First 10 Flights of Etihad’s $20K Luxury Suites Completely Sold Out
Joe Cortez November 13, 2014
The first 10 flights of The Residence by Etihad Airways, featuring a price tag of around $20,000 per seat, have officially sold out.
Travelers looking to indulge in the luxury flying experience available on The Residence by Etihad Airways will have to wait. Arabian Business reports that, according to Etihad CEO James Hogan, the first 10 flights of the one-of-a-kind class have completely sold out at around $20,000 per seat.
The Residence suites were announced by the carrier in May to a world of fanfare. Described as the industry’s first multi-room cabin, The Residence features a living space, double bedroom and private shower. In addition, all in-suite service is handled by a butler trained at London’s elite Savoy Butler Academy.
Speaking with delegates at the Arabian Business Forum in Dubai, Hogan outlined The Residence as one part of creating a better service for high-value flyers. In addition to being a stand-alone product, The Residence can also be chartered along with the upper deck of Airbus A380 aircraft offering the service. The result, according to Hogan, is a level of service comparable to a private jet.
“We felt innovation, and [we felt] creating a product that people who travel in the private jet market will aspire to, and in fact get a better deal and better service, was a great opportunity,” Hogan said. “People use private jets because they have a certain need, but from the Gulf there is are strong traffic flows to the UK and New York. They are there today, so we believe there is a segment.”
According to Bloomberg, the first suites will enter service on December 27 from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Etihad plans to serve the AUH-LHR route exclusively with superjumbo aircraft by 2015 and expand its A380 service to both John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Sydney Airport (SYD).
[Photo: Etihad Airways]
You’re Reading
A return trip for 2 people is £27k, for 3,422 miles. By comparison a return trip on BA F for two people on JFK-LHR is £20k, same length.
I hope the NetJet comment was a joke. Look at the route and realize that the customer targeted owns jets that are larger than the typical Netjet card user. BAE gave a prince a commercial Boeing jet and he painted the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders on the outside of his plane. It has been said that had cheerleaders serving inside the plane:) You are talking about a customer that travels the street with a car in front and a car behind and often with police escort depending on the location.
This product is for poor people that can't afford a Netjets card.