What the butler will see on posh airline

South African cabin crew manager Evert Calitz's hospitality skills have reached new heights.

The 25-year-old from Lichtenburg in North West will soon tend to the needs of the super rich and famous after qualifying as one of the world's first flying butlers.

The butlers will be aboard the Etihad Airways Airbus A380 which takes off for its maiden flight to London Heathrow on December 27.

It costs R224,000 for a one-way ticket in the plush three-roomed cabin - known as The Residence - which comes with a flying butler.

The cabin, designed for two guests, features a living room with Poltrona Frau leather seats, a separate bedroom complete with Egyptian cotton sheets and natural fibre mattress, and an en suite bathroom with a shower, exclusive toiletries and bathrobes.

Calitz's sole role will be to look after the duo of guests in one of the three-room cabins and he describes his appointment to The Residence as a "career-defining moment".

"I've always been passionate about creating memorable culinary experiences and inviting as many people as I can to share those experiences with me.

"Through food I have been able to unite different cultures and, in turn, learn from those moments," he said.

After graduating from Capital Hotel School in Pretoria, Calitz worked as a private chef and events co-ordinator for a number of envoys to South Africa.

He completed a three-week training course with the University of West London in conjunction with the Savoy Hotel under the guidance of head butler Sean Deveron last month.