Final Part of the TR - EY F Experience in AUH and On-board the A380 F ApartmentsImmediately after deplaning, we tried to make our way to the F lounge. Now that was easier said than done. We landed in a different part of the terminal and the signs were super-confusing, or atleast they seems confusing. Eventually we found our way and proudly displayed our boarding passes for access...
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To be totally honest, we were exhausted but there was no way we were going to pass up the F experience at AUH.
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Our first stop was to make appointments for our complimentary massages. The lounge was empty and we had ample choice of times.
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We had an hour to kill before our spa appointment so we had drinks and took some pictures of the lounge...
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Made some small talk with the bartender (who had just arrived from Serbia - never been on a plane before until traveling to AUH for the job). He mentioned that 80% of those employed in and around Abu Dhabi are foreigners. They put him up in a newly built dorm with several roommates who all work for EY in different capacities. They give them one free plane ticket home a year. Turned into a super interesting discussion...
Now, I have to admit that I am not much of a massage person. And the massage at AUH didn't change that. I was in more pain when it was over than before it started. Luis' dug his elbows into my back and I almost screamed in pain. I thought maybe he somehow figured out I was a yid and decided to give me the royal AUH welcome... either way I was happy when it finally ended.
About 45 minutes before the flight, we were advised to proceed towards the USA pre-clearance facility to clear US immigration. This is a HUGE timesaver because you do not have to clear customs in the US - you enter the US as a domestic passenger. Process was pretty quick. Once we cleared immigration, there's a second EY lounge on the other side (much smaller and no where near as nice as the F lounge). At this point, we were anxious to finally board the A380 behemoth and head to our F Apt.
As we approached the boarding gate, an official looking gate agent made a b-line towards us and immediately asked us if we were Mr and Mrs Barry Lincoln. I thought it was a little strange that he knew exactly who we were. I thought he was going to escort us on board. Nope... he explained to us that there was a family of 4 travelling in F and wanted to know if we'd be willing to part with our 3A and 4A seats for another pair of seats in F in order to accommodate the family to allow them to sit together. To which I quickly responded no. We had expressly booked these seats as these are one of two seat combos in F where you can lower the divider between seats and literally "share" the APT with the seatmate on the other side. Once we said no, he didn't push us any further. At the time, I thought about trying to extract some value in exchange for making the accommodation but ultimately decided that it wasn't worth the bother.
Within a minute or two, boarding began and we proceeded down to the F jetbridge. While I won't go into extreme detail about the flight, I will post a ton of pictures for everyone to see. The experience was totally incredible and in a totally different league than any experience offered by a US or European airline. From your dedicated, well-trained hostess who makes your bed every time you get up to the on-board chef who made every accommodation possible to ensure we enjoyed our Hermolis meals, EY does not cut corners in serving their F passengers. The privacy offered by the enclosed suite, to the onboard bar/lounge, to the shower, you truly feel like royalty on board EY-F. We had two leftover Pom meals that we took with us - the staff offered to heat them up - and we ended up eating across from each other in one of our apartments.
There is tons of storage space with every amenity well-planned and thought-out. Before retiring for the night, I asked to hold a "reservation" for the shower 90 minutes before landing, giving me enough time to shower, change and daven so that I'd be ready to get to work after landing. Showering at 38k feet was incredible, albeit a very short 5 minute shower. But it made a huge difference getting off the plane reasonably rested and refreshed ready for a days work.
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Barry Lincoln, on Flickr
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I chatted up one of the F attendants and learned that the Residence was empty this flight. She said that the Residence is typically occupied by the members of the royal family or ultra-wealthly sheiks or entertainment personalities looking for more privacy. She said that she's worked flights where the royal family took down all of F and J on a flight.
After soaking in the experience during the first 2 or 3 hours (of the 13 hour flight), we decided it was time to sleep. Our beds were made and shades were drawn.
After a great shower schachris and breakfast, we were finally on approach to JFK...
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Barry Lincoln, on Flickr
Deplaning was quick. On our way to baggage claim, I said goodbye to this enormous bird...
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Barry Lincoln, on Flickr
Straight to baggage claim we went where I was hoping a chauffeur would be holding a sign with our name on it. Etihad had sent me several emails in the days leading up to the flight with my chauffeurs name but he was no where to be found (or didn't want to take us to NJ). Turns out there were 15 or 20 drivers around a dispatcher near baggage claim. They eventually assigned us a driver (Mohamed) who was very professional and took us home...
All in all, it was a great trip. Was great to be away for 10+ days. Now it's time to plan the next trip...Am thinking Asia-Pacific... maybe Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong etc...
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