Free Republic

Etihad's "The Residence" cabin Etihad Airways unveils their new Residence option, which far exceeds all other luxury flight experiences Planning a trip to Abu Dhabi? Forget first class and book Etihad Airways’ new “Residence” option for a mere $32,000, only 26 times the economy saver price. Scoff at the price all you want, Average Joe, but apparently the Residence is a hit. After six years of development, Etihad sold their first ticket within hours after announcing this new option in March. It will be available on New York-Abu Dhabi flights starting December 1, when they switch from Boeing 777 to...

The brand spanking new Airbus 340-600, the largest passenger airplane ever built, sat in its hangar in Toulouse, France without a single hour of airtime. Enter the Arab flight crew of Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) to conduct pre-delivery tests on the ground, such as engine runups, prior to delivery to Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. The date was November 15, 2007. The ADAT crew taxied the A340-600 to the run-up area. Then they took all four engines to takeoff power with a virtually empty aircraft. Not having read the run-up manuals, they had no clue just how light an...