It Only Costs $21K To Get A One-Way Flight In A VIP Three-Room Suite With A Butler

Bring me my slippers. (Etihad Airways)

Calling all bargain hunters — haha, just kidding, this thing is so extravagant that likely none of us will ever experience such a luxurious set-up, and in the air, no less. Etihad Airways just announced a new set of A380 planes, equipped with digs fancy enough to include a trained butler and a private bathroom.

The airline trotted out its new fancy options meant for those who really can’t stand to be around anyone, even in first-class: At the top of its plans sits the miniature three-room suite, complete with your own commode and shower, a private living room, chilled minibar and a butler who can only be named Jeeves, ready to serve your every need in the air.

Someone out there can afford the estimated $21,000 a one-way ticket in “The Residence” will cost (the airline didn’t announce prices but said it’d likely be a few times the amount of a normal one-way ticket), Etihad’s CEO says.

“Obviously there’s going to be a halo effect in the positioning of Etihad Air as a premium carrier,” James Hogan tells the Associated Press. “But we wouldn’t do it unless we felt we could make money with it. … This is a top-end market. There is demand here.”

The first A380s to offer the suite will be on the route between Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and London, with Etihad likely deploying others on New York and Sydney routes eventually.

Meanwhile, that suite is probably bigger than most of the apartments I’ve ever lived in. So there’s that.

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad raises stakes in fight for high-end travelers with A380 bed and bath suite [Associated Press]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist