A380 First Class
Oct 14, 2015, 4:32 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: BLQ / TRG
Programs: NZ*E, UA*1K, QF Plat
Posts: 1,071
A380 First Class
Just completed my first set of flights with EY.
I realise the EY do get a decent amount of criticism here. But have to say my experiences with them over the last day or so were excellent.
First Class on A380 leaves every other airline I have flown F with well behind. Seat space is unmatched. Shower is excellent. Food and service equal any other.
At AUH had a short connect, but EY went out of their way on service recovery to fit in a shoe shine / wet shave / haircut.
To put in context this year I flown F on SQ / LH / TG and previously EK / AA / QF.
No contest EY are better.
I realise the EY do get a decent amount of criticism here. But have to say my experiences with them over the last day or so were excellent.
First Class on A380 leaves every other airline I have flown F with well behind. Seat space is unmatched. Shower is excellent. Food and service equal any other.
At AUH had a short connect, but EY went out of their way on service recovery to fit in a shoe shine / wet shave / haircut.
To put in context this year I flown F on SQ / LH / TG and previously EK / AA / QF.
No contest EY are better.
Oct 14, 2015, 4:49 am
#2
Join Date: May 2010
Programs: QFF, Krisflyer
Posts: 472
I would of thought so but then I read reviews from peoples Trip Reports.
Nearly every review I have read of the A380 EY product says that the bed is hard and uncomfortable and that EY are looking a providing a thicker mattress pad for it (A major problem for me on a long haul route).
Also not as major IMO, that the shower is smaller/more cramped than EK and its in the same room as a toilet (hope the floor is cleaned before you shower).
Other than that it looks like an excellent product.
Nearly every review I have read of the A380 EY product says that the bed is hard and uncomfortable and that EY are looking a providing a thicker mattress pad for it (A major problem for me on a long haul route).
Also not as major IMO, that the shower is smaller/more cramped than EK and its in the same room as a toilet (hope the floor is cleaned before you shower).
Other than that it looks like an excellent product.
Oct 14, 2015, 4:50 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,750
Glad to hear you enjoyed the A380 F. I've not yet experienced it but hope to do so next year (here's hoping my redemption bookings don't have planes subbed in!)
EY is generally quite good in the air; the bulk of the criticism here concerns all other aspects of the operation!
EY is generally quite good in the air; the bulk of the criticism here concerns all other aspects of the operation!
Oct 14, 2015, 6:36 am
#4
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
Until the other two key competitors (EK and QR) announce new products, EY is undoubtedly the leading First Class hard product by a significant margin.
Other airlines such as SQ and JL/NH might do different aspects of the soft product better, but the EY hard product just cannot be beaten at the moment.
Other airlines such as SQ and JL/NH might do different aspects of the soft product better, but the EY hard product just cannot be beaten at the moment.
Oct 14, 2015, 8:23 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,750
The ground/airport experience is several leagues behind most of their competitors, though - they really need to do something about that.
Oct 14, 2015, 12:14 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
Programs: AA PLT,AS,UA PP,J6,FB,EY,LH,SQ,HH Dmd,Hyatt Glbl,Marriott Plat,IHG Plat,Accor Gold
Posts: 10,820
Oct 14, 2015, 12:34 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: England
Posts: 1,361
I would of thought so but then I read reviews from peoples Trip Reports.
Nearly every review I have read of the A380 EY product says that the bed is hard and uncomfortable and that EY are looking a providing a thicker mattress pad for it (A major problem for me on a long haul route).
Also not as major IMO, that the shower is smaller/more cramped than EK and its in the same room as a toilet (hope the floor is cleaned before you shower).
Other than that it looks like an excellent product.
Nearly every review I have read of the A380 EY product says that the bed is hard and uncomfortable and that EY are looking a providing a thicker mattress pad for it (A major problem for me on a long haul route).
Also not as major IMO, that the shower is smaller/more cramped than EK and its in the same room as a toilet (hope the floor is cleaned before you shower).
Other than that it looks like an excellent product.
As for the bed, I found it very comfortable and didn't have any issues with it. I have a Tempur mattress and pillows at home and have used it for over 10 years, so if it was too hard I would have struggled to sleep.
Oct 14, 2015, 12:50 pm
#10
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
The bed was supremely comfortable for me personally. But I always preferred firm mattresses.
Shower - yes, the door closing thing is a bit silly. I solve the problem by putting my palm against the shower head until the water gets hot... although it feels distinctly less than First Class to have to do that
Shower - yes, the door closing thing is a bit silly. I solve the problem by putting my palm against the shower head until the water gets hot... although it feels distinctly less than First Class to have to do that
Oct 14, 2015, 1:33 pm
#11
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: England
Posts: 1,361
I am with the OP though, in that it is simply a phenomenal product. We were flying to Tokyo on BA F a week after flying the First Apartment. The disappointment in my girlfriends face was brilliant; to be fair, she could have said the same about me. It's a shame they only do a few routes on it, otherwise I would just stick to Etihad for all our long-haul flights in future, but even with their limited routes I am going out of my way to fly it twice next year.
Coincidentally I was in the Maldives last year and ended up having dinner with a nice English couple. As part of the standard "so what do you do for a living" malarky, it turned out his company designed the interiors for planes and was working on Etihad's new product. He said he couldn't tell me anything about it, but he felt it was something very different than what existed currently. That is putting it lightly. I emailed him when we flew the First Apartment in August just to tell him how impressive it was.
Oct 14, 2015, 7:56 pm
#13
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Exec Club, SIA KrisFlyer, Qantas FF, Emirates Skywards
Posts: 1,850
A380 First Class
The shower lasts 5 minutes and there is a warning to let you know when it's almost done. In fact I think it stops momentarily at 4 minutes as a warning.
Oct 15, 2015, 7:13 am
#15
Join Date: Jul 2015
Programs: QF(Platinum) VA(Platinum) EY(Platinum) NZ(Gold) AZ(Platinum) SPG(Gold)
Posts: 278
I would of thought so but then I read reviews from peoples Trip Reports.
Nearly every review I have read of the A380 EY product says that the bed is hard and uncomfortable and that EY are looking a providing a thicker mattress pad for it (A major problem for me on a long haul route).
Also not as major IMO, that the shower is smaller/more cramped than EK and its in the same room as a toilet (hope the floor is cleaned before you shower).
Other than that it looks like an excellent product.
Nearly every review I have read of the A380 EY product says that the bed is hard and uncomfortable and that EY are looking a providing a thicker mattress pad for it (A major problem for me on a long haul route).
Also not as major IMO, that the shower is smaller/more cramped than EK and its in the same room as a toilet (hope the floor is cleaned before you shower).
Other than that it looks like an excellent product.
The bathrooms are smaller than Emirates, but the shower itself is only a little smaller in terms of space and I actually like the Etihad shower more than the Emirates one (has better water pressure IMO) - especially with the Le Labo toiletries (Six Sense stuff pretty sad). The Emirates shower attendants keep the Emirates A380 bathrooms spotless, Etihad a little less so (but still acceptable). Both Etihad and Emirates showers share the room with a toilet and I don't find it a problem personally.
The Etihad A380 First Apartment has a feeling of space, but most of it is wasted space IMO and a missed opportunity in my book. It's also surprising how worn the A380 First Apartments are starting to get given they are still very young - I've encountered broken doors and drawers, loose seals, patched up dividers, pen marks and things falling off.
Having flown a number of carriers in First, I wouldn't rate it as a leading First Class experience.