Flying "apartment"！Etihad First Class – Luxurious Sleep on a "Supercar-Grade" Sofa Bed

The luxury of first-class air travel keeps reaching new heights, from in-flight bathrooms and "supercar-grade" sofa beds to "apartment-style" space that sets itself apart from regular economy and business class seating. Just how comfortable is this spacious design? TripPlus takes you behind the scenes for a full experience of the Middle Eastern airline’s apartment-style first class — even the service from the first-class concierge rivals Japanese hospitality standards. Let’s take a look at the globally elite-level first-class experience enjoyed by the world’s air millionaires.

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Continuing my journey through Lufthansa's first-class terminal experiences, my homeward-bound and A380 pilgrimage trip arrives at its third chapter. My itinerary takes me from London to Doha via Abu Dhabi, and the London to Abu Dhabi leg is flown on the ultra-luxurious Etihad Airways First Class Apartment Up！The entire journey from London to Doha cost me 62,500 American Airlines miles. For information on how to redeem using American Airlines miles, please refer to our columnist Sharon’s step-by-step guide for beginners. I redeemed my miles on April 11th for a flight on April 21st, and there were usually 1–2 seats available in the days leading up to that as well, so it was actually quite easy to book. However, because I booked within 21 days of departure, I had to pay an additional $75 USD fee (holders of American Airlines Executive Platinum status, like Ryan, can waive this fee). This round-trip journey from London all the way back to Taipei was booked entirely using American Airlines miles, with total taxes and fees amounting to $305.60 USD.

Next, I’ll give a brief introduction to Etihad’s private lounge in London, and then dive into the highlight of this piece — the first-class apartment, which our diamond editor Randy has also shared about before.

Lounge Overview. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

For an outstation lounge, the standard is already quite impressive — small but well-equipped. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

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Although Etihad’s London lounge is shared between first-class and business-class passengers, it’s worth mentioning that they still offer their flagship Six Senses Spa service here — even at an outstation lounge like London’s. First-class passengers can enjoy a complimentary 15-minute massage, though business-class travelers can also opt to pay for one. Since I was on a red-eye flight, the lounge was fairly crowded when I arrived, so I headed straight to the Six Senses Spa to book a massage to avoid missing out. I chose a back massage this time, and they were kind enough to ask if I preferred a female therapist.

First-class passengers can enjoy a free 15-minute massage. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

After the massage, I wanted to take a shower before boarding, as per usual. The only small complaint I have is that the shower rooms are quite small and don’t leave much room for carry-on luggage.

After showering, I went to the dining area to order food and check out the other facilities. There’s a dedicated play area for kids, a shared iMac in the work zone for passengers to use, along with a simple self-service buffet for those who just want a light bite. Overall, for an outstation lounge, they’re really quite considerate — small but fully equipped.

The First Class Apartments feature individual suites with a personal seat and a single bed, each equipped with a 24-inch touchscreen TV. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

There’s ample space under the seat for luggage, and all seats are made by Poltrona Frau, a century-old Italian luxury furniture brand that works with celebrities, royalty, top-tier car brands, and more. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

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After dining in the lounge, I was about ready to board. As someone who likes to film content, I usually line up early at the gate to be among the first to board — that way, I can avoid disturbing other passengers while filming (or, honestly, avoid being embarrassed myself…). Onboard, besides the industry-leading The Residence (which features a living room, double bed bedroom, and private shower), there are also nine First Class Apartments. Each is an independent suite with a personal seat and a single bed. Even with the door closed, you can move around freely without feeling cramped or lacking privacy.

The First Class Apartment comes with a three-mirror vanity. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

The First Class Apartment is equipped with a mini bar. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

Out of the nine apartments, six can be combined by removing the partition wall, making them suitable for families or couples. These pairs are: 1H&2H, 3A&4A, 3K&4K. The seat I got was 2H, which is an aisle seat. On the day of my flight, all First Class Apartments were fully booked. They could’ve moved me to The Residence if I’d wanted... If editor Randy sponsors my next round-the-world trip, I’d love to try seat 4K by the window instead. My least favorite seat would probably be 5H — it only has one window and is also an aisle seat (just kidding… but honestly, any seat is great as long as you get to fly!). Each apartment includes a personal vanity (wow, my own home doesn’t even have a three-mirror vanity…), a personal mini bar, a small wardrobe, storage compartments, and space under the bed for your carry-on.

Another highlight is the 24-inch touchscreen TV at every seat — due to the seat design, it actually feels even larger than 24 inches. The large touch-controlled remote, popular in many first-class cabins, is also an essential “basic amenity” here (the standards of the wealthy really are different from ours…). The seats in Etihad’s First Class Apartments are all made by Italy’s century-old luxury furniture brand Poltrona Frau. This brand works with everyone from celebrities and royalty to the European Parliament, the Royal Opera House, the British Museum, and top-tier car brands like Porsche and Ferrari. Singapore Airlines’ first-class seats are also designed by this brand. I had previously thought the Japanese Airlines first-class mattress that Ryan often sleeps on was already super premium and expensive (click here), but after flying Etihad, I realized this is truly the most powerful and luxurious first-class cabin out there. Seven and a half hours just isn’t enough… If I ever get dragged off a plane, it’ll probably be because I’m too comfortable to leave.

Both Etihad’s first class and business class board directly from the upper deck of the A380. Once on board, the concierge, cabin manager, and chef assigned to us that day all came over to greet us. Each seat also had a welcome letter waiting, and the pajamas and slippers were beautifully packed in a boutique-style paper bag.

The First Class Apartment provides pajamas and slippers, and even the packaging is exquisite. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

Contents of the overnight kit. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

Opening the vanity reveals additional personal amenities. Just as I was looking around in awe with my mouth still open, my concierge quietly floated over, handed me the menu, and asked what I’d like to drink. Being the tourist that I am, I went with Arabic coffee paired with my favorite Middle Eastern dates. The Arabic coffee has a mild flavor with a slightly medicinal taste, which might be a bit off-putting for regular coffee drinkers (by regular, I mean my mom — I even bought some to take home, but she kept asking me if I’d bought fake coffee… sigh). After handing me the coffee, the concierge asked when I’d like to take a shower. Everyone gets five minutes of hot water for showering (you can turn the water off midway, get wet, apply shampoo and body wash, then turn the water back on). To arrive fresh off the plane, I opted to use the shower service one hour before landing.

First Class Apartment dining setup, getting ready to serve. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

Fresh sashimi is available even at 30,000 feet. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

In addition to a variety of meals, first class also offers an endless supply of dates. (Photo courtesy of TripPlus)

Since I don’t eat beef or lamb, my options were basically limited to seafood. The chef gave a special introduction when taking orders, explaining that he could customize any dish on the in-flight menu according to my personal preferences. For the starter, I tried two soups, both of which were so rich that they were a bit hard for me to digest. For the main course, I ordered monkfish (also known as anglerfish), but the texture was overly tough. Usually, based on my experience, I’ve never had a bad fish dish on a plane... until this time. That was my first miss. The dessert at the end was quite good though, and I actually had two scoops of ice cream. Since it was a seven-and-a-half-hour flight, there’s usually only enough time for one main meal and a light breakfast. Although the food didn’t particularly wow me, I was more than satisfied with the endless supply of dates. This time I remembered to take a photo of the wine list for my fellow drinker, Buddy.

After the meal, the steward came to make up the bed for me. I slept soundly for over four hours and only set an alarm to get up for a shower. Are there any readers out there who set alarms during flights like I do? In order to experience what it’s like to shower at 30,000 feet, I had to sacrifice some sleep—otherwise, that bed was seriously comfortable!

The level of thoughtfulness from the first-class apartment’s steward surpasses even that of Japanese service. (Photo provided by TripPlus)

With swift and skillful movements, the steward made the bed in no time. (Photo provided by TripPlus)

% The cabin offers a range of first-class amenities. (Text provided by HowToTrip)

The two major highlights of the Etihad First Suite are probably the onboard bar and the shower room. The photos of the bar might look a bit empty—that’s because I took them right after boarding. They usually start setting up the bar a while after takeoff. But I had no choice—I had to eat, sleep, shower, and film within seven and a half hours, so I had to make the most of every second.

There’s a shower room and a separate toilet in the first-class apartment. As mentioned earlier, the steward typically asks each passenger for their preferred shower time after boarding to avoid conflicts. The shower room may not be as luxurious as Emirates’ (click here), but it has a more understated elegance. The space is quite large, with a designated diaper-changing area for the little ones born with silver spoons, and there’s also a chair facing the toilet—which I have no idea what it’s for.

The water pressure and temperature in the shower are both excellent. The video specially shows the showerhead in action for readers (a real sacrifice… I didn’t really get to enjoy it… What do you all think—should the editor send me on another flight?). From the overnight kit to the amenities in the shower room, everything uses the Hungarian royal luxury skincare brand Omorovicza. Their brand is known for blending Hungary’s famous thermal spring water with skincare products. Taiwan used to have a counter for them, but it’s been gone for a while. I personally love their body lotion—the subtle essential oil fragrance leaves my skin feeling very moisturized after applying it on the plane.

The inflight WiFi comes at an additional cost, but I didn’t have enough time to sleep as it was, so I didn’t get it. The huge 24-inch TV also has live broadcasts, so readers with sleep issues—like our editor Randy—won’t get bored. During my flight, I happened to catch CNN covering the Paris terrorist attack.

The toilet vanity is fully stocked with essentials. (Photo provided by TripPlus)

Each passenger gets five minutes of hot water for showers. (Photo provided by TripPlus)

% The cabin offers a range of first-class amenities. (Text provided by HowToTrip)

After waking up, showering, and returning to my seat, I simply ordered a croissant. The plane was about to land around that time, and the steward kindly handed me a small card with the gate information for my connecting flight in Abu Dhabi. He also gave me a deck of Etihad playing cards, hoping I’d join their membership program. I felt a bit guilty since my ticket was actually exchanged through American Airlines, haha!! Another cute thing was that the steward noticed the Transformers sticker on my suitcase. While I was flipping through the duty-free magazine in my seat, he kept recommending Cartier’s Le Baiser du Dragon perfume to me because it kind of looked like it... After that, every time I left my seat and came back, that page of the magazine was always open and placed right in front of me. Their level of thoughtfulness really is second to none—even better than the Japanese. I heard becoming an air steward for them requires going through a series of rigorous tests and training, following the British butler training method.

Overall, apart from the food being a slight letdown, there wasn’t a single aspect of this flight that I could complain about. From the service to the facilities and amenities, the entire seven-and-a-half-hour flying experience was truly unforgettable. It’s just a shame they operate the A380 on relatively few routes. I’ll just have to see if there’s another chance to fly again soon and enjoy it to the fullest!