

Etihad Airways has introduced that they are going to be bringing again their Airbus A380 tremendous jumbo jet, which is able to take to the skies as early as March 2023 between Abu Dhabi and London.
This represents the return of an extremely thrilling alternative for utilizing our Aeroplan factors, as Etihad’s A380 gives the extremely aspirational First Class Flats with a bathe within the sky.
Etihad Airways A380 to Fly to London
After virtually three years of being grounded, Etihad Airways has introduced they’ll carry again as much as 4 A380 jets starting in March 2023 between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and London Heathrow (LHR).
London is a pure selection for the primary vacation spot upon the return of the Airbus A380s, provided that it’s all the time been certainly one of Etihad’s flagship routes with the very best demand for premium cabins.
Though topic to vary after all, Etihad at present operates 4 flights per day to London, with departures each few hours starting at 9:30am.
There’s a mixture of daytime and redeye flights in each instructions, and I’d suggest snagging a daytime departure in the event you’d like to remain awake and luxuriate in all that Etihad Airways A380 First Class has to supply.
And what an providing it’s…
What’s Etihad’s Onboard Product Like?
Let’s reduce to the chase: Etihad Airways A380 First Class gives probably the most mind-blowing First Class merchandise within the sky: the First Class “House” full with a separate chair and mattress.
In a 1-1 configuration onboard the most important airplane within the sky, every First Class suite gives unparalleled house with a full-length mattress, a swivelling TV, and a possibility to bathe within the sky.
Enterprise class isn’t too shabby, both, providing Etihad’s Enterprise Studio, with a mixture of forward- and backward-facing seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. It’s similar to the enterprise class seat on their Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Ahead-facing seats are nearer to the window, and forward-facing seats are additionally nearer collectively within the center, making every the best selection for solo travellers and {couples}, respectively.
In relation to one of the best ways to ebook ourselves on this flight between Abu Dhabi and London, we glance no additional than Aeroplan and the “Inside Atlantic Zone” chart.
The direct flight from Abu Dhabi to London is 3,420 miles, and can due to this fact value 65,000 factors in First Class and 45,000 levels in enterprise class. Every of those represents a really compelling candy spot with a flight period of round seven hours.
We nonetheless have over 500 miles of wiggle room inside the similar distance band of as much as 4,000 miles that may value the identical quantity, so that you’d have the ability to add on an extra flight inside the Gulf. If you want a stopover in Abu Dhabi, that may value an extra 5,000 factors.
Ought to we ever see the A380 return to North America, this long-haul route would value 130,000–140,000 factors in First Class one-way.
The Way forward for the Airbus A380
In the beginning of the pandemic, airways have been fast to retire their A380s, or a minimum of put them in long-term storage. We noticed Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Malaysia Airways, and Qantas all drop the A380 shortly as passenger demand plunged.
A bit of over two years later, greater than half of these airways have introduced the A380 again. Certainly, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Qantas, Lufthansa, and now Etihad Airways will all be flying the A380 as soon as extra.
Nonetheless, as quickly as A380 had ceased manufacturing again in 2021, we’ve recognized that it had a restricted lifespan. A fuel-burning tremendous jumbo jet simply doesn’t make sense for many airways more often than not, in a world the place fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s predominate as a substitute.
Virtually all airways who’ve introduced again the A380 haven’t assured clients of its fleet future, as a substitute saying that it’s mandatory in the mean time with the present surge in passenger demand.
Maybe if fuel costs lower and demand stays excessive, the Airbus A380 can have an extended future. Nonetheless, for now, Etihad Airways’s resolution to carry again 4 jumbo jets represents a welcome limited-time window to expertise the First Class Flats for many who by no means obtained to expertise it.

Conclusion
In a miraculous flip of occasions, Etihad Airways has confirmed the A380 will fly as soon as once more as early as March 2023, with the primary airplane scheduled to fly between Abu Dhabi and London.
For passengers, this represents a renewed alternative to indulge within the Etihad Airways First Class Flats with its personal enclosed suites and onboard showers, all at an inexpensive worth utilizing Aeroplan factors.
The broader way forward for the Airbus A380 stays murky, so we must always take each doable alternative to leap on this larger-than-life plane whereas we nonetheless can.