Etihad's mammoth Airbus A380 has returned to the US after nearly retiring. Take a look at its exclusive $24,000 'The Residence' first-class suite.

The entire suite can accommodate up to two passengers and is located on the second level of the superjumbo.

Other carriers like Singapore Airlines offer first-class cabins with a separate bed, but Etihad takes luxury to a new level.

When booking on Etihad's website in December for a flight between New York and Abu Dhabi in mid-May, its first-class apartments were priced between roughly $9,000 and $10,000 each way, with another $3,000 per leg on top for the Residence, totaling about $24,000.

Looking again on Monday, it appears the Residence is already booked up on most days for May, as it cannot be added to first-class bookings.

"We had our first bookings within minutes of the announcement that the A380 was coming to New York," De told BI. "It's a famous experience, and there are plenty of people out there who want to sample it, either as a dream one-off or as part of their overall travel mix."

The living room has a sliding door to ensure full privacy from the rest of the aircraft.

The space is designed to accommodate up to two people.

A dedicated cabin crew team serves The Residence passengers. They will set up the dining table and serve meals, as well as prep the space for sleeping.

However, the butler service formerly offered in The Residence will not return, aviation journalist Andreas Spaeth said on X in mid-November after an interview with Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves.

Etihad confirmed to BI that a butler would not be onboard.

"[The Residence] is a great experience for everyone, whether they are flying for business or pleasure or both," De told BI. "Flights between Abu Dhabi and New York are over 13 hours long, and people flying for business want to arrive refreshed and relaxed."

Monday's flight took a northern route across Russia, putting the trek at more than 14 hours, according to FlightAware.

Like Etihad, Emirates has a first class suite complete with a shower spa. The rival UAE carrier is so loyal to its A380 that it recently announced a $1.5 billion investment to keep them flying.

The double bed is another rarity onboard commercial jetliners.

Qatar Airways famously flies a double bed in its QSuite business class, voted the best in the world by Skytrax last year.

The A380's poor economics and fuel-hungry quad-engines make it an expensive jet to fly, and many carriers have ditched it for more efficient twinjets like the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350.

"We are entering a new phase of sustainable growth to meet the demands of our customers, and the A380 is the right aircraft to meet capacity demands on very select routes," De told BI. "We brought it back on our London services earlier this year, and saw tremendous commercial success, with guests loving the experience."

According to Cirium data, Etihad has been flying three of its A380s between Abu Dhabi and London as of October, but one was plucked to serve the New York-JFK route.

De told BI that Etihad has a total of four planes in service and, in the short term, "will deploy them where it makes the most sense."

"Given the commercial performance, and the popularity of the aircraft with our guests, we feel now is the right time to bring the A380 on to our service to New York," he said.

The six jets are sitting in airports across France and Spain, according to Planespotters.

"We are focused on sustainable expansion going forward, and having the option of drawing on our A380 fleet is an element of that," De told BI, noting Etihad plans to double its fleet size to 150 planes and carry 33 million passengers by 2030. "We will make sure we choose the right aircraft to achieve that, and the A380s will be part of that mix for a while."