Ultra-Luxury Air Travel with Etihad’s A380 Debut in Toronto

Toronto Pearson Airport welcomed a new giant to its runways on 24JUN as Etihad Airways' Airbus A380 made its first-ever scheduled appearance in Canada.

Open Jaw was scheduled to film the luxury on-board offerings yesterday morning but a delay in the arrival of the aircraft forced a postponement to the media visit.

With 486 seats, the A380 is the world's largest passenger aircraft and reflects an 31% capacity increase on the Toronto-Abu Dhabi route. As Toronto accounts for nearly 60 per cent of Canada's total air travel demand to the UAE, Etihad is looking to lock in VFR, luxury and business travellers.

For the short term, bookings may be impacted by Middle-East tensions, however, with the diverse nature of Canada’s international population, VFR traffic to the UAE and onward is unlikely to be affected.

Interestingly, Etihad’s A380 aircraft was pulled from its JFK route which ended on 23JUN and was redeployed to YYZ on 24JUN.

The move signals the airline’s intensified focus on the Canadian market, where it began operations in 2005 and also marks the carriers 20th anniversary of service to Canada.

Among the highlights is The Residence, Etihad’s exclusive three-room suite, featuring a private living room, bedroom, and ensuite bathroom complete with shower along with a la carte dining options. The product presents unprecedented service levels not seen before in Canada.

There are four classes of service aboard Etihad’s A380:

• The Residence: A private three-room suite with a living room, bedroom, and en-suite shower
• First Apartments: 9 fully enclosed first-class suites with an 80-inch lie-flat bed
• Business Studios: 70 lie-flat seats with aisle access and exclusive lounge access in The Lobby
• Economy Smart Seats: 405 economy seats, including 68 extra legroom options

Here is the schedule – all times local.