Three British cabin crew at Etihad Airways are to become the first ‘flying butlers’ after completing a special training course led by the Savoy Hotel’s head butler.
They will look after VIP passengers booked in the Gulf carrier’s three-room cabin called The Residence, which features a living room, private shower and double bedroom.
The butlers will take to the air in December on board the airline’s first Airbus A380 superjumbo which makes its debut between Abu Dhabi and Heathrow on December 27.
The three butlers – Richard Burrows from Manchester, Eren Wirizlay from Telford and Georgina Henderson from Southport – currently work as in-flight chefs or food and beverage managers.
They took the special training at the London School of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of West London, as well as on-the-job training at the Savoy.
A series of masterclasses given by hotel head butler Sean Davoren focused on etiquette and protocol, valet skills and concierge services, to boost the cabin crew’s existing high level customer service experience.
The Savoy was chosen as the location for the tailored training as the hotel was the first in the world to establish its own academy to teach professional butlers.
Etihad Airways’ vice-president guest services, Aubrey Tiedt, said: “I am extremely proud of the team’s achievements and they all qualified with flying colours to become the world’s first ever butlers in the sky.
“They are really enthusiastic and cannot wait to board the A380 aircraft and put into practice all that they have learned.”
The flying butlers will provide “a level of service that no traveller has ever experienced in commercial aviation”.
Davoren said: “The Etihad Airways trainees have been an absolute joy to work with and they all now possess the skills required to provide the highest standard of hospitality for the airline’s premium customers, by blending the discretion of a traditional English butler with the efficiency of a 21st century personal assistant.”
The airline will receive three more A380s in 2015 and the new aircraft will also fly from Abu Dhabi to Sydney and New York.