Review: Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Airport (AUH)

During my review trip, I had the chance to check out Abu Dhabi Airport’s new Terminal A, which is such a massive improvement for the airport. I visited all the lounges in the terminal, including the new Etihad First Class Lounge, Etihad Business Class Lounge, and Pearl Lounge. In this installment, I’ll be reviewing the Etihad First Class Lounge, which I visited prior to my Etihad A380 first class flight.

While the new Etihad Business Class Lounge is impressive and a huge improvement over the old one, I’m a bit conflicted on the new Etihad First Class Lounge, and I think I actually preferred the old lounge?

On the plus side, design-wise the lounge is elegant and feels high-end. Furthermore, the lounge has excellent a la carte dining, and friendly service.

However, the lounge is otherwise lacking amenities — the lounge doesn’t have a bar, it doesn’t have nap rooms, it doesn’t have a gym, and it doesn’t even have a smoking room. Now, some of those amenities are available in the business class section of the lounge, and you can head over there, but that’s not the same thing.

So I’d say this lounge is beautiful and great for a quick layover and a tasty meal. However, I wouldn’t plan on spending a long time here and having a blast, as there’s just not much to the lounge.

Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi location

For context on the location of the Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi, below is a map of the terminal.

The Etihad First Class Lounge is located on the north side of the terminal, between the C gates and D gates.

The lounge’s entrance is closest to gate C29, so if you don’t see signage for the Etihad Lounge, go in the direction of that gate.

While the Etihad First Class Lounge and Etihad Business Class Lounge are in the same complex, they have separate entrances. The Etihad First Class Lounge entrance is to the east of the Etihad Business Class Lounge entrance. So if you’re facing the entrance to the business class lounge, keep walking right a bit further, and you’ll eventually see the entrance to the first class lounge.

Inside the entrance will be Etihad representatives who admit you to the lounge. While there’s an escalator leading up to a level, that actually goes to the business class section of the lounge.

Instead you’ll be advised to get into the elevator and go to level six, which is the top floor of the lounge.

Once you exit the elevator on level six, turn right, and you’ll see the entrance to the first class section of the lounge.

It seems that the staff at the entrance call ahead when someone eligible for access heads from level three to level six, because the person at the entrance to the first class section of the lounge knew to expect me.

Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi hours

The Etihad First Class Lounge is open 24/7, given that Gulf carriers operate flights all hours of the day and night, so the lounge never closes. Etihad has a very small first class footprint, so the lounge should really never be crowded, even during peak periods.

Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi entry requirements

The Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi is open to all Etihad first class passengers, and that’s a product most consistently offered on flights to London, New York, Geneva, and Washington. On top of that, Etihad Guest Platinum members can access the lounge, and can bring one guest with them.

Etihad passengers traveling in economy or business class can also buy access to the Etihad First Class Lounge. I believe the current cost is $150 or 20,000 Etihad Guest miles for up to four hours, or $180 or 24,000 Etihad Guest miles for four to eight hours.

Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi seating & layout

The Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi takes up a small portion of level six of the main Etihad Business Class Lounge, but it’s still plenty large, and an oasis of calm. The first class section of the lounge feels way higher-end than the section dedicated to business class.

The entire lounge has a black carpet with a white and gold pattern. There’s a central walkway leading down the entire length of the lounge.

As you enter the lounge, there are first some swiveling chairs where you can plop down, though it doesn’t seem like guests use them often.

As you keep walking down the lounge, on the right you’ll see the only “traditional” seating area of the lounge, with rows of seats arranged facing one another. There’s a small self-serve drink and snack selection there.

Across from that and to the left of the main walkway is the dining area, which has around a dozen tables, spread across two different zones. This is beautiful, with all tables having white tablecloths.

Past that is the last part of the lounge, which has some more seating arrangements, including couches and chairs.

There are also six semi-private pods, which would be my preferred place to sit if I didn’t want to eat. They each feature one to two seats, and offer easy access to charging ports.

As I said above, the lounge is elegant, but the above is basically the extent of it. Compared to some of the other best first class lounges in the world, I think this one is pretty light on amenities.

Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi food & drinks

The Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi is primarily focused on a la carte food and drinks. However, there are a few self-serve options as well. In one of the main seating areas inside the entrance and to the right is a drink station, with a coffee machine, a tea selection, water, juice, and soda.

There’s also a selection of eight different small snacks, plus whole fruit. That selection changes throughout the day, but you can expect things like pastries, cold cuts, cheese, crackers, sandwiches, parfaits, and more. This is intended for those looking for a nibble rather than a whole meal.

The lounge has a couple of additional drink stations, including one that has whole fruit, soda, and water, and one that is simply a display with bottled water.

During the first part of my layover, I had a seat in one of the pods, and ordered some water and a cappuccino, which were both brought to me.

Given that I had a nearly eight hour layover, I also had both breakfast and lunch in the lounge. You can find the breakfast menu below.

Then you can find the lunch and dinner menu below.

You can find the drink list below, including soft drinks, coffee, tea, wine, liquor, and more.

For breakfast, I had a shakshuka dish with poached eggs and pita.

Then later on I had lunch, starting with an Arabic mezze.

For the main course, I selected seafood assiete, with scallop, pan seared salmon, poached lobster, parsnip puree, and lobster and tomato bisque.

Last but not least, for dessert I had the lemon curd millefeuille.

To drink with lunch, I had a dirty martini, which was prepared surprisingly well.

I’ve gotta say, the dining experience in the Etihad First Class Lounge feels restaurant quality.

Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi bathrooms & showers

The Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi’s bathroom setup consists exclusively of private rooms. There are three of them, each featuring a toilet and a sink, and they’re constantly cleaned.

The Etihad First Class Lounge also has two shower suites, which are much more spacious than the showers in the business class section of the lounge. They each feature a toilet, a sink, and a walk-in shower. Toiletries are in unbranded containers, which is a bit puzzling.

Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi private rooms

The Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi has two private rooms. These are offered at no extra charge to passengers traveling in The Residence, on Airbus A380s. Other passengers can also buy access to one of these rooms, pending availability.

That being said, I can’t imagine wanting to spend time in this space, unless you absolutely need full privacy. These rooms have no natural light, and are quite small, with just a sofa and chair.

Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi spa

While it’s not open yet, it’s worth noting that Etihad is in the process of opening a spa at Abu Dhabi Airport. The entrance is separate from the lounges, though I’m guessing it will somehow be connected internally once it opens, since it’s in the same general area.

Etihad hasn’t revealed any more details about that, so it remains to be seen what kind of treatments will be offered, how much they’ll cost, etc. It’s nice to see Etihad bringing back a spa concept, after shutting it down years ago in the old lounge, as part of a cost cutting measure. I assume (or hope?) that Etihad will offer some complimentary treatments to first class passengers.

Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi service

The Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi is very well staffed. So, how is service? In the dining area, I found service to generally be quite good. I think the staff could be a bit more proactive with roaming the rest of the lounge, since it’s not like there are many guests, so it would be nice to be offered drink refills more often.

I want to give a special shoutout to Abdullah, who was a super nice guy. He’s from Uzbekistan, and he only started with Etihad several months ago, and it was his first time leaving his home country. He was friendly and professional, and did a great job.

Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi special boarding

The Etihad Business Class Lounge (which is connected directly to the Etihad First Class Lounge) offers direct boarding to select gates, allowing you to skip the terminal after your time in the lounge. You have to go down to level five, but there you’ll find boarding for gate C29 in the east wing, and for gates D43 and C27 in the west wing.

It’s convenient to be able to board your flight directly from the lounge!

Bottom line

The new Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi is an elegant lounge with restaurant quality dining. It’s a lovely place to pass a couple of hours and to enjoy a meal, or even to get a shower.

However, don’t expect much in the way of amenities in this lounge. The lounge has no bar, no nap rooms, no smoking area, no gym, etc. Now, many of these amenities are available in the Etihad Business Class Lounge, which is easy to access from the first class section. But still, frills are kind of lacking here.

In many ways that’s fair enough, though, and I’m not surprised the lounge wasn’t more of a focus. Etihad is much more focused on offering an amazing business class product than anything else, as the airline only has first class on a small percentage of its fleet, and I’m not even sure it’s intentional choice at this point anymore (rather than just maintaining aircraft interiors the way they are).

What’s your take on the Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi?