Etihad enters ‘ultra-luxury’ era

ETIHAD Airways
introduced its latest
aircraft to media from
around the world at an
event as large and lavish
as the aircraft themselves,
showcasing the new cabin
products, including the
three-room ‘The Residence’
ultra-luxury cabin.
The A380, the first of
a fleet of 10 on order,
features ‘The Residence’
on its upper deck: a unique
11,6sqm cabin with a living
room; en-suite bathroom
with shower; bedroom
with a double bed and flatscreen
TV; and a private,
Savoy Academy-trained
butler and inflight chef.
Tickets for this cabin from
Abu Dhabi to London cost
approximately US$20 000
(R230 230), with the price
allowing for single or double
occupancy. With this new
product, the airline plans to
target passengers who may
otherwise use a private jet
at a cost of US$100 000
(R1,15m) upwards.
There are also nine
single-occupancy First
Apartments, 74% larger
than Etihad’s current
Diamond First Class Suites,
which contain a 77cm-wide
reclining lounge chair,
mini-bar and an ottoman
that opens up to become
a separate, fully flat bed
(205cm long and 66cm
wide).
The A380’s 70 Business
Studios, arranged in a
dovetail configuration, offer
a 56cm-wide seat that also
combines with an ottoman
to make a 205cm-long fully
flat bed.
The upper deck also
features a central Lobby:
a common area with a sixseat
circular sofa and a full
bar and snack service.
On the lower deck, the
A380 has 417 48cm-wide
Economy Smart Seats, with
a 79-84cm pitch, 15cm
recline, adjustable lumbar
support, and a camel
leather headrest with a
fixed wing to make sleeping
easier.
The aircraft is already
flying to London (operating
as EY11/EY12), with a
second A380 to be added
to the route in the second
quarter of this year. After
that, Sydney and New York
routes will be added.
Etihad has four more
A380s on order that will
arrive this year, with another
three to come in 2016 and
the remaining two to be
delivered in 2017.
Dreaming big
The B787-9 Dreamliner
on show at the launch is
the first of a fleet of 41
on order, with 30 B787-10
aircraft also on order – a
massive boost to Etihad’s
capacity.
Etihad currently has two
B787-9s in its fleet, with
three to arrive this year,
three in 2016, nine in 2017
and the rest thereafter.
The first B787-10 variants
are scheduled for arrival in
2018.
The new B787-9 cabin
configuration comprises
eight First Suites, 28
Business Studios and 199
Economy Smart Seats.
The First Suite seats
convert into 205cm fully flat
beds and passengers are
served by an inflight chef
and have their own mini-bar.
The Business Studios
also feature the dovetail
configuration, 56cm-wide
seat and 205cm-long fully
flat bed used in the A380.
Economy Smart Seats are
slightly narrower at 44cm.
The first Dreamliner
flight is to Düsseldorf on
February 1, with routes to
Washington DC, Mumbai,
Moscow and Brisbane to be
added later this year.
 “With the launch of
these aircraft, we usher in
a new era of unparalleled
luxury, comfort and service.
We aim to be the best,
not the biggest, and are
consistently using new
innovations to improve
our offering,” said James
Hogan, Etihad Airways’
president and ceo.
Catching a connection
All passengers from South
Africa arrive at Abu Dhabi
Airport’s Terminal 1.
Connecting flights depart
from the same terminal or
from Terminal 3, which is
approximately a 20-minute
walk in the airport building,
with no need to pass
through immigration.
Passengers can follow
the signs to the Transit
Desk should they need
assistance.
The futuristic Midfield
Terminal, which will increase
the airport’s capacity from
12 million to 25 million, is
under construction and is
expected to be operational
by 2017.