Airline Review: Etihad Airways (long haul Business)

Etihad Airways (EY) is one of few international airlines that offer a very consistent product in Business Class. When we flew with an Airbus A330-200, we realised only little differences to flying with the Boeing 777-300ER. Flying in Business Class with Etihad Airways was a great experience once again, especially because the Airbus A330-200 we flew with was a very modern one.

Departing at Jakarta International Airport, we spent some time in the Garuda Indonesia Business Class Lounge which is the partner lounge of Etihad Airways for late departures. As it was midnight when the flight departed, we decided to only grab a little snack.

• Airplane: Airbus A330-200 (Two Class Cofiguration)
• Cabin Class: Business
• Daytime: Evening/Morning
• Food: Snack/Breakfast
• Seat Pitch: 73 Inch (185 Centimeter)
• Seat Width: 20 Inch (51 Centimeter)

Lucky for us, boarding was very pleasant and fast. Business Class guests are allowed to board first as the A330-200 of Etihad Airways only offers Business Class and no First Class. At first glance, I instantly recognized that the A330-200 of Etihad Airways is way more modern than the Boeing 777-300ER we reviewed before.

Business Class seats with aisle access

What makes flying with Etihad Airways in Business Class very enjoyable is the fact that all seats (only a few airplanes still got the old configuration) offer aisle access.

The seats themselves got an Arabic pattern and are pretty comfortable. The Business Class seats on board the Etihad Airways A330-200 fully recline which means that you can sleep on a flat bed. The seats are very comfortable for just relaxed seating and are good for a night sleep as well.

However, the Etihad Airways Business Class seats may make you feel a little narrow when you are larger than me. The seats are also not very long, making it tough to find a very good sleeping position.

Apart from that, I really like the seats as you recline them just as much as you wish. Special features also include a massage function!

Kitchen Anytime when flying Etihad Airways

Before departure, we were offered a welcome drink. We opted for some orange juice as we were not in the mood for alcohol.

Quite a good decision as the freshly squeezed juice was delicious. As we departed in Jakarta after midnight, no dinner was served on our Etihad Airways Business Class flight. Instead, the crew dimmed the light pretty fast, so passengers could sleep.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t able to fall asleep and watched a movie instead. Luckily, Etihad Airways offers something called “Kitchen Anytime” in Business Class. You may order any of the dishes on the menu regardless of the time of your departure.

I opted for the Steak Sandwich which tasted very American and was served traditionally with crisps. Even though it was not quite my taste, the quality was great.

Tasty breakfast and a wide choice

Afterwards, I also ordered the cookies of the Kitchen Anytime Menu which were also quite good. With food in my stomach, I was finally able to fall asleep.

Woken up perfectly for breakfast by the flight attendant, I was not really hungry. However, I was looking forward to see what we’ll get. As a starter, I took the Bircher Muesli which surprisingly was served hot. In my opinion, it was one of the best hot breakfast dishes I ever had in the air.

The omelet I had as a main dish afterwards was a real disappointment in comparison – just boring and tasteless. Sabrina opted for the Belgium Waffles as a main and skipped the starter. These were quite good, but nothing special.

Something we also recommend in our other Etihad Airways Business Class review is the smoothie – it was once again absolutely delicious.

Entertainment Options in Business Class

The Etihad Airways A330-200 has the same entertainment system as most long haul airplanes in the Etihad Airways fleet. The so-called E-Box offers a wide range of different movies, series, music and games.

The choice of international and regional, in this case Arabic and Asian, movies was really good and way better than the one of Air Berlin, Etihad’s partner airline, offered on our Business Class flights with them.

Sadly, the flight attendants didn’t offer any newspapers or magazines on our flight, which was kind of surprising.

There are in-flight magazines and stuff like that in the box right next to the seat, but that was everything. In total, a good entertainment, but nothing special for a Business Class flight.

Enjoyable experience with Etihad Airways

Overall, we would definitely fly with Etihad Airways in Business Class again. The lounge in Jakarta was by far not as good as the one in Abu Dhabi, but fine nevertheless.

The staff was nice without being overly accommodating. It was little annoying that one flight attendant tried to sell duty free items even after we refused to buy some.

However, this experience did not lower our overall impressions. The good seats in combination with the modern restrooms make the hard product a very good one.

The great food that is also presented very nicely makes the soft product a strong one as well. If you got the chance, you should definitely give the Etihad Airways Business Class a shot!

• You can find more information about Etihad’s flights, schedules, prices and much more as well as book your next flight on the website of Etihad Airways!

 

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