Thanksgiving Dinner at 40,000 Feet Above the Atlantic

I’m normally with family when it comes to Thanksgiving Dinner. But with the inaugural Etihad A380 JFK-AUH flight being moved up to November 23, it looked like I was going to have to skip traditional Thanksgiving celebrations.

Thanks to the Brian Kelly, The Points Guy, and Enrico, possibly my favorite in-flight chef ever, I still got to celebrate! When Brian, who was in The Residence, found out we would be on the same flight he invited me to join him for a once-in-a-lifetime Thanksgiving dinner.

His menu had a roasted turkey option — and good eating and good fun ensued.

The turkey which had been partially cooked on the ground and finished in the air was served two ways — breast meat with stuffing and multi-purpose drumsticks, served with various special sauces courtesy of Enrico (mine was in truffle oil).

Brian’s awesome butler Eren did a blind wine-tasting for us where we worked our way through small pours of every wine on the list (I’m good at pinot, bad at Italian blends), ending with a comparison of the First Class Bollinger and the Business Class Mumm, both good.

To finish out our red tastings we got a beautiful cheese plate with fruit.

And for dessert there was a trio of nutmeg focused(yay!) pumpkin pie, pineapple, and strawberry cream shortbread — rather like a slightly sweet cornbread.

The food on Etihad is always good, but getting to share a special meal with friends old and new, 40,000 feet in the air, was truly a once in a lifetime experience!

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have these spontaneous experiences, for the points and miles that make them happen, the health to enjoy them, and for the friends and family that have encouraged me in my “craziness.”

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, may the coming year be filled with blessings.

More from this trip

Etihad First Class Checkin & the New Etihad Lounge at JFK
Flying in the First Apartment on the Inaugural Etihad A380 JFK to Abu Dhabi
First Impressions of Dubai in Pictures
Sunset Camel Treks & Champagne Toasts
Riding Arabians and Dune Bashing in the Desert

Related Posts:

• Etihad First Class: Flying the 4th Longest Flight In the World
• Flying In Etihad First Apartment When The Residence Is Empty
• Not the Usual Etihad First Class Check In & Lounge Experience
• Flying the First Apartment on the Inaugural Etihad A380 JFK-AUH Flight
• The New Etihad Lounge at JFK is Open