Hello from Abu Dhabi! I just flew Etihad Airways’ Airbus A350-1000 business class on the 13hr25min from Chicago (I booked this using 70,000 American AAdvantage miles — what a deal!). This was my first time on Etihad’s newest jet, my first time experiencing Etihad’s new Armani / Casa amenities, and also my first time flying Etihad since the start of the pandemic.
Etihad has undergone some major changes in recent years (for better and worse), so I was curious to see how Etihad’s hard and soft product stacks up. Well, I’m happy to report that the experience was phenomenal, and this ranks as one of the top business class products in the world, in my opinion. I feel like Etihad has its groove back, though in a slightly more sustainable way than in 2015.
While I’ll have a full trip report soon, in this post I wanted to share some initial thoughts on the Etihad business class experience.
In this post:
Etihad’s A350 business class seats are top notch
Etihad’s Airbus A350s have customized Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats with doors. These are seats that were first rolled out on British Airways’ A350s, and this is among the best business class products out there.
I think most OMAAT readers have probably flown in a Super Diamond seat (whether with or without a door), so know what these seats are like.
But what impressed me was the tech, which was phenomenal. The seats had all the latest features, including USB-A, USB-C, AC, and wireless charging, as well as bluetooth audio.
Etihad’s cabin finishes are also gorgeous — I love the colors, and I like how there are no overhead bins in the center section of the cabin, which create such a spacious feeling (and the side bins are more than large enough for everyone’s carry-on bags).
While we can debate whether this constitutes hard or soft product, Etihad’s entertainment and Wi-Fi on the A350 are also excellent. There’s a huge selection of movies and TV shows, as well as live TV. On top of that, thanks to a recent positive change, Wi-Fi was available for the entire flight for just $20, with no data caps, and speeds were respectable.
The only thing about the hard product that I didn’t like was the lavatory situation. There were two lavatories at the front of the cabin, and that just doesn’t seem like enough bathrooms for a 44 seat cabin. There was often a wait to use the bathroom, more than there should be. For example, Qatar Airways’ 777s have 42 business class seats, and have four lavatories.
Etihad’s business class soft product is excellent
While Etihad has done some (justified) cost cutting over the years, I think the airline has now reached a pretty good balance. Etihad offers Armani / Casa amenities on its A350s, and I thought they were luxurious and functional. The bedding is from Armani / Casa, and is plush and cozy. Unfortunately the new Armani / Casa mattress pad hasn’t yet been rolled out, but that should be coming later this year.
As far as amenities go, Etihad still has an Acqua di Parma amenity kit. I quite like the pouch, but it’s not particularly well stocked.
Etihad offers dine on demand in business class, and I found the food to be exceptionally good. There were a huge variety of options served on beautiful Armani / Casa tableware, and the crew didn’t seem to run out of anything.
After takeoff I enjoyed a glass of sauvignon blanc and some mixed nuts. I appreciate that wine is poured from the bottle at your seat.
For a starter, I selected a delicious tuna tataki dish, which was among the best tuna dishes I’ve had on a plane. That was served with some bread and a side salad.
Then for my main course, I selected the vegetable kofta, which I also enjoyed (I love Indian vegetarian food!).
For dessert I had a decadent chocolate fondant.
Then prior to landing, I had an açaí bowl with fruit and a croissant, which was a nice alternative to the typical airplane omelet or fruit plate.
Perhaps what I liked even more than the food was the non-alcoholic drink selection, including amazing cappuccinos and iced lattes. Yum, yum, yum.
The only part of the soft product that could have been better would be pajamas and/or slippers. Pajamas are of course nice, but on some level I consider them to be a gimmick, as I know they’re a costly investment for airlines. Personally I do value having slippers on a flight of this length, and wish Etihad would bring those back. I don’t like putting on my shoes every time I want to go to the bathroom, so being able to use disposable slippers is useful.
Amazing service also makes all the difference
Service on Middle Eastern carriers can be a mixed bag — sometimes it’s exceptional, and sometimes it’s just okay. On this flight I lucked out with an amazing crew, overseen by cabin manager Nicolas from France. The crew couldn’t have been more attentive or detail oriented, which is always a treat.
This is one of the world’s top business class products
It’s probably time I do a ranking of business class products, but without a doubt, Etihad’s A350 business class ranks in my top five business class products globally, given the excellent hard and soft product.
I think the question many people probably have is how Etihad’s new business class compares to Qatar Airways’ business class, which is otherwise often regarded as being among the best in the world. To be honest, both products are excellent, and I’d probably fly whichever product had a better routing for my itinerary, including factoring in connections. I’ll do a more detailed comparison of the two products after publishing my full review.
Bottom line
I’m so happy I finally had the chance to fly Etihad’s A350 business class, and also experience the new Armani / Casa soft product. My love affair with Etihad was put on pause several years back when the airline seemed to do endless cost cutting, though I’m thrilled to see a positive turnaround.
Etihad’s A350 offers a lovely passenger experience, in terms of both hard and soft product. From the seats, to the entertainment and Wi-Fi, to the food and drinks, to the amenities, my flight couldn’t have been much better. I’d fly Etihad’s A350 again in a heartbeat.
If you’ve flown Etihad’s A350 business class, what was your experience like?
The 1 million dollar question. Do they have individual air vents???
Hi Ben, Thank you for choosing to fly Etihad Airways! It's been a while not seeing review of yours about EY flight.
Can we talk about the reverse herringbone elephant in the room? The variant of seats that Cathay has, with additional padded surface areas, much more, deeper, storage and the fold away display, is miles better for sleeping (and views) than the fixed display version featured here (and at BA, AC, and oh so many others). I find my legs are always hitting up against the table in this version, but not so with CX, where...
Can we talk about the reverse herringbone elephant in the room? The variant of seats that Cathay has, with additional padded surface areas, much more, deeper, storage and the fold away display, is miles better for sleeping (and views) than the fixed display version featured here (and at BA, AC, and oh so many others). I find my legs are always hitting up against the table in this version, but not so with CX, where the table slides off to the side and your legs are entirely unconstrained. I'm surprised, given your stance on TKs old product (which I agree with, it is great for sleeping), that you have yet to talk about this key difference between the multiple iterations of reverse herringbone, especially since the more popular version is the worse one. I've flown AC many times and almost always failed to sleep well because of this, not so on CX.
That toilet situation is dire. On a night flight your not getting to sleep anytime soon. Let's be generous and say 5 minutes per person to change out of their clothes and into PJ's. Typically ladies will take longer if they have makeup to remove and/or put their hair up/ style it as they normally do for sleeping ( NOT all and I'm not being negative before any over sensitive petals get all hurty-feels). 2...
That toilet situation is dire. On a night flight your not getting to sleep anytime soon. Let's be generous and say 5 minutes per person to change out of their clothes and into PJ's. Typically ladies will take longer if they have makeup to remove and/or put their hair up/ style it as they normally do for sleeping ( NOT all and I'm not being negative before any over sensitive petals get all hurty-feels). 2 bathrooms. That's 210 mins/ 3.5hrs for the entire cabin. Divided by 2. Your looking at 1hr 45 mins.
If you want to go the pedant route then yes you won't always have the entire cabin change their clothing on every flight but those timings didn't factor in any time for people using the bathroom for it's intended purpose or cleaning by staff between uses.
Add that whole process again in the morning at your destination. Factor in dining and you've got a good half hour sleep time in a full cabin! Yes that's worst case of course but 2 bathrooms. I'd have to consider committing that cardinal sin of going back to coach and doing the walk of shame back to the pointy end in my sleepwear.
So by your calculations, if they DOUBLED the number of lavs, the wait time would be 52.5+ mins. Is that acceptable to you?
Maybe you’d like to add more lavs? Let’s aim for a 5-minute wait at peak times. 42 pax at 5 mins/pax is 210 mins. Divide 210 by 5 is 42. So, by your calculations, if there were FORTY TWO lavs in J, each J pax would have only a 5-minute wait.
...So by your calculations, if they DOUBLED the number of lavs, the wait time would be 52.5+ mins. Is that acceptable to you?
Maybe you’d like to add more lavs? Let’s aim for a 5-minute wait at peak times. 42 pax at 5 mins/pax is 210 mins. Divide 210 by 5 is 42. So, by your calculations, if there were FORTY TWO lavs in J, each J pax would have only a 5-minute wait.
But wait, if we had 42 lavs, that would mean each pax had their own lav, so there wouldn’t be a wait time at all. Perhaps there’s something seriously wrong with your calculations?
I'm not sure what to make of this review. You said a lot about nothing. You basically did not review the plane or airline and rather complained about the not so perfect parts. However, the parts that you liked and disliked are very subjective and very picky such as about pajamas or about the amenity kit not being fully stocked, etc. You also have to admit that most of the Middle East carriers especially Ethad...
I'm not sure what to make of this review. You said a lot about nothing. You basically did not review the plane or airline and rather complained about the not so perfect parts. However, the parts that you liked and disliked are very subjective and very picky such as about pajamas or about the amenity kit not being fully stocked, etc. You also have to admit that most of the Middle East carriers especially Ethad and Qatar, etc, are far superior to western carriers and even without your picky comments it was a lot better than economy. Even the economy is better than economy on western carriers. I think you should have a review system so we can rate your reviews.
There is a review system in place. If you like the content you come back for more . If you don't then you don't. It's a marvelous system. Tried and tested. Never fails.
Whilst I understand what you're saying this is a FF Blog. Nobody really needs to have the, patently obvious, fact that the seats , service & overall ambience in the J cabin is superior to that of the Y product. That's...
There is a review system in place. If you like the content you come back for more . If you don't then you don't. It's a marvelous system. Tried and tested. Never fails.
Whilst I understand what you're saying this is a FF Blog. Nobody really needs to have the, patently obvious, fact that the seats , service & overall ambience in the J cabin is superior to that of the Y product. That's just one of those common sense generally accepted things that doesn't require someone to fly in business to know its a better experience than in coach.
Likewise, and as you yourself pointed out, the Middle East Big 3 have better products across the board ( on the whole) and this fact is known & generally accepted to most. If you were totally new to flying & were looking to find out "are the middle East carriers products better than US carriers?" then I'd imagine most would Google that rather than go looking through FF Blogs to try find the answer hidden in an article. Also it's a review of this specific flight. The "who does it best" debate isn't, imho, something that would even make sense or 'fit' in a review about flight XYZ123 on an AB700300 in J.
You're right it being subjective regarding some of the things mentioned but, and this is just my POV, I WANT to know if the amenity kit on a $5k fare is missing stuff. Coz if I see it here and then read it again elsewhere then that tells me there's a QC & Standards issue problem at a carrier known for its attention to detail. If I'm paying a high amount then do I maybe want to fly Qatar instead as I want the service and standards that are expected as per the carriers own standard. Totally agree that info may be useless to others. They may not care or even have the same thought process about it. But conversely for me that's something of use.
iamhere, you might want to re-read the beginning of paragraph 3: "While I'll have a full trip report soon..."
Are you spending any time in Abu Dhabi? Is it worth making an effort to spend some time in the city?
It is absolutely worth it. There‘s tons of stuff to do. The Grand Mosque is spectacular, I also enjoyed the newly-ish opened Louvre Abu Dhabi. Presidential Palaca aka Qasr Al Watan is incredible (make sure to experience the light and sound show - one of a kind), while the Qasr Al Hosn gives a brief, but interesting background of how the city evolved. Yas Island for all the theme parks (world‘s fastes roller coaster, largest...
It is absolutely worth it. There‘s tons of stuff to do. The Grand Mosque is spectacular, I also enjoyed the newly-ish opened Louvre Abu Dhabi. Presidential Palaca aka Qasr Al Watan is incredible (make sure to experience the light and sound show - one of a kind), while the Qasr Al Hosn gives a brief, but interesting background of how the city evolved. Yas Island for all the theme parks (world‘s fastes roller coaster, largest indoor theme park, largest aquarium opening 23rd May). Plenty of nice hotels and restaurants too! Prefer it over both, Dubai and Doha, beinh honest with you. Etihad also has stopover packages as far as I know, might be worth checking out.
@lucky - were flying this exact flight in 2 weeks. It’s my wife and I. Would you recommend taking the 2 middle seats or go window, one in front of another?
@ Chase -- If you want to talk and enjoy the flight together, I'd probably select seats together in the center. I usually select two window seats even when traveling with Ford, since I like to look out the window and also take pictures, so I find that's easier. Besides, we spend enough time together as is. But that's just me.
I like seeing Etihad regain as much of its former allure as possible while being a more sustainable airline. I hope they can expand again. Their A35K would look sexy at LAX.
Great to hear! Hope to see Etihad expand to more markets again (but let's keep it slow, steady, and sustainable this time, EY).
I personally hate aircrafts with the middle set of overhead bins removed (such as Finnair A350 and apparently this EY A350). While it may be enough to technically fit everyone's carry-on bags, it creates other problems:
1. It leads to awkwardness when center passengers are hovering over a window passenger's seat fetching and re-stowing their bag. If you're not careful, your stuff can fall on another person. It's far better to have the overhead...
I personally hate aircrafts with the middle set of overhead bins removed (such as Finnair A350 and apparently this EY A350). While it may be enough to technically fit everyone's carry-on bags, it creates other problems:
1. It leads to awkwardness when center passengers are hovering over a window passenger's seat fetching and re-stowing their bag. If you're not careful, your stuff can fall on another person. It's far better to have the overhead bin be right where you seat is, as it would be in 95% of cases if center overhead bins are present.
2. While everyone's bags may ultimately fit, I've always had issues with the bin above me being full of other peoples' stuff, requiring me to put my bags one or more bins further away, further exacerbating issue (1) with people standing and hovering over seats that are not there on.
3. Because many J seats don't even have any room to put a backpack at the seat itself ("no storage for take off"), another annoyance for me, there's effectively more bags per person being put into the J bins than would be the case in other cabins where people can at least put some stuff under the seat. Because these sorts of things are also commonly accessed, it creates a situation where passengers are going up to load and unload bins *more often* also, further exacerbating issue (1).
Personally I don't think the pros outweigh the cons here. I despite it on every instance I've flown one, and actively avoid aircrafts like this.
Same! the whole "more spacious" argument is bananas to me. taking away extra storage for luggage isnt good in any sense in my opinion
Thanks for the review. How would you rate it travelling with a companion in the center seats?
@ Jake -- The center seats are great if you're traveling with someone, I wouldn't hesitate to select them.
The new factor I consider is the Codeshare flights. I booked QR Q-suite, QR delivered soft and hard products and were excellent but the second leg of the route was with Codeshare airline, much room to improve and less desirable. I will book again QR Q-suite if no Codeshare.
Hi Jen's,
Idk how new or experienced you are with flying but it will ALWAYS show you if your flight is a codeshare/ multi carrier. Tell you who they are, the aircraft* and segment(s) flown. On QR own site you can see different logos for each flight if it's a codeshare. Just click in and it'll give you more details.
Course if you know all that. Disregard. I know what you're saying though....
Hi Jen's,
Idk how new or experienced you are with flying but it will ALWAYS show you if your flight is a codeshare/ multi carrier. Tell you who they are, the aircraft* and segment(s) flown. On QR own site you can see different logos for each flight if it's a codeshare. Just click in and it'll give you more details.
Course if you know all that. Disregard. I know what you're saying though. I'm a BA elite & a fan of their Club Suites but if I'm flying QR then I want my Q Suite all the way and will change flight if need be
You are right. Secretary booked it and saw the logo of the non- QR. That means next business trips will be with EK or EY. QR reduced 2/3 of their flights to that destination.
Had the pleasure of flying this exact route last month & agree with everything said. When I booked it I was a bit disappointed I hadn't been able to find QSuites availability but there was nothing lacking on this flight for me. Would be thrilled to book again
I like brown sheets and pillow cases, so I don't know it's dirty!
Delta also does not have overhead bins above the middle seats in Delta One. I like the open feel and it amplifies how quiet the A350 is.
Not having overhead bins in any part of the cabin means there are no individual air vents in that area which I genuinely want but the A350 circulates air very well.
Etihad does have a solid product on the A35K
Flew this product from AUH to ORD back in January. The seat was great and the food was delicious, but man the bathroom situation was *terrible*. Both business class bathrooms were smelly and the floors were gross and wet. It sounds minor but it was a major turnoff for an otherwise great flight.
I don’t find the super diamond seat to be all that special. Firstly, the seat walls are so low that privacy even with the door is minimal. The lack of overhead bins in the centre makes the cabin feel like a church and not at all cosy or intimate. In reality there isn’t much space for your feet in the super diamond seat, especially compared to other reverse herringbones (Cathay) and Qsuite. Lack of slippers...
I don’t find the super diamond seat to be all that special. Firstly, the seat walls are so low that privacy even with the door is minimal. The lack of overhead bins in the centre makes the cabin feel like a church and not at all cosy or intimate. In reality there isn’t much space for your feet in the super diamond seat, especially compared to other reverse herringbones (Cathay) and Qsuite. Lack of slippers is really just pathetic. One pillow and a blanket? Not luxurious. But the food looked good. Etihad is not Top 5 though. Period.
I flew with Etihad last month from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne Australia and will never, ever fly with them again.
Business class was terrible. Absolutely devastated for my wife who went out of her way to make this trip possible but to be let down by their service and the condition of the plane on a 14 hr flight.
I was considering booking Etihad on this route for an upcoming trip – what was so bad about it? Would be really good to know!
Just did EY SYD-AUH earlier this month, and was also unimpressed. For such a long flight including much night-flying the lack of pjs and slippers was a real downer.
Food and drinks was pretty ordinary I thought, and the cabin service was perfunctory at best.
Totally unmemorable and will not go out of my way to fly them again.
FYI, QR beats EY hands down, at least on in/our of Australia.
...
Just did EY SYD-AUH earlier this month, and was also unimpressed. For such a long flight including much night-flying the lack of pjs and slippers was a real downer.
Food and drinks was pretty ordinary I thought, and the cabin service was perfunctory at best.
Totally unmemorable and will not go out of my way to fly them again.
FYI, QR beats EY hands down, at least on in/our of Australia.
Got a ADL-AUH-FCO rt booked on Qatar for later this year and really looking forward to that one!
Flew that same flight in Feb ord-auh. Was an very good experience. Service was a bit robotic but overall good. The FA for my seat for meal service wasn’t terribly friendly - noticeably so.
Food though was excellent - about as good as it gets in biz class. The -1000 was beautiful as you mentioned.
Flew EK J back home. Enjoyed that more personally just bc the a380 is such a fun way to fly. Food was not up to EY. But service was on my flight.
I had originally commented on your ‘12 Features That Make Business Class Great… Or Not’ article, where you kind of secretly ‘revealed’ that you had flown Etihad recently. Reposting that comment here:
‘It seems like you’ve finally managed to review the Etihad A350-1000, based on the filename of one of your images. YAY!!! Wish you could review Vistara’s 787/A321neo and SQ’s 737 MAX as well!’
I am so happy that Etihad still has it in...
I had originally commented on your ‘12 Features That Make Business Class Great… Or Not’ article, where you kind of secretly ‘revealed’ that you had flown Etihad recently. Reposting that comment here:
‘It seems like you’ve finally managed to review the Etihad A350-1000, based on the filename of one of your images. YAY!!! Wish you could review Vistara’s 787/A321neo and SQ’s 737 MAX as well!’
I am so happy that Etihad still has it in them to be one of the best business-class airlines in the world, despite QR stealing its thunder almost every moment, not to mention the outrageously extravagant Hamad airport. I only wish EY had more A350-1000s, because QR has so many of them. Also, and you know by now that this is a pet wish of mine, I would be glad if you could fly Vistara at least once before it is swallowed by Air India once and for all!
@ VT-CIE -- VERY impressed you noticed that based on the picture file name, heh...
Lucky, I've asked the question before. How are you always able to get pictures of empty aircraft? Even if you're the first to board, there are going to be people right behind you. It's amazing how you are able to get empty aircraft pictures - which is great. Do you ask for special permission to board first and snap some quick pics? Do you identify yourself as a travel blogger? I'm just curious. Cabin looks amazing!
He runs
Haha - maybe so!! LOL.
He either contacts airline PR to organize early boarding in advance, or he asks extremely nicely at the gate to go on early.
(My guess is the first)
I managed to get on a Lufthansa A350 first and had plenty of time to take pictures. Except that the flight attendant in the back galley was making a big scene out of it that he didn’t want to be in any pictures - even as he wasn’t. It was an unpleasant boarding experience.
A German in uniform wasn’t nice to you? Shocker!
Do you also plan to fly EY F again?
A month ago I flew GVA-AUH-CDG and I have to say I was extremely impressed. Granted, it was my first time in First, but service was just sooo good. Drink selection is really high end (at least the Champagne), food was good, and the seats are also nice - even if not flying the A380.
I went to the back and had a chat...
Do you also plan to fly EY F again?
A month ago I flew GVA-AUH-CDG and I have to say I was extremely impressed. Granted, it was my first time in First, but service was just sooo good. Drink selection is really high end (at least the Champagne), food was good, and the seats are also nice - even if not flying the A380.
I went to the back and had a chat with a flight attendent. When he found out I was flying First, he insisted to escort me back to the front :D They even let me pop the 300$ champagne bottle by myself (was the only pax in F).
Just read you review of LH F and was glad I chose EY instead, to burn through my Asiana miles. 40k per direction is quiet a steal IMHO.
How vastly does this differ from their 787 business experience? Flying JFK AUH in two weeks in J for the first time! thnx Lucky
@ JackR -- It should still be a nice experience. The 787 seats are very nice as well, though the A350s seats have doors and better tech. Still, I find the 787 seats to be private and comfortable.
The only other difference should be that the Armani / Casa amenities are only available on A350s and select 787 flights for the time being. I'm not sure if the New York flight is getting those amenities or not.
Is there a list where we can see what routes will get the A350s?
This looks great!! But it seems like you're missing the Starlux inaugural?!
@ Jason -- Hah, I hope to fly Starlux soon, but I'm not a fan of reviewing inagurual flights, as I don't think it gives you a sense of what the experience is usually like.
I think that Etihad’s products, service etc are now on par with, or very close to Qatar’s. I’m happy that you were so delighted with your choice of airline, equipment and service. Will you do a comparison between the two airlines?
@ T- -- I will indeed, stay tuned! :-)
Its amazing how Air Canada can manage to have virtually same seat and even same brand amenities, yet the overall experience is utter garbage when it comes to food and service.
How have you found the availability with AA miles? Always seems difficult even with trying to call the international AA help desk
@ dn10 -- I found the availability on Air Canada's website, and American's call center in the United States was able to book it without issue. I've found fewer issues with AA finding EY availability as of late, but maybe I've just been lucky.
Ha, Lucky gets lucky, figure that :-)