As an update, after lots of back and forth and getting lots of mixed messages with each person I spoke to at Etihad, they agreed to split our reservation to put 1 adult + infant in The Residence and the other adult staying in Apartment. We are flying BKK to AUH to JFK, so cost for The Residence upgrade was 148430 THB ($4,029.04).

Of note, I was told multiple times that The Residence was already booked on this flight, which was just flat out incorrect. I literally had to take and send screen shots of a new booking I could make in which it let me book The Residence. I was also told multiple times that since my flight from BKK to AUH was in Business class (not First), I could not book The Residence since it is not allowed on mixed fare flights. Again, I took and sent screen shots of a new booking I could make allowing me to book The Residence online with this route on a mixed fare booking. All of this finally resulted in them giving me the aforementioned quote for the upgrade and then emailing me a link to submit credit card info to pay for the upgrade. The entire process took about 1 hour and 40 minutes by online chat.

Also of note, they did give me the opportunity to pay for the upgrade with Etihad Guest Miles for 502,877, which I declined.

Here's to now hoping that my wife, daughter, and I are *all* able to use The Residence ground amenities (private room) at AUH and to sit together besides take-off/landing, of course, in The Residence and use its bed/shower.

Any suggestions on which Apartment would best complement also having The Residence in the setting of having a 6 month old lap infant? 1H is, of course, closest, but 5H & 5C have bassinets. Practically speaking though, I think the baby would just sleep in The Residence bed with my wife, so I'm not sure how much added value a bassinet would be in this situation.

Am flying later this year and noticed I’ve been moved to seat 1C on the A380 which appears to be The Residence. I haven’t paid for it. Is this just a big mistake or am I really lucky? 1A still showing as blocked in seatmap

I think residence is 1A I think?

A dummy booking shows 1C is in the Residence...
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...91c1fcaf52.jpg

According to the published seat map there is no 1C
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6ce65d2688.jpg

But SeatGuru shows 1A instead of 1H... Who knows!!! :confused:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...48666c7f92.jpg

The Etihad app and website both show my seat as 1A and also state The Residence under seat. Having trouble uploading a screenshot, but that’s what it says anyway for reference.

Residence is 1A.

Flew it first time last week LHR-AUH. What you get:

- An escort from T4 check-in through security to the lounge (no shortcut in security though there wasn't a long queue)
- Direct entrance to the VIP room in the lounge (i.e. not going into the lounge itself, you take a side door) which has sofa, TV and small dining table. With dedicated waiter/waitress.
- Option to board first or last. I chose first. Etihad rep came and got me from the lounge and we went straight onto the plane before boarding started.
- Onboard dedicated cabin crew member.
- Onboard same F&B as First. I didn't notice if cutlery/crockery was different, maybe it was. But I did get two large portions of caviar proactively offered.
- Private shower can be used up to 1hr before landing and they can give two sessions (10 min) though I usually only use for <5 min anyway
- I'm assuming amenity kit and PJ same as First
- On arrival offered first or last off. I chose First and I was escorted to the door ahead of all other F pax
- Met at the bridge by an Etihad rep who escorted through the terminal plus another rep to carry my bags
- Taken straight to passport control with an attempted short-cut (didn't quite work out) and through to Etihad Chauffeur
- I hadn't pre-booked Etihad Chauffeur but there was an SUV waiting for me anyway

All in all a very nice and efficient experience, and for the relatively small additional cost over the cash F ticket, I think worth trying out. Would I do it every time? Maybe... with all the cash in the world, yes, but the standard F is already great so harder to justify. Maybe just if I did NYC-AUH.

I didn't book the option immediately on MMB, but EY called me a few days before and made a materially lower offer which I accepted on the phone.

The Residence is a totally unique product in the sky - nothing compares. If want to be really picky I would say the bed was more solid than I would like. The cushions and leather on the sofa are so smooth you slide around a bit too much. The food is great. The drinks selection is well below what it should be in First Class. Its not bad, but its not Residence standard. BA e.g. is much much better (the only thing its better for). I do think its tight for 2 pax, but its great space for 1 pax, so I wouldn't book it to share. 2x normal F suite is better.

Was the amenity kit Giorgio Armani or Acqua di Parma?

Neither - Espa or something....

Shower not Working
 

I was just watching a youtube video by and they were on the Residence AUH-JFK and the shower was not working.

(time stamp 22:58)

Post-trip update on AUH to JFK

I was booked in The Residence (1A) with my 7 month old daughter as lap infant (paid for 1 adult to be upgraded). My wife was booked in a separate first class Apartment. The gate agents boarded all 3 of us first, and the cabin crew immediately allowed us all to be seated together in The Residence from the moment of boarding. The gate agents & cabin crew used the “spare” Apartment as an extra space to store luggage. The 3 of us spent the entire flight together in The Residence (except for visiting the bar/lounge for some coffee/tea). Shower worked fine for both me and my wife. The experience was actually great with an infant. She spent a good deal of the flight sleeping in the bedroom, and even when she was crying and fussy, the rest of the first class cabin didn’t have to be disturbed because she was in the bedroom with the door closed. Overall great experience!

Ouch!
Well my date has opened, and Residence is available. Total OOP will/would be 280,000 Amex MR (converted to Etihad) and $3650... LHR-AUH, 9:30 A.M Departure, 7 hour flight. 2 of us. Vs 125,000 AA Points and $600 if I opted for 2X Apartments instead.

Seems this may not be the first time the shower hasn't worked, but wondering what the frequency of that issue is. Any expected compensation for what could be viewed as one of the prime draws of the product?

Delete

the PJs are Giorgio Armani. The kit is Espa. I love it. There was a night balm that came with it and it’s amazing. I looked up the price, that little thing was a 100 bucks

Followed through with the booking for early August LHR-AUH.
Of all the insanely irresponsible decisions I've made in my life, this one probably takes the cake. (Well, maybe not counting my childhood ;) )
280,000 Amex points converted to Etihad miles + ~$4100 in taxes/fees/upgrade cost for a 7 hour flight for the 2 of us. Based on round-trip cash pricing, retail value can be pegged at around $8800. So maybe got about ~1.6cpp out of my MR points.
I didn't want to chance waiting to hear from them for a discount, because in the event I lost it, it would defeat the purpose of using up the MR vs waiting for AA to open up for apartments (125K AA miles vs the 280K Amex)

Surprising my wife, whom I hope refrains from murdering me for the cost (an additional $3500 and 155K points from the original plan to fly Apartments)

Cheers.

Flew on 'The Residence' as an upgrade from 'First Apartment' on 20th May 2024 from AUH to LHR. Used the First Class check-in at AUH from a connecting flight from BKK. My luggage check in to AUH only which I requested. It was around 11 hours before flight. Be warned: The staff say Etihad's check in policy is 6 hours before departure. But I told them the check in staff at BKK did not warn me this so it was unfair. They say there is no one to look after the checked in luggage for so long. I said even if I checked my luggage directly to LHR from BKK, you still need someone to look after my checked in luggage. They asked me to take a seat and offered me drinks and a hot towel. After some discussion with the duty manager, they let me check in. Lucky for me. Went the 'The Residence' Private Suite at AUH too.

These are gone now on 'The Residence':
- menu with your name on it:
https://pointsfromthepacific.boardingarea.com/.../review.../
- boarding pass holder:
https://thepointsguy.com/.../etihad-a380-the-residence.../
- Bernardaud porcelain diningware
- Vera Wang glassware
- Welcome letter signed by the captain with your name on it
- London's Savoy hotel trained Butler

The rest is still available.