $3,990 for two people. Not sure where you're getting the lower amount?

Booked my first class flight with points last September. Originally to New York, but when the route was changed to Toronto, got my points refunded and rebooked. Just upgraded to the residence, so I can confirm the AED 11,700. Don't know how much longer A380s are going to be around, so I figured I better do it now before it is too late.

FYI there was one differentiation as far as I could tell from First - we had a bottle of femme de champagne 2002 and I think apartments was 2016 billecart salmon

The A380 also appears to be flying to JFK.

The bed in the Apartment looks like what they strap you into for lethal injection

We have enjoyed the two leg flights from LHR-SIN in EY first. One had to try it once before falling off the twig. As nobody was booked into the Residence we asked for a tour when we left LHR. To be frank we could not justify the Residence on several counts.
No: 1. The additional cost simply could not be justified.
No: 2. The French bed was totally inadequate for two people who need to access the other ‘facilities’, mid flight. (We have discounted other airlines too with one sided access to the sleeping surface).
For us the two separate suits/beds work best all round SQ being our favourite non-stop carrier. However, we are looking forward to our next SIN trip with AF in the New La Premiere. This will be my wife’s first AF flight and mine too since Concorde in ‘82.

Not anymore. As of June 24, they switched the A380 to Toronto instead of JFK.

"Also note that the upgrade cost is the same whether you’re upgrading one or two passengers."

I think you mean upgrade cost PER PERSON, but it certainly is not obvious from anything you have written here.

Not sure if that’s still true - a recent Insta story from a known avgeek suggested he also got the Billecart in the Residence. Duval Leroy Femme de la champagne was the regular F champagne one or two years ago. Pretty sure they just used their remaining inventory of it for the Residence. Might be used up now.

On another note I asked for the Macallan Enigma in the F lounge in AUH. While officially not on the menu anymore, they still had some left.

Hi Ben, flew the apartment on 23rd June for CDG-AUH route. I had booked using AA (less than 14 days before) and can confirm that got option to upgrade to Residence for ~1200 Euros, while selecting the seat.

So the part where partner awards can't be upgraded is incorrect.

No, the upgrade cost total is the same whether for one or two people. The way he wrote it was correct. If the quoted upgrade cost is $1500 for one person, the quoted upgrade cost for two people from first will be $1500.

Hey Ben, I booked AUH-YYZ in F via AA and was not offered any paid upgrade. However, I got what I’d consider a once in a lifetime op-up to The Residence! I found one Reddit datapoint of someone redeeming through Aeroplan who got the same, so this lightning does strike from time to time.

Even this the longest current EY A380 route didn’t feel quite sufficient to fully maximize The Residence experience! Any shorter wouldn’t have felt worthwhile had I paid.