Worry not, this should be my last post on the topic before I embark on my trip in the Residence. 😉
With my Etihad Residence flight from Abu Dhabi to Sydney quickly approaching, yesterday I shared the five requests that I made with Etihad. Residence passengers can make special requests, and I was curious to see just how well they execute them. I didn’t want to make the requests too outlandish, but rather wanted to test out a few different things with them. The five requests I made were as follows:
- A lobster roll as a midflight snack
- Laduree macarons
- Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc
- An Etihad A380 model airplane
- A plane walk around with the pilot pre-flight
The Residence concierge immediately acknowledged my request, and I just received the following email, less than 48 hours later:
Thank you for your patience.
We are delighted to inform you that we will be able to accommodate your catering and A380 model aircraft request. There will be no additional costs charged for these requests.
Please do let us know if there is anything else we can assist you with.
So they’ve confirmed four of my five requests free of charge. They didn’t mention the walkaround I had asked about, though I did specifically say that I understood if it wasn’t possible due to security regulations.
What I’m not sure about based on the email is whether this is something they’re working on and they just want to manage expectations (after all, not only the airline and airport have to be onboard with it, but also the pilot), or if it’s just a straight “no.”
Now we’ll just have to wait and see how all of this is executed… especially the lobster roll!
I’m very excited about the flight, and look forward to live blogging it and also doing some new social media stuff (for example, I’ve never used Instagram stories, but will start with this trip).
Noooo Snapchat please. So much narcissism there. Starting a Snapchat is a good way to get people to dislike you.
Hi Lucky!
Like Matt said, Please get Snapchat!
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Hi Lucky
Any chance you could start a Snapchat? TPG does one and it’s very enjoyable, and hopefully quite easy to integrate.
Thanks, and so excited for the review.
Matt
Have a great flight.
Please no snapchat.
I'm not even a big fan of Instagram.
Exciting!
There are two A380 pilots plus relief pilots on board, and someone has to do a walk-around as part of pre-departure checklists. Usually it's the first officer, as was the case on Concorde. From my experience doing a walk-around on Concorde, the captain's word is still probably law.
Here's a illustration of the problem: a tire that went flat on an A380. https://www.quora.com/Can-the-visual-pre-flight-walk-around-of-an-airplane-be-carried-out-by-ground-personnel-instead-of-pilots#!n=12
Insects build nests in pitot tubes among other life-threatening nuisances....
There are two A380 pilots plus relief pilots on board, and someone has to do a walk-around as part of pre-departure checklists. Usually it's the first officer, as was the case on Concorde. From my experience doing a walk-around on Concorde, the captain's word is still probably law.
Here's a illustration of the problem: a tire that went flat on an A380. https://www.quora.com/Can-the-visual-pre-flight-walk-around-of-an-airplane-be-carried-out-by-ground-personnel-instead-of-pilots#!n=12
Insects build nests in pitot tubes among other life-threatening nuisances.
In BKK a few months ago, I spent a memorable 30 minutes in an A380 cockpit, after landing and power down. The captain was delighted to explain all the special features of the instrumentation and so forth. If you board early, check with the flight deck and ask. I wouldn't bother talking to ground personnel about this. They don't have the authority to approve it.
The first officer as mentioned will probably make the inspection about an hour prior to departure. It's typically the first thing he'll do after taking over the aircraft, namely the walk about to make sure that all the important bits are still attached, that there aren't panels missing from the vertical stabilizer and all that... :)
Being in The Residence might help.
Cloudy Bay?? Seriously need to upgrade your wine choices. you selected this over a Fraser Gallop! wow.
You should have asked for Peter Yealands top of the line Sauvignon Blanc. It runs rings around the Cloudy Bay stuff.
They might offer you a tour in the Etihad Innovation Centre if the walkaround can't be granted.
"A plane walk around with the pilot pre-flight"
At this point Etihad knows who Lucky is, and are probably weighing the pros and cons of granting this particular request. They're probably also trying to calculate any potential gains they could get from this.
I have a feeling in the end, the request will be granted.
@Bill- Abu Dhabi & Dubai are wonderful cities to visit. You have the beautiful beaches to enjoy, fantastic cuisine, great dining & entertainment, and of course the opportunity to learn and explore a new culture. I recommend a visit.
@Lucky- YES PLEASE do Snapchat/InstaStories. I know your main readers are more of the old folks but us millennials would appreciate some real time coverage! I even started following your friend Ford Beckett on Instagram...
@Bill- Abu Dhabi & Dubai are wonderful cities to visit. You have the beautiful beaches to enjoy, fantastic cuisine, great dining & entertainment, and of course the opportunity to learn and explore a new culture. I recommend a visit.
@Lucky- YES PLEASE do Snapchat/InstaStories. I know your main readers are more of the old folks but us millennials would appreciate some real time coverage! I even started following your friend Ford Beckett on Instagram since he posts more pictures of your travels then you do haha.
Laduree Macarons...enjoy!
Lucky --
I second Matt's comment above - would love to see a OMAAT snapchat come to life! Like the TPG but more informative and less self-promoting....
Have fun lucky.
Be thankful for the good things in life and the pleasures that hard work and success provide.
Accept the finer things that are provided by others in a manner that does not cause friction and allows those that provide service to be glad to serve you.
Please don't allow the silly remarks made by many about this trip to take root and show you to be less than a business man making your business.
@James P Young people lack self awareness. I said things without tact when I was 14 and then you get older, mature and cringe at your past self.
I bought an A380 wooden model some years back (with generic Airbus logos on the tail). I see a "1/100 Airbus A380-800 Emirates Airlines Travel Agent Airplane Display Model" currently for sale on eBay for $249. Would be awesome if they give you one of those (versus some little plastic A380 model).
As for a pre-flight check walk-around with the pilot, that would be something.
Wondering, though, what would qualify in your mind as an outlandish request? :-)
@JoeMart
You may not realize it, but your comment is even worse then Pete's. Alvin has already said English is his first language. What does it mean that "[his] command of the English language is impressive"? It's no more or less impressive than that of literally any other native speaker of English in the world. How condescending.
> An Etihad A380 model airplane
> A plane walk around with the pilot pre-flight
SCORE!
Are places like abu dhabi worth visiting or do you just go there because of the plane first class products? Cities like this and dubai don't seem a fraction as interesting as Europe, asia, se asia and South America. I mean nearby countries may be cool to see eg Israel and egypt/jordan (these are actually on my list) but abu Dhabi and dubai? Seems like a place to go to blow money and be subjected...
Are places like abu dhabi worth visiting or do you just go there because of the plane first class products? Cities like this and dubai don't seem a fraction as interesting as Europe, asia, se asia and South America. I mean nearby countries may be cool to see eg Israel and egypt/jordan (these are actually on my list) but abu Dhabi and dubai? Seems like a place to go to blow money and be subjected to absurd laws. Not sure i would want to support those governments for limited cultural return. Am i missing something or is it just vegas without a lot of the sin? Just seems like bloggers spen soo much time talking about these particular destinations.
It's nice of you not to ask for Ridha Khadher of Au Paradis du Gourmand to provide the baguette for your lobster roll. Let alone having it topped with caviar.
To Alvin, your command of the English language is impressive. Those that criticize probably don't realize they speak in prose. Being a fanatic precludes understanding.
Reason convinces, no vitriol needed.
This is awesome! Do it right and do it silver spoon. Get pics of the female stews as well. They tend to be attractive on EY.
Get pics of the GE/PRATT engines and take a video on takeoff.
Get gooned as well.
Have fun!
Regards,
CandyAss
Do they have a Lauderee shop in Abu Dhabi? If not then I think having that on board for you if they succeed will be truly impressive!!
Just 7 days to go until the Residence....! Sounds like you've already started the countdown. Don't believe you when you say you won't have another post about it beforehand. Have a wonderful flight Lucky
@James P
I realize Lucky has his fans who will defend him at the drop of a hat, but...your reply to Alvin's comment was a bit much.
Would've been more of a (tasty) challenge to get macarons for your readers as well :)
@ Jason
Gone down to the economy deck on Etihad A380 without any problems on several flights I've taken.
@ Pete – English is my first language. Informal comments do not have to be laden with "please" or "thank you" and Lucky can choose whether he wants to follow through with these comments or not. I respect James' thoughts and know that different comments may come across to different people in different ways but it is inappropriate to make assumptions in this case.
I hope your concierge proposes an alternative if the walkabout is denied. Perhaps a tour of Etihad's operations/flight monitoring center??
I also hope OMAAT will still be the #1 spot for following the great Etihad Residence adventure. Instagram stories? I don't even know what that is and I really have no desire to learn how to use it.
I trust it is REAL lobster from the Atlantic Ocean, not the garbage from the Gulf waters...
@ James P
I would cut Alvin some slack. English is probably not his first language.
@Lucky - Do Facebook Live midflight!
I wonder if they can't confirm the walk around until the day of because it is dependent on pilot's decision (which could be impacted by mood, any other checks, etc.).
Lobster rolls! That is awesome! Have fun on your trip!
Yeah, I think the pilot has some more important things to do....
@Alvin - Why do you talk like this? I mean it sounds like you're ordering Ben to do stuff, which imo isn't the nicest way to put across a simple message with a 'please' and 'thank you'. Just my humble thoughts.
Can you tell us when are you flying to SYD? At least a time frame (ex. within the next 10 days). Thank you!
Please don't start a Snap as well. Spreading over too many channels is the first mistake people do - and Snap stories won't get to your hub, this one. I don't think Matt has your best interests in mind.
Happy for you to send me the model A380! ;)
Hi Lucky
Any chance you could start a Snapchat? TPG does one and it's very enjoyable, and hopefully quite easy to integrate.
Thanks, and so excited for the review.
Matt
I love the way you prepare us with your blogposts for this trip :-)
And great idea to start with stories!
Enjoy your flight!
Potential 'observer effect' in customer relations with a blogger seems like it would be difficult to distinguish from what is to be expected as a standard travel experience. I guess that difference becomes negligible as you sample the highest levels of customer service, where everyone expects top notch.
@ Lucky – Economy then? :)
In general they don't let people go down to the economy deck from the top deck on the A380 on Etihad.
Get some good photos of business and economy class, as the only photo you have of business class right now is the one with poor quality lighting that last time from Abu Dhabi to New York.
I mean sure I can find photos, but they're not YOUR photos...
@ Alvin -- I'll do what I can, though fortunately I'm flying the Etihad Business Studio to Abu Dhabi, so I should be able to get some good pictures there. :)