Flying is a great way to travel, but it’s definitely got some downsides.
Between the crowded seating, annoying seatmates, and terrible food, it’s enough to make anyone
lust after those cushy, and pricey, first-class seats.
You’ve probably walked enviously through at least one first class cabin on the way
to your seat, but have you ever wondered what the most expensive first class seats are like?
Well, today’s your lucky day!
We’re giving you a sneak peek into the world’s most expensive first class cabin, so that
you can imagine what it’s really like to fly like the ultimate VIP.
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You are awoken on the day of your trip by your hotel phone ringing.
"Good morning, Sir.
I trust that you slept well.
This is Amanda, your personal concierge from Etihad Airlines.”
You know Amanda.
She's the one who booked you this room - in fact, she’s been handling all of your travel
arrangements since the moment you first booked your flight with her airline.
You assure her that you had an excellent night, and ask her to confirm your itinerary for
the day.
“Of course, Sir.
Your flight to Abu Dhabi leaves at ten this evening, so your private chauffeur will pick
you up at six sharp to whisk you smoothly to the airport, with plenty of time to check
in and enjoy the private lounge.
“You’ll be greeted at the airport by your on-the-ground attaché, who will take care
of everything for you from there.
Your entire experience has been curated to your exact specifications, as we discussed.
I’ve let the in-flight chef know about your meal preferences, and the cabin staff has
been directed to provide extra pillows, as requested.
“When you land in Abu Dhabi, another attaché will be there to assist you from the moment
you arrive, including helping you through customs, and a chauffeur will be waiting to
take you to the hotel I’ve arranged for you there.
I hope you have a pleasant day, Sir, and don’t hesitate to call on me if there is anything
that you need during your trip.”
Your chauffeur is waiting to pick you up in front of the hotel, and your concierge had
already arranged for your baggage to be loaded.
The car is stunning - a luxury sedan fitted out with leather seating, a privacy screen,
a fully-stocked bar and an entertainment system.
Needless to say, the ride to the airport flies by.
As your car pulls to the curb at the private VIP entrance, a sharply-dressed man appears
at the car’s door as if by magic.
“Good day, Sir.
Etihad Airlines welcomes you.
I am James, your personal attaché.
I trust you’re having a pleasant day so far?
That’s wonderful!
It’s my job to keep it that way.
I don’t want you to worry about a thing, I’ll take care of everything for you from
this point on.”
A porter has already unloaded your bags and whisked them away to be checked in.
“Your bags will be placed directly onto the plane for you, Sir.
Now, if you’ll please follow me to the first-class check-in lounge, it’s just a short walk
away, unless you’d like me to arrange a ride?”
You tell him you’d welcome a last chance to stretch your legs, and you set off through
a series of well-appointed back hallways.
You make it through the airport in record time in almost complete privacy, and you are
even fast-tracked through security!
With your attaché at your side the whole way, it is by far the smoothest airport experience
you’ve ever had.
Along the way, your attaché tells you a bit more about Etihad Airline and their luxury
first-class cabins:
“The ‘Residence’ luxury first-class cabins are the world’s only 3-room private
cabins on a commercial airliner.
Our first ‘Residence’ cabin launched in 2014, and it was so successful that we now
have a total of ten ‘Residence’ cabins, one on the upper level of each of our Airbus
A380 airliners, the largest passenger planes in the world.
“The A380s and the ‘Residence’ cabins and lounges are exclusively available on flights
to and from the cities of New York, London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sydney, Seoul and Mumbai.”
“Ah, here we are at the first class check-in lounge.
Now, if you’d just like to make yourself comfortable here, I will take your carry-on
and your travel documents and check you in.
And of course, I’ll need your credit card to confirm the payment.
“As you know, the cost of your fare is thirty-eight-thousand US dollars.
This is our newest and most luxurious version of the ‘Residence’ cabin - the next newest
‘Residence’s fare is thirty-two-thousand dollars.
“As soon as you step foot in the cabin, I’m sure you’ll agree that this is money
very well spent, especially compared to our other first-class seats, like the compact
‘Apartment’ series, with less than half the space at twenty-thousand dollars for a
one-way ticket.”
You hand over your luggage and documents and settle in to one of the designer Italian leather
chairs to take in the details of the first-class lounge.
It includes more than just the classy lounge area you’re currently sitting in.
You also see a large bar and dining area, and a peek at the menu gives you a look at
some of the complimentary gourmet tapas and appetizers on offer.
There’s also two luxury washrooms, including full-size showers.
You are admiring the original artwork as James returns with your boarding pass and receipt.
“Yes, our first class lounges are quite spectacular.
This area is reserved for our first-class guests, but of course, even the economy travellers
can pay to enter this part of the lounge.
You can understand why they’d want to, but rest assured, they will not be allowed to
access your private lounge.
If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you there now…”
James escorts you to your personal lounge where you will wait to board your flight in
total privacy and comfort.
Your lounge includes custom leather furniture, a huge TV and entertainment system and a fully
stocked snack bar.
“I’ll leave you here to relax.
Our lounge attendants would be more than happy to bring you any food or drinks you might
want from the restaurant.
Please let me know if there’s anything else that you need, otherwise I’ll come and fetch
you when it’s time to board.”
After a very pleasant wait that almost had you forgetting you were in an airport, your
attaché returns with your carry-on luggage to let you know that it is time to board.
He assures you that you are the first to board, to give you privacy and plenty of time to
settle in to your cabin before take-off.
He leads you through the beautiful first-class gangway and onto the plane, where he hands
off your boarding pass and carry-on to a gentleman wearing a crisp, perfectly tailored suit,
completed with coat tails and white gloves.
“Good evening, Sir.
I am Robert, your personal butler, at your service.
Etihad Airlines welcomes you to ‘The Residence’.
Let me just stow your carry-on in your secure personal closet, and then I’ll show you
around your cabin.
“As you probably know, ‘The Residence’ is the world’s only 3-room private cabin
on a commercial airliner.
Your cabin features a full one-hundred-and-twenty-five square feet of private space.
There is a spacious lounge with a state-of-the-art entertainment system, which also doubles as
a dining room.
You also have a separate bedroom with a double bed, and a private, full-sized bathroom.
“Now that you’ve had the grand tour, let’s get you settled into the lounge and get you
comfortable before take off.”
He settles you into the gorgeous leather reclining seat, and gives you the obligatory but blessedly
brief overview of the seatbelts and takeoff and landing procedures.
He assures you you will be free to roam around in your suite throughout your flight.
Once settled, he asks if you’d like anything before take off.
“You’ll find the chilled refreshment drawer beside you is fully stocked with the drinks
you requested, and your specified snacks are in the next drawer.
You have plenty of time for refreshments before take-off, Sir.
Can I have the in-flight chef prepare a snack for you?”
You assure him you’ll be fine with the snack drawer for now, but that you’d like to have
dinner as soon as possible once in the air.
“Certainly, Sir.
The in-flight chef has received your dining preferences, including your extensive dietary
restrictions, and is ready to prepare a truly one-of-a-kind meal for you whenever you would
like to eat.
“I’ve taken the liberty of pouring you a celebratory glass of our finest champagne,
to toast you for choosing to fly with us today.
I’ll leave you to settle in, but please let me know if there’s anything at all that
you need.”
As you sip your champagne, it doesn’t take you long to get comfortable in the lounge.
You connect to the free in-flight Wifi and are pleasantly surprised at how fast it is,
and you set your devices up in the convenient charging station.
You turn on the 32-inch LCD TV and look for a movie to watch on the extensive On-Demand
system.
Before you know it, you’re engrossed in your movie and enjoying your snacks and refreshments.
If not for the brief interruption to your movie for the pilot’s announcement, you
might not have even noticed that the plane had started preparations for take-off.
In fact, you might have nearly forgotten you were on a plane at all!
Shortly after a remarkably smooth take off, your butler checks in to let you know that
the flight has departed on schedule, and that the chef is currently hard at work preparing
your dinner.
In the meantime, he prepares the lounge for dinner by installing the fold-out dining table
in front of your seat.
You’re impressed when he lays out a bright white table cloth, but the glamour doesn’t
end there.
You are stunned as he lays out your place setting, featuring custom 24-carat gold-plated
porcelain dishes, gold-plated cutlery and signature crystal glassware.
“Your dinner, Sir.
As requested, each course is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, and paired with a wine
recommended by our chef . Bon appetit!”
After one of the best meals of your life, and with a happy wine-induced glow, you decide
to turn in for the night.
But first, you’re going to enjoy your full-height, private shower.
Your private bathroom is sleek and luxurious looking, and stocked with all the amenities
you could ever need.
After a steamy hot shower and a refreshing scrub with the designer toiletries, you step
out of the bathroom to realize that your butler has provided turndown service, and even laid
out a bathrobe for you.
You crawl into the double bed and relax into the high-quality designer Italian sheets,
and quickly drift off into sleep.
A few hours later, you’re awoken by a gentle tapping on the door to your bedroom.
It’s your butler, waking you up a few hours before landing like you requested.
You tell him to come in, and he enters holding a covered tray.
“Breakfast in bed, Sir,” he says, placing the tray on the bed in front of you.
Knowing you have all the time in the world, and feeling utterly refreshed after your sleep,
you take your time and savour your gourmet breakfast in bed, catching up on the latest
news on the twenty-seven-inch TV above the bed.
You finally drag yourself out of bed and freshen up in the bathroom before settling into the
lounge for landing.
As the plane lands, you can’t believe it, but you’re almost disappointed that the
flight is ending!
Luckily, the VIP treatment is far from over.
After getting priority deplaning, you are met by your arrivals attaché who escorts
you to the exclusive Arrivals Lounge.
She assures you that your suits are on their way to be pressed, and that your bags will
be waiting for you in your private car whenever you are ready to depart.
She asks if you’d like her to arrange any treatments at the lounge’s spa before you
leave.
You can’t resist the excuse to extend your experience and immediately book a relaxing
massage, followed by a soak and a steam before you freshen up in the private bathroom.
Once you are finally relaxed, showered and dressed in your pressed clothes, you head
into the lounge’s dining area and linger over a gourmet lunch.
As strange as it may seem, you just don’t want this flight to end!
Finally, you have to admit that you can’t stay any longer, and you ask your attaché
to have your car prepared.
“Of course, Sir,” she says.
“Your bags are being loaded as we speak and your car will be ready momentarily.
As per your request, it will be one of our ‘low-profile’ models, but I assure you
it is not low on luxury!
It was our pleasure hosting you today, and we hope to see you again very soon!”
As you leave the airport through the VIP exit and climb into the back of your luxury car,
you wonder if you’ll ever be able to fly any other way again...
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So, what did you think of the world’s most expensive first class cabin?
Do you think it’s worth the money?
What was the most surprising part?
Be sure and let us know in the comments!
If you thought this was incredible, be sure and check out this captivating video, called
The Most Expensive Countries in the World.
Maybe it will make the world’s most expensive first class seem a bit more reasonable!
Or perhaps you’d enjoy this other video here instead?
Either way, click one now!
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