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Originally Posted by perfusionist1982
(Post 35474553)
Thank you for your review. I am flying this route from AUH to LHR on Sep 1st. Booking using AA and hence assuming wont have the option to upgrade to residence. But I guess I'll be happy with Apartments. It's interesting why they dont allow pics of the residence 💁
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Originally Posted by YYCCL3
(Post 35474814)
She said something along the lines of not wanting to cheapen the product. Which I can understand, being that, there are a lot of people who would just want to take pics in there and claim that they flew in it. I think it's wonderful that at least they allowed a viewing and tour, as prior to covid this wasn't the case.
Really appreciate the review! |
Originally Posted by lost_in_translation
(Post 35480051)
I think the justification is exactly the same for not allowing upgrades on AA mileage tickets, no? It’s one thing to let someone who has paid EY $10K for a flight then upgrade for a further $3K, it’s a very different thing to let someone who has paid AA 60K miles from a credit card or whatever into the Residence when EY have probably been paid about the same in total as the average J passenger here ($3K plus probably $700 or something from AA). The blogosphere would be flooded with “How I flew $40,000 FLIGHT for $3000” articles before the end of August, I guarantee it.
Really appreciate the review! |
Are there any updates or any other data points with peoploe trying to upgrade from AA/AC ticket stock?
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At the Residence as I type this … what a let down from prior experiences. So far:
- There was no one to meet me at check in. Even after asking, I was told to queue on the First Class line. That was perhaps four people long, all of which were actually in Business. - Escort to the lounge was lovely, with the same lady that I had met in two prior trips before the pandemic (so glad she is still there). - Lounge was good in the sense that they still prepare the VIP room. However, the rainshower was not working (only the small handheld). And lo and behold, there was no shower gel and shampoo in the dispensers. So I got wet and did not take a proper shower. - I was the first to board and that still work like a charm. Just walk in. - On board, things turn south. Carrot juice is clearly spoiled (as in rotten, with a strong nasty smell and awful taste). Entertainment system doesn’t work. They tried resetting three times but I gave up. As soon as you try to run any movies, the remote goes black and there is no sound. But the image is still running, giving you spoilers without a sound. Same situation in the living room and the bedroom. - Amenities are nice, but no longer exclusive to the Residence. Small perfume similar to first and no more shaving kit, which is a shame (I really liked it!). I asked to be met at AUH upon landing by someone who can address this complete disaster! It is a shame, as it used to be such a great experience. The crew is lovely, but unfortunately the whole thing is not worth it anymore. Let’s see how the lunch service goes. Waiting for caviar and lobster tail! |
Originally Posted by burg_rtw
(Post 35579130)
At the Residence as I type this … what a let down from prior experiences. So far:
- There was no one to meet me at check in. Even after asking, I was told to queue on the First Class line. That was perhaps four people long, all of which were actually in Business. - Escort to the lounge was lovely, with the same lady that I had met in two prior trips before the pandemic (so glad she is still there). - Lounge was good in the sense that they still prepare the VIP room. However, the rainshower was not working (only the small handheld). And lo and behold, there was no shower gel and shampoo in the dispensers. So I got wet and did not take a proper shower. - I was the first to board and that still work like a charm. Just walk in. - On board, things turn south. Carrot juice is clearly spoiled (as in rotten, with a strong nasty smell and awful taste). Entertainment system doesn’t work. They tried resetting three times but I gave up. As soon as you try to run any movies, the remote goes black and there is no sound. But the image is still running, giving you spoilers without a sound. Same situation in the living room and the bedroom. - Amenities are nice, but no longer exclusive to the Residence. Small perfume similar to first and no more shaving kit, which is a shame (I really liked it!). I asked to be met at AUH upon landing by someone who can address this complete disaster! It is a shame, as it used to be such a great experience. The crew is lovely, but unfortunately the whole thing is not worth it anymore. Let’s see how the lunch service goes. Waiting for caviar and lobster tail! |
Originally Posted by 135pilot
(Post 35580351)
How did you book this ticket?
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Originally Posted by burg_rtw
(Post 35579130)
At the Residence as I type this … what a let down from prior experiences. So far:
- There was no one to meet me at check in. Even after asking, I was told to queue on the First Class line. That was perhaps four people long, all of which were actually in Business. - Escort to the lounge was lovely, with the same lady that I had met in two prior trips before the pandemic (so glad she is still there). - Lounge was good in the sense that they still prepare the VIP room. However, the rainshower was not working (only the small handheld). And lo and behold, there was no shower gel and shampoo in the dispensers. So I got wet and did not take a proper shower. - I was the first to board and that still work like a charm. Just walk in. - On board, things turn south. Carrot juice is clearly spoiled (as in rotten, with a strong nasty smell and awful taste). Entertainment system doesn’t work. They tried resetting three times but I gave up. As soon as you try to run any movies, the remote goes black and there is no sound. But the image is still running, giving you spoilers without a sound. Same situation in the living room and the bedroom. - Amenities are nice, but no longer exclusive to the Residence. Small perfume similar to first and no more shaving kit, which is a shame (I really liked it!). I asked to be met at AUH upon landing by someone who can address this complete disaster! It is a shame, as it used to be such a great experience. The crew is lovely, but unfortunately the whole thing is not worth it anymore. Let’s see how the lunch service goes. Waiting for caviar and lobster tail! - Meal was pretty good: I had the caviar service and proactively offered a second round (F was quite empty, only one other pax). I then had the lobster tail, which was good but not great. At that point I was full because it was still early in the day so I didn’t eat anything else. Forgot to take a picture of the drinks menu, but the bubbly was a Femme de Champagne which I really enjoyed. - Shower was functioning normally and the privacy of the bathroom in the Residence is great - After the shower I slept for about three hours, and the bed makes a big difference: wide enough, quiet enough and dark enough! - Prior to landing I had the Arabic mezze, which was also very good. I particularly like the tabbouleh salad, and when I asked for another portion, the flight attendant actually brought me three! Also, after the carrot juice fiasco during boarding, they surprised me with fresh carrot juice that was brought from the lounge before the doors closed. That was a very nice service gesture. - Upon landing, I was told I would be met by someone from the company to address the issues with the flight. While there was someone there other than the porters and the usual escort, he was pretty useless and had no idea of what happened. I explained and they said it would be raised “with the concerned department”. Which probably means nothing will ever be reported or followed up. All in all, except for the bed, which is a big difference, the product as is, is a waste of money. I will still make the return flight, so let’s see how that goes. |
And here are some pictures from the flight
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...644174afc.jpeg Living room https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...81000feeb.jpeg Bedroom at boarding https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b44c3be9d.jpeg Private bathroom https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b6b8591d2.jpeg Caviar service https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a494d2c68.jpeg Lobster tail https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...b994ad652.jpeg Bed after sleeping 😴 https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...54c7a257c.jpeg Arabic mezze https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d32d25acd.jpeg Great tabbouleh |
Onboard the flight back to London … same problems with the inflight entertainment system.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4035df56c.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...f9932fbd3.jpeg https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4b3d66765.jpeg Engineers trying to reset the seat and IFE (twice now). I asked someone from customer relations to come and a person from the team did come up from the airport office. But there is nothing they can really do at this point. I requested a travel credit to be able to take the upgraded seat and get the full experience, as it should be. |
Beyond unacceptable. I would email the CEO and Head of Customer Relations.
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If someone has the proper contact of the head of customers relations, can you please PM me?
there were three engineers onboard and one Etihad customer service agent (Arab person, perhaps that means more senior?). They could not make it work. While they asked to reset it one more time (it would be the third time), we were already past the push time from the gate and I said I didn’t want to delay the flight and asked them to leave the system off. |
Hi all,
Wanted to share my thoughts and experience. I flew at the end of August (one month into the A380 restart), AUH to LHR, EY19 (daytime flight). Contrary to what some bloggers have posted, you do NOT have to buy your ticket direct on Etihad. I bought my First Class ticket on Amex Travel and got a discount through whatever-they-are-called premium class discount program. And then looked up my reservation on the EY website and was offered the Residence upgrade for USD $2500. My itinerary was BKK-AUH-LHR, booked in F for a bit less than USD $2500. The BKK-AUH segment was on a Dreamliner, so downgraded to Business. After upgrading to the Residence, I booked my Abu Dhabi Stopover hotel as well as chauffeur rides from/to the airport on the EY website. I had a memorable trip and it ranked right on the top of my aviation experiences! To those naysayers about the flight not being long enough. EY is only flying the A380 between AUH and LHR, so it's either this or nothing. Compared to pre-COVID, $5000 is definitely a more affordable way to get the most luxurious airline cabin checked off your list. burg_rtw My video screens were un-cooperative as well. Did you fly on A6-APG? The video in the bedroom had to be reset three times. After the screen started working, the remote didn't work (not a big deal since I could use the touch screen on the main display). And then the video in the sitting area stopped and had to be reset as well. The wifi never worked on the entire flight. The cabin manager apologized at the end of the flight and took my contact info back to customer service. So far, have not heard anything back from them. I have to say that I was most impressed with the airport escort service. I am an independent traveller and it's refreshing to have someone else take me around, tell me where to go (and pick up my bag!). If you can afford it - do it! When another global catastrophe hits, these planes will be parked again and you will regret not flying in this beautiful cabin! :cool: My video trip report on Youtube: |
Does anyone know if the Residence Upgrade is refundable? The paid cash First fare is refundable so I would suspect the residence upgrade is as well. Anyone know?
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I forgot to report back - I flew the Apartments from AUH-LHR on EY19 on the 7th of August. I was the only passenger in First class! It was weird having 3 flight attendants just for me. I sat in 4A for dining and the crew made 4K into a bed for sleeping. So that was fun!
I did get a tour of the Residence, and same rules applied, no photos allowed. It was still cool to get to see it as many people don't make it that far. The bedroom was cozy! Don't think I'd pay extra for it on this segment but would be tempted on a longer route such as JFK. I was flying on an AC reward ticket and no upgrade was ever offered to me. I flew -API and the wifi and IFE both worked flawlessly, so I guess it's just -APG that has the issues. Got lucky there I guess! |
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