livinginlondon

I'm travelling Diamond, London to Melbourne this weekend with a 3 hour stop in Abu Dhabi. I haven't flown Etihad before, nor have I been to Abu Dhabi airport. Any tips to get the most out of the trip would be welcome. I have flown to Oz with other airlines, so general advice on surviving long-haul aren't needed.

Anything particular I should do at Abu Dhabi to pass the time (I know there's not much time to pass)? Is the shopping really worth it?

In flight service: any advice on the food/wine, time to eat, behaviour that's expected or to be avoided?

I should be flying one of the new 777s from London. Does it have internet? Is it a pay service?

Thanks in advance. I always find flyertalk such a helpful forum.

pomkiwi

How did it go? Considering options for early next year and would welcome any feedback you have. Hope the weather in Melbourne is reasonably kind

mrow

I have done LHR-AUH-SYD on EY in F and have to say it was excellent in all respects.

The lounges in London are quite compact but didn't feel small. The food and beverage choices for breakfast were excellent, as was the spa treatment I received.

In flight the meal service LHR-AUH was quite slow, but excellent in quality. Drinks and cabin service were excellent all round.

Lounge in AUH is something else. It was large, well equipped and the meal service is excellent. The restaurant area was well laid out and the service and menu selection was excellent. The spa in AUH was also excellent, although a little busier than in LHR so I had less time for treatments.

Overall I was impressed with EY so much so that we're flying them in preference to QF F on the A380 when we go to MEL for our next trip.

pomkiwi

Thanks - that is reassuring as the BA / QF fares have not changed at all in the current sale and I will need to make some decisions soon.