Airline Review: Etihad Airways (First Class)

Etihad Airways First Class may not be the flagship product of Etihad Airways, but it definitely is one of the most comfortable ways to fly in the whole word. We had the pleasure to try the amazing Etihad Airways First Class on a Jet Airways configured Boeing 777 on our flight from Bangkok to Abu Dhabi and couldn’t have had a better experience. There’s rarely any negative point about the Etihad Airways First Class.

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When boarding our Etihad Airways First Class flight on a Jet Airways configured airplane, we were looking forward to an incredible experience.

• Airplane: Boeing 777 (configured by Jet Airways)
• Cabin Class: First
• Daytime: Evening till Morning
• Food: Dinner
• Seat Pitch: 90 Inch (229 Centimeter)
• Seat Width: 30 Inch (76 Centimeter)

As we never flew international First Class ever before, this experience was supposed to be a very special one, especially after we were upgraded which was such a crazy story that we’ll focus on it in a special post.

Even though Sabrina was still fighting with some kind of food poisoning, we couldn’t wait for the Etihad Airways First Class experience to start.

Seating in the Etihad Airways First Class

The Etihad Airways First Class on a Jet Airways configured airplane is a little different from the one Etihad uses itself.

Nevertheless, you get a full suite for your own. Seats in the Boeing 777 are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration with a total of just two rows in the whole cabin.

This makes the eight seats extremely private, especially as it is possible to close the door of the suite, making the First Class Suite in the Etihad Airways First Class on the Jet Airways airplane your very own private kingdom.

As there are no bins above the seats, the cabin also feels extremely airy and spacious. All suites come with a very comfortable and extremely broad seat, an ottoman, a private wardrobe, a large screen which was actually the largest one I’ve ever seen in an airplane.

The Etihad Airways First Class seat on a Jet Airways configured airplane also offers several amazing finishes like a massage function and a (quite bad) touchscreen to control lights, the massage and several other things.

Sleeping in the Etihad Airways First Class

It’s definitely worth dedicating a special section of this airline review to sleeping in the Etihad Airways First Class on a Jet Airways configured airplane.

The suites which definitely look gorgeous can be extended into a fully flat bed which is extremely spacious in width and length, making it possible to sleep in all kinds of positions. Something which I totally adored in the Etihad Airways First Class is the bedding service you can ask for at all times.

Instead of just sleeping on the seat, you can enjoy a duvet, a real blanket and a very comfortable pillow. In the Etihad Airways First Class you definitely won’t even recognize that you are not sleeping in a luxury hotel, but in the air!

Another nice touch is the fact that the staff will happily make another suite than yours to your bed if there is availability. This makes it possible to enjoy not one, but two suites instead!

Food in the Etihad Airways First Class

In terms of food, it doesn’t really matter if you are flying the Etihad Airways First Class on a Jet Airways configured plane or an Etihad one as the service is exactly the same.

The very special thing about food in the First Class of Etihad Airways is the fact that you are served by an onboard chef who will happily make all your wishes come true. Even though our flight was just six hours long, we were proactively offered a seven course menu.

As Sabrina was still quite ill, she asked for plain rice which was offered without hesitation.

Not very hungry on a nighttime flight, I opted for a three course menu which started with a lovely amuse bouche.

This one was followed by a creamy carrot cream soup, the chef’s special (salad with salmon) and a piece of the best fish I ever enjoyed in the air.

Not only the taste of everything was totally overwhelming, but also the service and the presentation of the food was something to die for.

If there’s a difference between Business Class and First Class besides the seat it definitely is the food! Did I miss something? Definitely!

You can even have dinner with a companion in the Etihad Airways First Class. Could it get any better than that?

Entertainment in the Etihad Airways First Class

Be it Business Class or First Class, an Etihad Airways airplane or an aircraft configured by Jet Airways – I don’t really see a difference in terms of entertainment.

While the ultra large screen of the First Class Suite onboard the Jet Airways configured airplane definitely was amazing, the selection of movies and series was actually the same as in Business Class.

Also, we were not offered any special kinds of magazines or newspapers which made the entertainment rather underwhelming compared to the amazing experience we enjoyed besides.

Service in the Etihad Airways First Class

Another section we do not usually focus on in our review is service. Yet, Etihad Airways First Class whether on an Etihad Airways plane of a Jet Airways Boeing 777, definitely is one of the main selling points of the product.

That said, we couldn’t have been happier about our crew. Service started with a welcome drink of our choice, followed by Arabic coffee and once airborne another drink of our choice accompanied by several snacks. The real highlight however is the on-board chef who takes up to 15 minutes for each guest to talk about the menu, special dishes and the preferences of the guest.

Additional services like bedding or waking up are just a few of several more service highlights. Surely, the friendliness and professionality of the crew in the Etihad Airways First Class could have hardly been any greater.

Amenity Kit in the Etihad Airways First Class

Last but not least, it’s worth talking about the amenity kit offered in the Etihad Airways First Class. The amenity kit itself already looks gorgeous and feels very luxurious. You also won’t be disappointed by the ingredients.

The kit for men came with a toothbrush, toothpaste, a razor with shaving cream, cotton pads, a gum, several different creams by Korres, sleep spray and a sleeping mask. Additionally, you are offered a pajama as well as slippers for more comfort onboard.

I never really got why people change into pajamas on airplanes, but after having tried the one offered in Etihad Airways First Class I can safely say: You never sleep as good as with a soft and comfortable pajama!

Bottom line Etihad Airways First Class

The Etihad Airways First Class onboard a Jet Airways configured Boeing 777 could have hardly been an any more amazing experience.

We’ve been flying the Etihad Airways Business Class twice, but the experience was not rarely as good as the one in First Class. The onboard chef, the amazing quality, presentation and choice of food, the great service and the seat itself are the real highlights of the Etihad Airways First Class.

The only negative things were the average entertainment as well as the condition of the seat which was a little run down (e.g. the touchscreen didn’t work properly and the door of the suite didn’t perfectly close). Nevertheless, I found the First Class Suite of the Jet Airways Boeing 777 an amazing seat. If you’ll ever have the amazing chance to fly the Etihad Airways First Class, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it no matter which airplane you’ll sit it!

• Support traveluxblog and book your next Etihad Airways flight on the Etihad website through this link!

 

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