If I were rich would I fly first class all the time?  Seems like a silly question really doesn't it? Who wouldn't? Just simply for the comfort - a seat that's upholstered with the same leather as a Ferrari, with vibration motions  just sufficient to prevent your bum from becoming excruciatingly numb.

And i lurv the little black cotton pajama suit with hems finished in satin and sparkling diamonte buttons  (only for the girls of course! - the men have sexy zippered tops instead).

So is it really much different to flying business?  Well I have to admit I had conjured a flying five star Tetsuyas with a touch of Heston Blumenthal - not so.

The airline menus had some real variety, but we have to bear in mind there's not a fully functioning kitchen in the galley. were order of the day. The  Canard-Duchene La Grande Cuvee Charles VII Rose NV (Ludes Champagne France) did get a "real champagne" tick. Sadly no caviar or marron to be found on the menu - but we didn't starve!

 The photos found on the Etihad website did not stretch the truth  - yes we could "stretch" out fully to sleep. And the Egyptian cotton sheets lived up to their reputation. The ability to sleep in snatches longer than 20 mins is certainly flying luxury, just slightly marred by the heating. I think I must have consumed 10 litres of water by the time we got to Abu Dhabi.

There's just no escaping the boredom and pure torture of long haul travel. Spending more than 21 hours in a confined area little bigger than my home bathroom is made exceedingly more comfortable by the space and seeming luxury of the "pod" and all it's features.

What was the absolute highlight ?  A bathroom - yes a bathroom - that has to be the largest loo in the sky, kept pristinely clean and fragrant fresh.