Flying monument to excess? Check.

Etihad Airways obviously had a clear agenda when redesigning the cabins on its Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger jets - come up with a product so outlandishly luxurious that the world's jet setters are left with no question as to who's leading the inflight glitz game. Case in point: on Etihad, travelers will soon be able to fly commercially in their own private residence with access to a Savoy Academy-trained butler, gourmet chef, and concierge. Unveiled at a weekend launch to introduce Etihad's redesigned/renamed A380 and B787 cabins, "The Residence by Etihad" - available only on the airline's A380 jets - is a three-room VIP suite with its own living room, double bedroom, and ensuite shower. Etihad says the space will sit in the upper-deck cabin and be available for single or double occupancy. One rung down on the luxury ladder, the upper deck of the new A380s - the first of which is due for delivery in December - will also offer nine new First Apartments, which are private suites with a separate reclining lounge seat and full-length bed. Each "apartment" will have its own 64-inch sliding door, minibar, personal vanity unit, wardrobe, and swiveling TV monitor for viewing from either the seat or the bed. On the airline's new Dreamliners, the first of which is due for delivery in October, Etihad will offer First Suites, each with a large seat and ottoman, which converts into an 80.5 inch-long bed. Seriously, who will ever need any of this crap? If anything, that would make me want to stay on the plane forever.