Revealed: What it's REALLY like to be a Savoy-trained butler for the super-rich in Etihad's £12,500 'apartment in the sky'

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It is billed as 'an apartment in the sky' and features an 84 inch double bed with Egyptian cotton sheets, full turn down service, seats made from the same leather as a Ferrari and an in-flight chef.

But the icing on the cake for passengers willing to dish out £12,500 for the privilege to fly in The Residence, Etihad's brand new uber luxe three-room cabin, must surely be the personal butler to cater for their every whim - from full valeting a la Downton Abbey to pre-booking them a restaurant or hotel for their arrival.

Hand-picked from a selection of the nation's best service industry professionals, the airline has employed 13 butlers, each of whom under went a specially tailored training course in at the University of West London, and The Savoy Hotel, under the watchful eye of its head butler, Sean Davoren. 

One of two newly trained female butlers, Georgina Henderson, 28, from Southport, spoke to MailOnline Travel about what it entails to be one of the world's first flying butlers... 

'I do love Downton Abbey, but nowadays I would describe butlers as being lifestyle managers. You are there to think for the guests, you're like a PA. You’re doing a bit of everything,' Georgina says. 

The job starts from the moment a customer books their ticket.

'The guests will be contacted and we will build a profile on them – dining requests, beverage requests, the reason for their travel. It might be a special occasion, it might be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for them, or it could be a business trip. 

'We need to be able to read the guests. Some might want the full dining experience, some will want to maximise their rest time, so we need to understand.'

The Residence guests will receive tailor-made treatment. As as well as free reign over the first class menu, they will be able to build on it, with a spot of caviar and afternoon tea, for instance. If they fancy a cocktail and canape reception, then that is what they'll have.

Georgina describes the training as strict and thorough. At the university, lecturer Patricia Paskins, known for training service professionals who have gone on to work at Buckingham Palace taught the fledgeling butlers all of her trade secrets.

'She went through the valeting process with us: from sewing and flower arranging to how to polish shoes - everything a butler needs to know.'

'We even learnt how to pack a suitcase properly. That sounds like an easy task, but when a butler does it, it involves a lot of tissue paper. It ends up looking like a present when you open the case.

And at the Savoy hotel, Georgina and her colleagues met Head Butler Sean Davoren.

'He is very strict, but he gets the best out of people. He’s been doing it a very long time and his eye for detail is unbelievable.

'For example, in a guests bedroom, they take pictures of things so they know where people have left them. So when guests come back in, it looks like their items have never been moved.'

The devil is certainly in the detail for Etihad's butlers. Georgina says: 'Something we picked up in London was knowing whether someone is left or right handed, so we always know where to put their drink down.

'We kept a diary of our time in London and everything down to our posture, the way we dressed and the service language we were using improved.'

'We learned the correct way to speak to guests, such as using "may I?" rather than "can I?"

'The favourite word is "splendid". While "ok" is not to be used.

'We should never use the word "no" - there is always something you can do, even at 40,000 feet, you can always think of something.'

'We have no "passengers", they are "guests". It’s about hospitality, bringing that hotel feel onto the aircraft. 

'Style and image at Etihad are very important. We learned how to groom ourselves to a very high standard.

'We have three shades of eye shadow, wear red lipstick, and have a French manicure. Men need to be very clean shaven and have polished shoes and perfect uniform. You have to look absolutely immaculate.

'Every day we had an inspection, the trainers were very strict with us, checking our appearance and the way stood.  

'The vital thing is the 'magic box’ -  we all have one. We all have different things in our magic boxes, our little tricks to avoid having to say no to our guests.

'On an aircraft, you can’t just run down to Tesco, and pick something up, you need to have things available to you. I have everything down to fake eyelashes in mine.

'As a crew we ask how far can we wow people on flights and create memorable moments. 

'We can provide their favourite flowers and even the soft furnishings can be personalised.'

Is there anything a butler wouldn't do? 'Obviously we draw the line at anything that breeches security or that is illegal – we can’t say yes to everything and you are on an aircraft as well, safety is paramount,' Georgina says.

'But as far the service side of things goes, I do everything I can to make sure guests have a very special experience.'