What does fine dining taste like when you're 38,000 feet in the air? Forget sad sandwiches, packaged juices, and plastic trays. An Etihad Airways passenger just showed what a $13,720 (approximately ₹13,18,950) round-trip ticket actually buys you — and it looks fancy. Also read | 'Feels more like a five-star hotel': Travel vlogger shares tour of Air India's First Class private suites at New Delhi
Digital creator Lounge Guru documented his 15-hour flight on Etihad's Airbus A380 First Class Apartments from Abu Dhabi to Toronto and shared his luxurious experience in Instagram videos posted on August 24 and September 8. He called the price 'excellent value', especially with the FIFA World Cup 2026 season driving up demand for premium travel at the time.
It's way more than just a flight
The flex began on the ground. Lounge Guru shared that Etihad sent a private chauffeur to pick him up in Dubai and drive him to Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi. Once onboard the upper deck of the A380 — which has just nine First Class Apartments in total — you don't just get a seat. You get an actual apartment.
{{/usCountry}}The flex began on the ground. Lounge Guru shared that Etihad sent a private chauffeur to pick him up in Dubai and drive him to Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi. Once onboard the upper deck of the A380 — which has just nine First Class Apartments in total — you don't just get a seat. You get an actual apartment.
{{/usCountry}}Think: a separate lounge chair, a full-length vanity, a personal minibar, mood lighting, and Giorgio Armani loungewear waiting for you. Pre-takeoff? Arabic coffee and Perrier-Jouet champagne.
The service
This isn't your usual 'chicken or veg sandwich' routine. The crew actually asked Lounge Guru about his dining preferences before he even had to bring it up. He slept through the first part of the flight in his private suite, woke up, and kicked things off with a fresh espresso — like he was in a luxury hotel. Also read | Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi: Why does airline food taste so plane?
A tasting menu in the sky
Now, let's talk about that fancy meal: white-glove service, crisp white linens, polished cutlery, warm bread with butter. Here's the full tasting menu at 38,000 feet:
1. The caviar course: Oscietra caviar served with all the traditional garnishes — chopped eggs, onions, blinis — plus more champagne.
2. The seared scallops: perfectly seared scallops with thin radish slices.
3. The soup: a steaming soup, listed as onion soup in his video, that looked like it came straight from a French bistro.
4. The palate cleanser: a scoop of lemon sorbet to reset before the main event.
5. The main course: a slow-cooked, spice-infused lamb shank over rice, topped with toasted cashews and fried onions.
6. The dessert: a chocolate hazelnut mousse cake with fresh raspberries and actual gold leaf.
According to Lounge Guru, the whole meal was paced exactly like a fine-dining restaurant. No rushing. No trolley cart. For a ₹13 lakh round-trip, you're not just paying for an airplane seat. You're paying for a private apartment, a personal chef-style menu, a shower in the sky, and champagne that never stops flowing.
Note to readers: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
This article is for informational purposes only.
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