Wow: Couple Upgraded To Etihad Residence After Flight Cancellation

If this isn’t a feel good airline story that puts a smile on your face, then I don’t know what is…

Overjoyed seniors find themselves in Etihad’s The Residence

A couple had booked a ticket from London to Singapore on British Airways, reportedly in economy. However, due to a flight cancellation, they ended up getting rebooked on Etihad Airways. What they weren’t expecting is how they’d be accommodated.

In a video that has been viewed roughly three million times on TikTok (and even more often on other social platforms), you can see the couple touring The Residence. You can’t help but just have a huge smile on your face as you hear the wife laughing uncontrollably as she discovers just how over-the-top this product is, finishing by saying “thank you British Airways for having a knackered plane, that’s all I can say.”

While Etihad’s A380 First Class Apartments are incredible, The Residence is on a different level. It’s a private three room suite that’s a class above first class, and it can accommodate up to two passengers, with a living room, bedroom, and private bathroom with shower. It’s the pinnacle of commercial aviation.

Now, how exactly the couple ended up getting upgraded to The Residence is a mystery to me, though suffice it to say that this isn’t common. We’ve sometimes heard of couples traveling in First Class Apartments getting complimentary upgrades in situation where the flight is otherwise oversold, but to see an upgrade like this is exceedingly rare.

I have to imagine that the flight was really oversold and they were in a rush to close it up, and that’s why they didn’t end up processing upgrades in a more logical manner. If you ask me, I think airlines should do more of these three or four class upgrades, where passengers are just downright speechless when they enter a cabin. Too fun!

This reminds me of my first Emirates A380 first class flight

While not quite as over-the-top, this story can’t help but remind me of my first flight in Emirates’ A380 first class, back in 2012. At the time, first class award redemptions on Emirates weren’t really a thing outside of the Skywards ecosystem, so it wasn’t really a product on the radar for most of us into miles & points (how times have changed!).

At the time, I was scheduled to fly British Airways first class from Seattle to London to Dubai, on a ticket I had booked using Avios and a companion certificate. The Seattle to London flight was delayed, and even though we had a very long layover, we were for some reason automatically rebooked in Emirates first class from London to Dubai, on a flight departing earlier than out initial departure time.

I still don’t know how it happened, but boy, what an awesome experience it was! That’s also the flight on which I met Toby, who was working as the purser, and he’s a good friend to this day.

Bottom line

A couple (reportedly) scheduled to fly in British Airways economy ended up flying in Etihad’s The Residence, the most exclusive product in commercial aviation, after a flight cancellation. Their reaction is priceless, and so fun to see. I don’t know what exactly caused this, but I’m so happy it was captured on video!