Other Middle East and Africa Frequent Flyer Programs - Qatar vs Etihad economy - what to select ?

Hi,
I will be flying from IAH Houston this month to Asia and have 2 options available - Qatar and Etihad- economy class. Which of the two is better ? Emirates for my dates is old out. And I am not sure of Qatar/Etihad.

From what I know - Qatar has better reviews. But frankly, I am not sure. My main requirements are - Good inflight entertainment and wifi availability if possible. Without inflight ent , the trip can feel really really looong !!:)

So, what do you folks suggest/advise ? Thanks .

I have never taken Ethiad, but when i flew Qatar from BKK to DOH last year the service and entertainment were fantastic. The meals were a nice upgrade from my normal american carrier fare, we all received pouches filled with eye covers, socks and the like, and the young child next to me was given a coloring book and other toys to keep him entertained for the duration of the flight. It was as if i was flying on an american carrier in the early 90's again. The inflight entertainment was based on what i believe to be a 10" seatback touchscreen system with huge selection and many languages. (Flying on a 777) The service was just fantastic. I am not saying Ethiad is not as good, just that Qatar is a fantastic choice.

American ex-pat living in Kuwait, and had numerous trips with QR. Great experiences every time. Even the short haul between KWI and Doha is really good in comparison to what it is with the American carriers.

Not having flown Etihad, do not have any first hand experience, but several co-workers have had all good things to say about them as well.

Moving this thread to the Other Middle East & Africa airlines and FFPs. Thanks for your understanding.

Jouy31
TravelBuzz co-moderator

Qatar's economy 'amenity kits' are a nice touch, the food is quite reasonable and are happy to provide drink refills.

Eithad is fine also, except the website is quite limited, make sure you ring to get a decent seat allocation as the online seat selection tool is not great.

Both carriers use 10 to a row 3-4-3 seats so quite squeezy in economy. If you cannot get an exit row or anything claim an aisle as FAs on both airlines don't mind taking drink requests etc as they pass by.

I'm not a huge fan of the new Etihad FFP changes, nor their lounge in AUH, but I've been going on Etihad Business more than Qatar and its pretty good. Meanwhile, my buddies flown from Kuwait all the way to Tokyo using Etihad and they recommended it for economy class on a very long haul trip.

Both carriers use 10 to a row 3-4-3 seats so quite squeezy in economy. If you cannot get an exit row or anything claim an aisle as FAs on both airlines don't mind taking drink requests etc as they pass by.

I believe QR has 3-3-3 in 777, EY has 3-4-3, unless they have changed recently

I have flown both Qatar and Etihad and I would say that the crew is more friendly on Qatar but I would choose Etihad and my friends who have also traveled both recommend Etihad.

I believe QR has 3-3-3 in 777, EY has 3-4-3, unless they have changed recently
Actually Etihad and Qatar have 3-3-3...I think you got mixed up with Emirates which has 3-4-3 that certainly does not go well with the 777!!:td:

EY is definitely 3-4-3 on the 777. The only downside of QR is transiting through DOH "bus station" whereas AUH is quite civilised in comparison.

Actually Etihad and Qatar have 3-3-3...I think you got mixed up with Emirates which has 3-4-3 that certainly does not go well with the 777!!:td:

Have you flown with EY recently in a 777? It's definitely 3-4-3, they switched to 10 in 2009.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/etihad-joins-ten-across-club

p.s. Why do people have to dismiss facts so quickly without checking? This is happening everywhere now.

Have you flown with EY recently in a 777? It's definitely 3-4-3, they switched to 10 in 2009. Why do people have to dismiss facts so quickly without checking?

The "Seatguru" web site (http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Etihad_Airways/Etihad_Airways_Boeing_777-300ER.php) shows Etihad's 777-300 to be 3-3-3.

Ditto for "Seat Expert (http://seatexpert.com/seatmap/391/Etihad_Airways_Boeing_777-300ER/)."

That said, Etihad's web site (http://www.etihadairways.com/en-gb/experience-etihad/our-fleet/) lists 3 aircraft of that type with 282 seats in coach and 10 aircraft with 384.

It would appear that the former are 9 across and the latter at 10 across.

I will leave it to the gurus to explain how to make an informed guess as to how they decide whether your flight will be 9 or 10 across. :confused:

I would use EY as AUH is a much better airport than DOH. DOH still does bus-terminal, and the terminal feels like a bus station in the centre of the earth.

Qatar Airways and Etihad are similarly inconsistent in the sky, so it's impossible to tell which will be better. I rate EY's in-flight entertainment as better as they have a quirkier selection of indi cinema beyond the already broad box office selection.