I’m not going to write up any of the time in London, it was mostly tourist nonsense, but later after the TR is done I’ll add some of the better photos.
Etihad A380 First ApartmentSo, where to begin? The First Apartment is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in any form of transportation. If Singapore suites feels like a train compartment, Etihad’s A380 feels like a private cabin. It does get a little cramped with the bed extended, but in what other commercial airplane can you even move around your bed in a closed area?
Not only is there a lot of space with the bed in bench form, the seat is huge too. At one point I sat cross-legged and had a good 8” of space still on either side of my knees.
Something I haven’t seen written up much is how nicely decorated the entire first class cabin is. I have never flown Emirates first, (and today’s news makes that a ways off), but from what I’ve seen of photos there’s no comparison. The Apartment is tastefully decorated with nice textured wallpaper and two individually controllable lamps, and just looking down the aisle towards the stairs you see a nice starry design.
I was in seat 4A. The travel bloggers suggested that 4A and 4K are the best seats for solo travelers, and I agree with them. Seat is forward facing and near the window. The IFE is some kind of Android-based system called E-BOX that was very impressive, if a little laggy. The airshow had like 10 different modes- my favorite was the 3D view of the aircraft’s attitude and instrument readout- it was like watching a SpaceX launch webstream.
I didn’t get a chance to try the shower, the timing wasn’t quite right and I decided I’d rather spend time napping then dealing with the hassle of changing twice.
I probably missed covering a lot of things that folks are interested in, please let me know if you have any questions!
OvernightSo my flight to Abu Dhabi was scheduled to get in around midnight. Early in the booking process, I was evaluating my connection options to get to Muscat. The logical connection is a 3am flight. However, I foresaw a lot of issues with a 4am arrival there, probable minimal airport staffing, and the likelihood of having to pay for an extra night at the hotel. So I went for a connecting flight at 9 something, arriving a little after 10. You know what that means! Overnight in the AUH premium lounge!
The premium lounge in AUH was fun (the exclusive First lounge is not yet open). It was massive though, and totally a madhouse with few open seats when I got there at about 1am. 3am is “rush hour” in Abu Dhabi (I think Dubai also). I got a buzzer to queue for the shower and it went off after about a 15 minute wait. I took a relatively lengthy shower, and when I emerged the place was deserted as everyone had left for that flight bank. Even the shower attendant was gone. A few employees were walking around mopping the floors. I was one out of maybe three travelers, when a short while before there had been hundreds. 4am:
It was too bright to really nap on any of the couches, so I just watched videos to pass the time. Around 6am the place became a madhouse again.
Short Hop Over the MountainsThe A320 to Muscat was at a remote stand, so everyone went downstairs to a bus gate. Kindly they had a “business class” bus with better seats and air conditioning, compared to the buses for economy passengers. The airplane seat, as expected, was very comfortable with superior legroom, and service was vastly better than any regular US first class.
When we landed at Muscat, we taxied past a massive new terminal with dozens of jetways, but sadly it is not open yet. Another remote stand, and a bus to the terminal. It’s hard to describe the feeling, but sometimes you can just feel the developing-world-ness when you enter a building. Reminded me of India and TLV Terminal 1. You have to line up to purchase a visa at one of two currency exchange companies, then get in line for immigration. No questions asked, the agents seemed more interested in gossiping with each other. I grabbed a prepaid SIM card from a local company, and hopped in a taxi to the hotel.
Next up:- The mountains
- The city
- The hotel