Etihad Airways has big plans to update the interiors of much of its wide body fleet. However, as of now there are more questions than answers.
Continue reading: Etihad Retrofitting Interiors Of 777s, 787s, A380s
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Ben, if you want to review the new CX Aria Suites while you're in Asia, looks like first flight is going to be CX 331/332 on 10/18
I would hope they grow their first class footprint. For S. Africa trips, I always use Emirates, Lufthansa, and SWISS, but I would consider Etihad if they offered a competitive first class product the entire way (they only fly biz. on AUH-JNB/CPT and v.v.). I dropped AF for that reason already on the S. Africa routes.
@TravelinWilly The problem is a lot of people want to fly F, they just don't want to pay for it. Most people lon travel blogs expect to be able to snag an F ticket with points or buying a deeply discounted upgrade from J to F.
I know, and I get it. All my int'l travel is in FC; some is cash, some is points, but the majority is actually cash these days.
More people need to start paying cash for FC so it's available on more carriers on more routes! 🙂 /s
There's an error with how many 777s Etihad has - while the airline does have 14 777s in total, but five of them are freighters.
It's not that people don't want to pay for it. They can't pay for it.
A RT ticket in F on these carriers is easily 20k+.
99% of the population doesn't have that much disposable income.
The whole reason why award travel exists is so that people can get a taste of what it's like, even if they can't afford it on the regular.
Airlines adapt based on demand. If not enough people can afford F on routes, then yes, it'll go away.
