Ding ding, all aboard the flying palace…

There’s nothing wrong with having a favourite type of aircraft. Scientific studies have provided no concrete causative link between enjoying plane varieties and either being fun or not fun at parties. But if you don’t have a BPF (best plane forever) it’s probably just because you haven’t flown on an A380.

These flying giants hold a special place in the hearts of frequent flyers – with enhanced business and first class experiences, more space, more seats and cutting edge technology.

They’d been off of the Etihad Airways fleet register for a while, but the day has finally come for the return of their, ahem, return flights to London. Yes as of today, Tuesday July 25, 2023, all four of the airline’s iconic superjumbos will once again be servicing the always-popular AUH-LHR-AUH route.

Why do people love the A380 so much..?

There are two factors at play here, technical specs and the emotional attachment. Analysing the heart element — aesthetically they look pretty cool (it’s a double-decker plane, which is essentially an engineering mic drop); there’s a widely-held perception that there’s a bigger seat pitch in economy (though, depending on which airline you’re on, there usually isn’t); and that they’re less prone to turbulence (the pilot jury’s still out on this one). And does it matter if these perceptions are based on fact if the comfort they bring is real?

On the head element — the Etihad A380s feature some exciting gadgets and design frills and thrills. The new planes will come with nine ‘First Apartments’, 70 Business Studios and 405 Economy Smart Seats. 80 of those Economy ones will be Space seats which offer an upgraded seat pitch of up to 36 inches.

We’ll also see the return of The Lobby, (yay, sky bar) — reserved for guests in First and Business, comes with all the boujee mod-cons you’d expect including leather sofas, licensed refreshments and a big ol’TV.

Sustainable future

This news follows a double sustainability award win for Etihad Airways last year. They picked up ‘Environmental Sustainability Innovation of the Year’ at CAPA’s annual Environmental Sustainability Awards for Excellence and ‘Best Airline for Sustainability 2022’ from Business Traveler USA.

This is thanks to the eco-friendly technology leaps made by the Greenliner programme, built on the enviromentally friendly backbone of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and the Sustainable50 A350-1000 models.

Book flights to London, and other exciting destinations across the Etihad network via the etihad.com website

Images: Etihad