Questions and Answers

Etihad coach or economy seats:
i only see reviews for business or first class but not everyone can afford these seats

can you comment on the comfort or lack of, in the back of the plane?
I wish to use this airline but need to know how crippled I will be after a 12 hr flight……..

most reviews are ONlY on business class or first class
can you tell me if any review of the economy/coach seats is available?
I want to fly to Dubai on etihad but do not want to be a cripple when i get off……

hi lee–none (well most) of us can’t afford to fly first and business. This is why we collect miles :). Y products are pretty similar to each other. I would check seatguru to get the basic specs of the seat you are flying and google Etihad economy trip report for your origin and destination to get a better idea of any quirks. 12 hours in economy is not going to be great. Try to get a seat alone if you can (check out [URL]http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/01/28/consistently-sit-next-empty-seat-plane/[/URL]).

We just flew Jetihad Y last Sept on our way back from JNB via AUH on Etihad cheap fares from Christmas 2014. It’s painful but doable.

I’ve flown EK Y before, on the A380 and though it was fine. Bring a neck pillow and something comfortable to change into – I always have athletic shorts and a t shirt. Bring sleeping pills or something if that helps.

EK Y isnt always full so you may have room to spread out – I had a row of 4 seats to myself on the return. I don’t think EY Y will be much different but I’d go with EK if thats possible since they serve more destinations with the A380.

Where are you flying from?

I jumped on the same Etihad sale from last year. 14 hours from Chicago to AUH, there were 2 of us with a row of 3 to ourselves, which helped. On the return, flight was completely full so I was stuck in a middle seat. I suppose everyone has to do that at some point on a 14 hour flight so we can appreciate business more!

I thought the seats were perfectly comfortable. With the help of sleeping aids, I managed to get 4-5 hours of sleep on each flight. In flight entertainment was good and up to date, it was over a year ago now, so can’t remember the actual movies, but I was able to watch 2 movies each way that I’d never seen before.

Service was actually really good. They were consistently available throughout the flight. You did have to walk up to the galley for help, but at least they were there and friendly.

I did status match to Etihad Gold before my flight so I had lounge access, which was a nice surprise on a $200 Y fare. Not sure if you have status, or if the status match is still available, but it could be worth a try.

Even if the match isn’t available, AUH has priority pass lounges that should be accessible with a few different cards. Melatonin is a great help with sleep :).

EY also has a bid upgrade process for business along space available cash upgrades at the airport. If you have a little extra cash, it might be worth looking into.