Etihad EY461 A380-800 MEL-AUH First Class Review

Now to the silliest piece of the trip.

Instead of flying home the normal way, as my boyfriend did (in First Class on Qantas's 747, of which there are insufficient pictures!), I took the long way around to make this another Round the World (in practice, if not in spirit)!

The 2016 Round The World Series

• 2016 RTW Planning
• American Airlines AA73 777-300ER LAX-SYD Business Class Review
• Park Hyatt Sydney Review - The Best Hotel I've Ever Stayed At
• The Milford Track - 5 Day Hike in the South Island of New Zealand
• Emirates EK407 A380-800 AKL-MEL First Class Review
• Intercontinental - Melbourne the Rialto Mini-Review
• Etihad EY461 A380-800 MEL-AUH First Class Review
• Etihad EY103 A380-800 AUH-JFK First Class Review

After my delightful experience on the Etihad A380 last year flying from LHR to AUH, I wanted to repeat the experience, but on a longer flight. I managed to find flights from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi and then onwards to JFK with a day in between to toodle around Abu Dhabi for a day.

As on my last flight, a black car picked me up in the morning, a handy perk of Etihad's award flights that are no longer available sadly, unless you have status with Etihad.

Surprisingly Etihad operated their own lounges in Melbourne at the time, though they handed them off in 2018 and sadly no longer operate the A380 to Melbourne at all. However, I'll still review for posterity's sake!

Etihad's lounge faced the Emirates lounge (which looked a little sad) in Melbourne. Inside, it had Etihad's signature geometric patterns and ample seating, especially considering its kind of remote status and relatively few flights.

The dining consisted of not only a well stocked buffet, but a full service restaurant.

Selections from the buffet:

Of course I had to order more food than I had any business eating. I ordered the tomato soup, the lamb filet and the doughnuts.

Just so freaking good. It's so hard not to overeat on these trips because it's a splurge and "free".

Once I'd had my fill (and more), it was time to board. The A380 boards with top and bottom jet bridges, with 9 first class suites and 70 business class seats on top and 415 economy seats on the bottom. Also on the top deck is Etihad's exclusive "Residence" suite, a three room cabin with private bathroom and bedroom.

For the flight from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi, I had the luxury of being the only First class passenger on board and having a staff of three, juste pour moi! Etihad is already an amazingly personalized experience and this made it even moreso.

Here's a view of Etihad's single aisle configuration. The "Residence" suite is in the forward left, with the suite going beyond the bulkhead for a truly private experience.

As the boarding doors closed, I knew I was in for a treat.

Here is the wine list.

And the dining menu.

I normally go for steak, but I was so stuffed at this point I went for the "light" option of chicken. The treacle cake was also stunning.

So much food.

After eating too much food, it was time to settle down for the night. I had to take the obligatory shot of the Etihad shower, which I think I actually got a decent picture of this time.

With me being the only passenger in first class, I had a lot of opportunity to chat with the flight crew and talk about what things were like. It was also a pivotal time for global politics as some large unexpected changes were happening at home as well in November of 2016.

To take my mind off that, I asked if I might be able to sneak a view of the Residence and the staff graciously obliged. Here's a shot of the Residence bedroom.

As the plane began arrival in Abu Dhabi, I again had the chance to realize how truly lucky I was (and am) to be able to travel like this. No matter how many times people tell you (occasionally me, correct me!), award travel is not "free". It is expensive in time off, it can be expensive in fees or food, and it can be expensive in that it requires a good deal of good credit.

But man. It can be very very fun.

Now, as the plane touched down, I had intended to spend a day touring Abu Dhabi quickly, but to be honest, I wasn't in the mood.

As my boyfriend could tell you, one of my strongest vacation principles is: Decide on at least two things you could do every day, so you're never in the position of not having anything to do. But doing nothing is also an option and you shouldn't feel bad about picking it. Vacation is for you. Kind of the opposite of YOLO I guess, but oh well. To each their own.

I had picked a room at the Intercontinental Abu Dhabi and honestly, once I checked in, I never left the room. And I don't feel bad about it. The room was a little bland, but I still enjoyed it.

I'll cover the flight to JFK and the Etihad Abu Dhabi lounge in my next and final post for my 2016 round the world trip!