Etihad First Class Apartment to JFK
At around T-75, we left the First Class Lounge and headed out for the long perp walk to US PreClearance and Gate 61. Wth Global Entry, I'd rather stay in the nice First Class Lounge, board the plane and clear customs in the US in less than 5 minutes. But at AUH, we are forced to leave the First Class Lounge early and wait in a crap lounge or at the gate.
After security and PreClearance, we headed to the gate.
... which is actually nicer than the closet that Etihad tries to pass off as a Premium Lounge. Pics from my last visit... http://www.sfo777.com/airport-lounges/auh-etihad-us-preclearance-premium...
Bright, spacious and much better people watching. And a great gate agent that kept the area free of gate lice.
Boarding was called at T-30 minutes.
And my first look at what I'd rank as the best premium hard product in the skies.
OK, this is pretty sweet. Your own private suite with a seat and sofa that converts to a bed.
All three of our wonderful cabin crew stopped by to welcome us including the F&B manager Johan and Chef Santosh. Johan with pre-departure bubbles.
Storage space under the sofa/bed.
The single Residence suite take the front left area of the upper deck including an area that most airlines use as a 2nd lavatory. EY still has two lavs but much smaller ones, including one with a shower in the space that typically has only 1 spacious lav. Meh, not a big fan of this or the color palate.
Today's menu.
And wine list...
... which is pretty weak and shows EY's recent cost cutting.
Off to New York.
In the air, my usual G&T.
Since we both hadn't slept in nearly 24 hours, we asked Johan to make our beds.
The bed was very comfy and I slept for nearly 6 hours. :)
About midway thru our flight, showtime!
My salad was delicious.
And my beef perfectly prepard by Chef Santosh.
The First and Business lounge is in between the First Class galley and Business Class. Kind of a dopey lounge and not even close to the atmosphere of the EK or QR lounges.
A peak into the Business Class cabin.
Back in my suite, I relaxed on the bed and swiveled the TV monitor to watch a movie.
Our approach to JFK from live tail camera. Very cool.
What a great flight with wonderful service. I love the Etihad Apartment which is now my favorite premium cabins. And meanwhile back to reality and the third-world like A gates of JFK Terminal 4.
