- Welcome back. I'm all dressed up in a tuxedo to go on a flight. I can't believe it - it's my first time dressed up in a tuxedo!
Today, I'm going to take you on board the world's premiere flying experience. Nothing comes close to this in commercial aviation. This is the top, top, top product.
This is the Etihad, the Residence. It's been two years since I last flew on the Etihad Residence and today, Etihad is inaugurating their A380 to Seoul and they kindly invited me to come on the inaugural flight and I proposed to Etihad, I said: Look, I would love to come on your flight, I would love to fly in luxury, let's fly one way in the Residence and return in economy so that I have a sample and a taste across the board and see all of your latest product developments and so here I am in this beautiful limousine on our way to Abu Dhabi, part of the Residence package. - Welcome back.
- Thank you. You already checked us in, I believe? - Yes, you have to board.
. . - Hi.
- [Person at counter] Hey! - It feels like walking on a red carpet! - I know!
- Good to see you. - We're going straight to the Residence lounge now. - Of course, straight to the Residence lounge.
- Hello there. - Good evening, MrChui. Welcome back to the Residence.
- Nice to see you. Nice to have you back with us. - Welcome.
This way please. - Thank you. - After you.
- Wow, beautiful. Just as I remember it. - Welcome back to the Residence.
- Beautiful! Guys, I'll tell you the difference between the lounge and the Residence Lounge and why the Residence lounge is great. It's because it's that privacy - you've got that butler; one to one service and the privacy.
It makes you feel valued - that experience itself stands out more than anything. Sorry, I didn't catch your name, could you tell me your name please? - Tricia.
- Tricia? - Yes. - You look familiar.
I think I met you before in the lounge. - Yes, both of the times that you travelled on the Residence, to Paris as well as to Bombay. - Oh really?
- Yes. - You lost weight! - I did a little bit.
- You did, you did! This is the Arabic coffee. It has a very intense, strong aroma which I needed.
This is beautiful. - Root vegetables; some carrot, truffles, semolina dumplings. Please enjoy.
- Thank you very much. - You're welcome. - It's actually all vegetables inside but it's very pretty.
Guys, are you ready for another ASMR? Here, it's quiet enough. That's it - just joking.
- MrChui, here we have our champagne. - Good champagne. Very good; 2004 - 15 years old.
The burger's fantastic. Fantastic. - Your main course is ready, MrChui.
- Wow, look at this - the colour. - So, here we have the sea bass which sits on a bed of risotto topped with some baby spinach and foam, which is of horse radish. - You keep up a really good standard.
I wasn't sure after two years, but I was really happy to see the food, the presentation, the standard was still very, very good. - (She mumbles), yes. - Ariba Robuso.
- Correct. - It's a Cuban cigar, right? - It is a Cuban cigar.
- And if you take your first puff, you will taste herbal flavours and it has a bit of a creamy texture as well. I'm going to tell you - I'm not even a smoker but I felt like: Hey, this is the Residence lounge. At least have a little, little taste of the cigar.
It will be a waste if you don't do it. So I don't even know who the butler that I'm going to fly with this time is but I've flown twice with Leanne the Butler. - I remember Leanne.
- Yeah, the blonde woman from Manchester. - Yes, correct, yes. - My viewers, the audience, just loved her.
She just had an impeccable manner. All trained in the Savoy, just like you. - She is.
- You also trained in the Savoy in London. - Yes, yes I did. - Yeah, so, well, she was well remembered and if you're watching the video Leanne, we just wanted to say hi to you and wish you well.
So I actually want to have a foot massage before my flight - my foot is a bit aching - so let's go to the spa. - And right. .
. - Oh man! Just had a full belly of food, now I've come in for a massage.
This is such a life of the kings! Oh very nice. Yeah.
Very nice. - I hope you enjoyed your stay with us this evening. - Thank you so much, it's been a pleasure.
- You're welcome. - So another perk of Etihad's ground service is that they have porters. Like, we are filming here so that the porter can carry our bags.
- Actually, I was searching for you in Paris. - Really? - I found you here.
- I was there on day one and day two. - Yeah, yeah. - Did you enjoy the Paris air show?
- Yeah, exactly. - Good, excellent. Take care.
Hello there. - Good evening, MrChui. - How are you?
- Great. How are you doing today? - Good, good.
- I'm Pradish. - Pradish? - Yes, and it's a real pleasure to be your butler on this flight.
- Sorry to keep you waiting. - Please, please. - Thank you.
It brings back so many great memories of Etihad for me, you know. I used to be a big flyer because I used to live in Abu Dhabi and, to be quite honest, I really miss Etihad. - Welcome back sir, how are you?
- Hi. Nice to meet you. - Welcome back, nice to have you.
(Mumbles). Thank you very much. Thank you.
- It's a real pleasure to have you back with us. It's like your second home now! - Thank you so much, thank you.
I really wish that this was my second home, flying - flying in a palace in the sky! - And since we consider it your second home, what I've tried to do is give you a feeling of being at home, so what I've done here is put a photo frame of yours. - Oh my!
- So I took the liberty of getting a great photo of you. - Look at this! I love your gift.
Thank you so much Pradish. - It's my pleasure. - This is also, coincidentally, me sitting in the first class apartment on Etihad but the difference is that this was a few years back, when I was about 20 pounds lighter, so you can see now and then.
Which one do you like better? - Since you are so passionate about aviation, what I've done is selected the latest edition of a few magazines for you since it's a long flight. - Aviation magazines?
- Yes. - Really? - Yes.
- Wow. - I'll just present that to you. - Yeah.
- There you go, the latest editions of. . .
- Wow, look at this! Aviation magazines. I think that this is a perk of flying in the Residence - the butler tries to know you well before you fly.
So they knew I had this hobby. Thank you so much. I'll read them before I go to sleep tonight.
- My pleasure. - I like all kinds of Coke. Diet Coke, regular Coke, yeah.
- And that's the Diet Lite for you. - Thank you for loading up the Diet Coke. I have my own mini fridge here.
- Yes. - This is great, lovely. - And the best part about this is that it's a chilled mini-bar, so it's a soft beverage bar.
- Fantastic, thank you so much for that. - This is the Poltrona Frau leather. - Poltrona Frau, yes.
- Yes. - I remember, it's showing here. - Similar to what you would find in a Ferrari car.
- Oh, Ferrari - okay. Thank you for the orientation. I can't wait - I want to go and see my bedroom.
There's a full sized mirror which I can see myself in. I can see us. I remember this place very well.
This is probably the only true double bed in the sky. This is not one of those first class, business class converters, a lay-flat bed. This is a real double-sized bed for two people.
I'm looking forward to that good night's sleep tonight. Good evening. - Good evening.
- How are you? Ah, I remember you - you were the one flying the F1 fly-past. - Yes, yes.
How are you doing? - I remember seeing you. You have one scene where you have your laughing face on where you are doing the flight.
Captain - what's your name? - Suleman. - Captain Suleman and Captain Shing today.
- Yes, yes. - Yeah. Nice to fly with you.
How long will it take to Seoul tonight? - Tonight, it's not that bad - 8 hours, 10 minutes. - Make it longer, because I'm in the Residence!
- Okay! Today, we plan to go to 39,000 feet. - 39,000?
- When we are over China, we will climb to 41,000 feet depending on the traffic, if we're allowed. - So we should have some good tail wind pushing us, right? - Yes, that's why the flight is about 8 hours and 10 minutes.
- 8 hours, 10 minutes; not bad. What's your take-off weight on the A380 tonight? - Tonight, we are looking at 460 tonnes at least.
- 460 tonnes? - Yeah. - Not bad, easy.
- No, no. - Far from (mumbles). (Mumbles) is what, 500?
570? - 577. Yeah.
Thank you very much. - Yeah, you're welcome. - And, pleasure flying with you sir.
- Welcome aboard and enjoy the service. (They converse in Korean). - All the Koreans are hiding in here!
There you go! - Oh, this is business class. - Yes.
- [Announcement] Sit back, relax and enjoy your flight, thank you. - This little kid has a really nice seat. You have your own space here.
Heyyyy! This business class seat here is actually. .
. I'll tell you what, there's such space on the A380. There's such a space here and I believe that you can close this here.
- Yes. - Additionally, for privacy, isn't it? Hello, how are you?
- Hi, nice to meet you. - Are you from Korea? - How did you know that?
- I don't know, I just guessed that you were going to Korea. - That's it. - There's a high chance that you're from Korea.
Well, this is the social area on board. I know that and that's what we're doing here - socialising in the social area. That's the end of the tour but I have to tell you guys that I have the best seat on this aeroplane, right here.
The Residence, seat 1A. - This is from a friend of mine. This is called "A friend of Mine.
" - A friend of mine. - Exposed. The best part about this is that the design is inspired by Amarati Cordura.
- Oh, so it will feel like a long. . .
- Yes. - . .
. Kind of shirt. - Yes.
And there's also a robe that gives you the feeling. - Right, so this is interesting. I never wear something like Cordura.
- Specially crafted menu for you with your name on it. - Oh my Gosh. - It's a customised menu.
- Welcome MrChui. I'm Salman. It's my pleasure to be your personal chef on today's Etihad flight.
If I may quickly take you through the menu. On our a la carte section we have our signature caviar service which I highly recommend with a glass of rose champagne. We also have a very specific dish on today's flight.
It is the (mumbles) which is a special Korean dish of steamed rice and several toppings. Very popular for breakfast - highly recommended. And in our lounge and grill section we have proteins which you can mix and match as you like and, of course, another oriental dish inspired by today's flight, the (mumbles) sliders with a mixture of sweet and savoury items and our selection of cheese and fruit and desserts which you might like.
So, if you have any questions, please let me know and I will be more than happy to answer them. Thank you. - MrChui?
- Yes. - Please allow me to present a certificate to you to commemorate our inaugural Seoul flight. - Oh, you've got a certificate for today's flight!
- Yes. - Oh, look at this. - Hi MrChui, it's my pleasure to have you on board today's flight.
I'm Jane and I'm the manager. Welcome on board. - Ma'am, I think you're from Australia, right?
- Yes, I'm Australian as well. I'm from near Gull Coast near Beachy Head, so still a New South Wales girl, so we've got that in common. - Pleased to meet you!
- Nice to meet you! - This is my totally private toilet. It has a shower, it has a bathroom.
So I'm going to change from my tuxedo in to something comfortable. I changed to my normal pyjamas. These are extra pyjamas on top of the pyjamas, it's like a cover.
You know guys, this robe here that I'm wearing feels like the Star Wars Jedi, you know, wearing a robe like this. When you fly in the Residence, you expect them to have everything. So they gave me the free WiFi.
Unlimited WiFi on board. Complimentary internet. Look at the colours, look at this.
- Okay. - So, this is the beef here, chicken and (mumbles). - You eat this Asian and Chinese food like a sandwich, like a slider.
Very, very nice. It's toasted and it's very warm. - Bellini Cipriani.
- Cheers! Oh, look at this! This is beautiful!
- Steak and chips. - Love them. - Truffle juice.
- Awesome. This is garlic and Koreans love garlic. This is well cooked garlic.
- MrChui? - Yes? - Now, please enjoy the cognac.
- Oh. . .
- Flat, oh yes! That's Remy Martin, Cellar 28, so that doesn't roll down. - It doesn't fall?
- No, it can handle a little turbulence. - Does it roll? - Yes.
Just like this. - Wow. No matter how you turn it around, it never spills.
I'm going to enjoy this fine glass of Remy Martin, cellar 28. Cheers guys! Thank you so much - the bed looks really nice.
I'm going to have a shower and then I'll go to sleep. Thank you so much. - So, Sam, here's your personal bath robe.
- Personal bath robe? - Yes. - Alright.
- And please enjoy the shower. - Thank you very much. This is a very expensive brand.
Acqua di Palma. So I'm just going to clean my face before I go to sleep. Now, shower time.
That shower was great! So refreshing. Having a private shower makes all the difference and remember, this is my own bathroom.
I don't share with anybody. It's time to sleep now. Ah, this is nice.
I have one TV in the living room. Now I have the second TV right now in my bedroom. The best part is that I can enjoy all of the TV programmes in total privacy here.
This is nice. Good night guys. Good morning.
I just woke up and I'm really, really comfortable on the bed. This bed is really, really long and I actually have quite a big space around me. I think we're just about one and a half hours from landing in Korea now, so, I'm feeling a bit hungry actually.
Let me call the butler and get some food. - MrChui! Hi!
There you go. - I wish I could sleep ten hours here. - Is it?
- It's amazing, sleeping in the sky, on a real bed. - Yeah, it is. - It makes a lot of difference actually.
- It does, it does. - Yeah. - That's caviar and we have toast, we have cream, we have some parsley and also a yoke and egg white to go.
. . MrChui.
So, what I have planned for you is alongside a theme called Champagne wishes and caviar dreams. - Champagne wishes. .
. - And Caviar dreams, yes. - Exactly, champagne and caviar.
- Caviar, yes. - Cheers guys. How often do you wake up in the morning and get served like this?
Champagne and caviar. - MrChui. - Wow!
- That's coconut waffle and raspberry. - Thank you so much for looking after me Pradish, today. You did a great job.
- It's a real pleasure. - I'm actually wondering - which part of India are you from? - I'm from Kerala, down South.
- Kerala. - MrSam Chui and the video viewers, (speaks Hindii). - Well, thank you very much.
It's a pleasure to have you here. - It's a real pleasure. - I have to tell you that the Residence is a once in a lifetime experience.
Nothing in commercial aviation products comes close to the Residence. The Residence really is a class of its own. I'm not just talking about it - you have seen my experience and I really encourage you to come and try it.
At the end of the day, it's all about that experience that matters. Thank you so much for today and congratulations on the inaugural A380 flight. Well done everybody.
Thank you so much. Tonight, I'm flying back in economy class so there's no limousine. This is my seat here.
We've just arrived. This thing here, I also quite like. - We have chicken drumsticks with (mumbles) and braised beef.
. . - The tray is really light.
I was wrongly concerned. I thought that the meal was smaller but it's actually bigger. Now you can buy sweet and salty.
The Queen of Saudi Arabia performing on the Etihad A380! Let me show you what the toilet is like in Etihad economy. Bring an eye shade in economy class.
I bought this model from the duty free and this is a giveaway model for our YouTube viewers.
