Review: Etihad Business Class Airbus A321 (JED-AUH)

To continue my long journey to Abu Dhabi, I flew Etihad Airways’ Airbus A321 business class from Jeddah to Abu Dhabi. As much as flying with Gulf carriers can be fun, there’s not a whole lot of glamor to a flight that’s just over two hours in the middle of the night.

That being said, Etihad delivered a pleasant experience on its narrow body jets, with delicious food and drinks, friendly service, and great bedding. The only real negative consideration is that Etihad’s narrow body aircraft pale in comparison to the carrier’s wide body aircraft, which also operate this route (and which the competition largely flies between Saudi Arabia and the UAE). Anyway, let’s get into the review…

How I booked my Etihad business class ticket

I booked my entire journey from Jeddah to Chicago (via Abu Dhabi and London) as a single award using American AAdvantage miles. Specifically, I booked the following for 115,000 American AAdvantage miles plus $323.73 in taxes and fees (with the Jeddah to Abu Dhabi segment in business class, and the Abu Dhabi to London to Chicago segments in first class):

12/04 EY330 Jeddah to Abu Dhabi departing 2:35AM arriving 6:20AM
12/04 EY17 Abu Dhabi to London departing 2:05PM arriving 6:10PM
12/05 BA295 London to Chicago departing 11:00AM arriving 1:55PM

That’s a pretty great use of American AAdvantage miles, if you ask me. Furthermore, while there were carrier imposed surcharges on this award, they were much cheaper than if you were exclusively booking an award on British Airways across the Atlantic.

Etihad business class lounge & boarding

Etihad departs from Terminal 1 at Jeddah Airport, which is by far the airport’s nicest terminal. I booked the Aerotel Jeddah Airport for my layover, to try to get some rest. Etihad sends its business class passengers to the Wellcome Lounge (yes, that’s the correct spelling), which is the contract lounge and Priority Pass lounge in the terminal.

I didn’t have much time to visit the lounge, but it wasn’t impressive — the Wi-Fi wasn’t functioning, and it was packed (with a chorus of coughing), so I quickly left. My flight was departing from gate A23. While boarding was scheduled for 2AM, it actually started 20 minutes ahead of schedule, at 1:40AM. Business class passengers were invited to board first.

Etihad A321 business class cabin & seats

Etihad’s Airbus A321s feature just eight business class seats, spread across two rows in a 2-2 configuration. It’s an intimate cabin, and surprisingly small for a Gulf carrier. Etihad’s A321s have recliner seats in business class, so think of them as being similar to domestic first class in the United States, rather than anything like Etihad’s long haul business class product.

I had assigned myself seat 1A, as that was the only window seat remaining at the time of booking. For that matter, I actually think I prefer the bulkhead in this case, since it’s easy to climb over the person in the aisle while they’re sleeping. Fortunately Etihad has generous legroom in the bulkhead row.

While Etihad has been flying its A321s for many years, they have been updated recently. While Etihad removed entertainment screens from economy, the airline also reupholstered seats, improved the charging ports in business class, added higher definition TVs in business class, etc.

Underneath the center console was the headphone jack, as well as AC and USB-A charging ports.

All the seat controls were located on a panel to the side of the seat.

The tray table folded out from the far armrest, and could be folded over in half, depending on how large of a surface you wanted.

Meanwhile the entertainment monitor folded out from the center armrest, which is kind of old school, though at least it’s pretty high definition.

While the monitor was touchscreen, there was also an entertainment controller, should you prefer to browse the options that way.

The overhead console had both reading lights and individual air nozzles, which is appreciated.

While a flat bed would of course be preferred, this is a solid narrow body business class product, especially for such a short flight.

Etihad business class amenities

Waiting at each seat upon boarding was an excellent pillow and blanket. I love Etihad’s bedding, as the pillow was thick and substantial, while the blanket was cozy.

There was also a pair of headphones at each seat, which weren’t particularly high quality, but did the trick.

Each business class passenger was also offered a bottle of water.

During the boarding process, pre-departure drinks were served. The choices included water, orange juice, or lemon mint juice (Etihad doesn’t serve alcohol on Saudi Arabia flights). I chose the lemon mint juice, which was refreshing.

Later in the boarding process, Arabic coffee and dates were served.

Etihad A321 business class entertainment

Nowadays Etihad’s A321s just have personal monitors in business class, and not in economy. I appreciated how the monitor was high definition. The entertainment selection was quite good, with a huge variety of movies and TV shows.

The inflight entertainment also had a map feature, which I enjoy keeping an eye on.

Unfortunately Etihad’s A321s don’t have any Wi-Fi, so there’s no way to stay connected while inflight. There is streaming entertainment for those who value that, but no Wi-Fi.

Etihad A321 departure from Jeddah

Usually boarding on Gulf carriers is a pretty civilized experience, at least if you’re in a premium cabin. That’s much less the case on the A321, when everyone boards right past you. The crew did a fantastic job greeting each passenger while still serving business class during the time.

This was a full flight — every seat was taken — and it was a complicated crowd, with a lot of language barriers, requests, confusion, etc.

At 2:10AM boarding was complete, at which point the captain made his welcome aboard announcement, informing us of our flight time of 2hr20min, and our cruising altitude of 33,000 feet.

We then waited for some time, presumably because we were so far ahead of schedule. 15 minutes later, at 2:25AM, a manual safety demo was performed. Then at 2:30AM we began our pushback.

We had a ridiculously fast pushback and taxi, and were airborne from runway 34C at 2:35AM. I don’t think I’ve ever gone from starting pushback to being off the ground in around five minutes. We had a smooth climb out into the early morning sky, and the seatbelt sign was turned off five minutes after takeoff.

Etihad business class meal service

Etihad doesn’t have menus on these short flights, but on the ground the crew took meal orders. There were two choices for the meal, described as rigatoni or shrimp with rice.

I found the choice to serve a dinner-type meal to be interesting, given that the flight took off at 2:35AM and arrived at 6:20AM. In my experience, Emirates serves more of a breakfast-type meal on these flights. I don’t have a strong preference one way or another, it’s just not what I was anticipating.

Anyway, the crew was quick to start service after takeoff. First a round of drinks was served with warm mixed nuts. I ordered another lemon mint juice, plus a cappuccino, and that was all served on a tray. I like how Etihad presents its drinks on trays, as not many airlines do that.

The crew served meals about 30 minutes after takeoff, and the entire meal was on one tray. I was impressed by the quality of the meal. The main course consisted of shrimp with rice and a red sauce. Then there was a side salad (with green peppers, red peppers, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes), and a rich chocolate tart for dessert. Last but not least, there was a small loaf of bread.

This was a filling meal, and all you could ask for on a flight like this. After the tray was cleared, I ordered a cup of coffee, which was once again served on a tray, and came with a Godiva chocolate.

While I worked for most of the flight, everyone else in the cabin seemed to sleep the whole way. I was the only non-Saudi business class passenger, best I could tell, and they were an interesting crowd. For example, the older lady seated immediately behind me needed to get up and use the bathroom, but the guy seated next to me was reclined, making it hard for her to get out.

So to wake him up, she basically just started clubbing him with her bag. I don’t know how else to describe it. I guess that’s one way to be woken up…

Etihad A321 business class lavatory

There was a lavatory at the front of the Etihad A321 business class cabin. While pretty no frills, it was at least clean, as the crew enforced the use of the curtain between business class and economy.

Etihad business class service

The Etihad crew working this flight were friendly and very professional. While there’s some glamor to working for Gulf carriers, these middle of the night direct turn itineraries are rough on anyone, and I can’t imagine they enjoy them very much. Despite that, they were in good spirits, and very responsive.

Etihad A321 arrival in Abu Dhabi

At around 5:15AM Abu Dhabi time, we were flying over the border between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and shortly thereafter started our descent.

At around 5:30AM, the first officer was on the PA to announce that we’d be landing in about 15 minutes. The seatbelt sign was turned on five minutes after that.

Sure enough, we had a smooth touchdown in Abu Dhabi at exactly 5:45AM. From there we had a short five minute taxi to Abu Dhabi’s new Terminal A. The proximity of the new terminal to the runway is the first awesome change to Etihad’s move!

I bid farewell to the crew, passed through transit security, and was then excited to explore Terminal A, the Etihad First Class Lounge, and the Etihad Business Class Lounge, prior to my Etihad A380 first class flight to London.

Bottom line

Etihad offers a perfectly pleasant experience in business class on its Airbus A321s. Etihad has friendly service, delicious food and drinks, and a cozy pillow and blanket. For a flight of just over two hours, this was perfectly nice. The only thing to keep in mind is that there are also lots of flights in markets like this operated by wide body jets with flat beds, so of course that’s preferable, if you have the choice.

What’s your take on Etihad’s A321 business class?