YouTube star Casey Neistat on Etihad’s The Residence: 'what an experience, the price of a Toyota on one flight'

YouTube star Casey Neistat posted a video of his flight to New York from Abu Dhabi on Etihad’s The Residence. Neistat, who has 11.6 million subscribers on YouTube, titled the video: "This is the most expensive plane ticket in the world."

In the almost eight-minute clip, the YouTuber checks out the luxuries in the three-roomed apartment on the Etihad A380 superjumbo as he flies home after being in Abu Dhabi for the F1 Grand Prix.

His flight starts with a member of cabin crew handing Neistat a free Wi-Fi card, premium noise-cancelling headphones, comfy loungewear and a hand-signed note from the pilot.

After changing into a white self-branded hoodie and slippers, Neistat lounges on the couch and watches TV before using a measuring tape to gauge how much legroom he has. At its maximum, he says it's 14 feet. Converted to inches, how most airlines measure legroom, that's 168 inches. Typical airline seats, even those in premium class, have about 30-40 inches of legroom.

Neistat checks out the bedroom with its "proper, proper bed" and the private bathroom where the shower timer is set for 10 minutes, leading him to ask: "who takes a ten-minute long shower?" The extra time comes in handy for the blogger, who then attempts to wash his underpants in the shower: probably not quite what Etihad had in mind for their exclusive suite in the sky.

"If you're looking to spend about the price of a new Toyota on one flight, what an experience!", he concludes. A quick search for a one-way ticket for The Residence from Abu Dhabi to New York returned fares from Dh63,550.

During his F1 Abu Dhabi visit, the YouTuber also checked out the capital. In another video on his YouTube channel, he tours the emirate alongside content creator Julio Bajdaun. The two are seen driving and cycling around town. They go to Emirates Palace, but can’t go inside because they're wearing shorts – which is against its dress code.

Neistat also tries Arabic coffee, visits a camel farm and goes dune bashing before checking into the W Abu Dhabi on Yas Island before his first visit to an F1 race.

The US YouTube personality and vlogger found fame in New York City after making a series of films with his brother, Tom.

He gained international exposure with a video called iPod's Dirty Secret that went viral in 2003. He is known for his creative time-lapse videos, drone work, signature sunglasses and is estimated to be worth almost Dh60 million.

This is not the first time Neistat has been in the UAE. In 2016, he flew from Dubai to New York with Emirates.

The airline upgraded him to First Class and the video he made documenting the 14-hour journey is still his most viewed to date, with over 70 million views on YouTube.