Etihad redefines luxury in the sky
Etihad Airways has shown off its new premium cabins in Dubai – the home of rival Middle East carrier Emirates.
Etihad chose the Arabian Travel Market to showcase the latest developments in luxury air travel, which will be installed on the airline’s fleet of Airbus A380 and Boeing B787 Dreamliner aircraft.
The main attraction at the Etihad Airways stand was The Residence by Etihad, with its three-room private cabin, offering a living room, double bedroom and ensuite shower room.
Etihad Airways’ president and CEO, James Hogan, said: "The new living spaces redefine inflight product and services to a new standard in commercial aviation."
The Residence by Etihad is located in the forward upper deck of the A380, accommodating one or two people and comes with a dedicated personal butler, trained at the Savoy Butler Academy in London.
A key design objective for Etihad Airways was to transform the boarding experience making it more akin to stepping into the lobby of a boutique hotel.
The A380 also features revolutionary First Apartments, which are fully private suites with a separate reclining lounge seat and full-length bed, as well as chilled mini-bar, personal vanity unit and wardrobe.
The First Suite on the Etihad Airways B787 offers guests an enhanced suite with chilled mini-bar, complete privacy and centre seats, which can be joined to create a double bed.
The Business Studios, arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, the airline’s first dovetail (forward and aft) configuration, have a 22-inch wide seat and separate ottoman, which combine to form a fully flat bed of 80.5 inches length.
The Economy Smart Seat on both the A380 and the B787 has a headrest, lumbar support feature and an 11-inch personal monitor screen,
The first A380 will enter service in December on the Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow route, and by the end of 2015, the airline will have five A380s in service operating on routes to Sydney and New York JFK.
Ian Jarrett
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