ARJ85

Here we go again;

after all the kind words i received for my first tripreport:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-first-tr.html
i had to write another one.

This one will cover my trip to Australia i took in March 2010. When taking the trip i didnt`t plan to write a report -
so i didnt`t take too much photos - but lets try anyway.
(And please excuse my english - its not my first language but i hope you can understand it anyways - if not:
thats what the photos are here for...)

I will split the report into four sections:
-> This one covering the flight from Munich to Abu Dhabi in First Class
-> The Lounge in Abu Dhabi
-> The First Class flight from Abu Dhabi to Sydney
-> My days in Australia

Australia is a country i was always interested in visiting. And one day i found a very reasonable promotion
with Eithad Airways in Business Class.
Usually i am not flying that much with Middle Eastern Airlines. As i live near Munich most of my travel is
with Lufthansa and its Star Alliance Friends which offer me non stop flights from my Homeairport to almost
everywhere without the detour over Dubai/Doha/Abu Dhabi.

But for this trip i made a exception - because the flight times with Etihad were perfect:
I would leave Munich around 11 PM, arrive in Abu Dhabi at 6 in the Morning, from where my flight to
Sydney would leave 2 hours later and arrive in Sydney the next day at around 8 in the morning (sorry
i dont recall the exact flight times - but they sound about right)

I would stay almost two weeks in Australia so with a little help from friends that have already been
there i planned a little roundtrip.
In the end my itinerary looked like this:
MUC-AUH-SYD-HVB-BNE-MKY-TSV-CNS-SYD-AUH-MUC
(in this Tripreport i will only cover the Etihad-Flights and a little about my time in Australia - but if
anybody is interested about the domestic flights with Virgin/Qantas/Jetstar just ask)

Etihad does offer its passengers a free limousine service to and from the airport. Booking that service
is quite easy - on the Etihad-Website you just log in with your flight details and enter where they should
pick you up/drop you off. The only little glitch was, that the website wouldnt let me enter two different
adresses in Syndey.

One day before my flight i got a call from Etihad in Abu Dhabi. They offered me to upgrade my flight to
First class. I had before seen pictures of the Etihad First Class Suites and was very interested to try that
- so i took that offer (and also because the price was quite reasonable)

The limousine came right in time to pick me up and soon we were on our way to the airport. Etihad uses
Terminal 1 Section C in Munich - and check in was really crowded when i got there (especially in the
economy class section) The first class desk however was free so i didnt have to wait. I received my
boarding passes for both flights, and also the lounge invitation for Munich and Abu Dhabi airport.

Also the security check was a breeze. Although there was a huge crowd of people waiting, there is a
separate line for First and Business Class passengers that allows you to go straight to border control
and security. So not even 20 minutes after arriving at the airport i was already on my way to the lounge.

Etihad does not have its own lounge in Munich - instead they use the „Atlantic Lounge“
(its the same lounge Royal Jordanian, AirBerlin, Aeroflot, Delta and a bunch of other airlines use too)
The lounge is very basic - there is a self-service bar with the usual drink selection and a few snacks
and a few chairs & Sofas. It also does not have a dedicated First Class section.



I didnt spend much time in the lounge and soon went to the gate. When entering the plane i was
greeted by the purser and brought to my seat. Right now Etihad is in the process of refitting its FirstClass
Cabin - so what you see in these pictures is the „old“ Seat - but to be honest - it is still State of the Art -
even better than some other carriers F-Seats. The seats are in a 1-2-1 layout, so everybody has direct
aisle access.



Included in the seat is also a little Bar which contained a can of Coke and Sprite, some nuts and a small
bottle of VOSS-Water



Soon after sitting down i got a small cup arabic coffee and dates with almonds (i guess)



And soon thereafter the first little snack



The load in the first class cabin was really low - aside from me there where just two other passengers -
which where also travelling to Sydney.

There are no fixed dinner times in Etihad First Class - you can eat whenever you want (Actually not only
in First - also in Business Class) But as i wanted to get some sleep i decided to eat soon after take off.

You actually have two menus onboard Ethiad Airways - There is of course the usual menu with starters,
main course, dessert - but also a so called Kitchen Anytime menu with little snack items you can order
any time throughout the flight. I will write more details about the dinner service when covering the
AUH-SYD leg (because that is the one i still have the menu from...)

So here just some pictures from the meal:

Here is the table setting



as starter i had sushi



Followed by a little Sorbet



i forgot to take a picture of the main course (sorry) and finished the dinner with a little cheese plate



After i finished lunch i went to the bathroom to change into the pyjama etihad provides. While changing
the Flight-Attendant made my bed. The seat of course goes completely flat and i really slept very good.

Sorry for not writing much about the service - during dinner the service was perfect - and the rest of the
flight i slept...

Before going to bed the FA asked me if she should wake me for breakfast - but as i had two hours
layover in AbuDhabi i declined. I awoke about 45 minutes before landing - so i had time for a little
breakfast.

ARJ85

So lets start the second part:

As mentioned earlier i arrived at Abu Dhabi in the morning





After leaving the plane i immediately went to the lounge. As this is Etihads Hub there
is of course a First Class lounge.

With nice shower facilities.



A comfortable seating area



with a view outside! (i really dont like lounges where you cant see any airplanes)

But most important for me (as i skipped Breakfast on the plane) A restaurant area.
(Please excuse the quality of the next pictures - the iPhone is a great device - but the
camera really isn`t)



Instead of a buffet or self service bar Etihad provides a a la carte Restaurant with
a quite extensive menu. As i was really hungry i ordered a few of the available
Breakfast options.







I really didnt regret skipping the Breakfast on the Plane - the food in the lounge was
really good!

and soon the two hours i had to spend in the loung where over again and i went to the gate
to board my flight to Sydney.

jlisi984

Nice pics! High quality...

DLATL777

Nice report. You will enjoy the Suites on the next leg; I flew them from Abu Dhabi to Chicago 2 months ago outlined here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...s-auh-ord.html


Can't wait to compare experiences, thanks for posting.

ARJ85

And now lets start with the longest flight of my live (although there have been a few that felt
longer...)

The flight time from Abu Dhabi is almost 15 hours - Etihad uses both the A340-500 and
A340-600 on that route. In my case it was the -600. And i also got one of the planes that
already was refitted with the new First-Class-Suites.

The first class cabin on that plane consists of three rows in 1-2-1 layout - so again everybody has direct
aisle access. What really helps with the atmosphere is the complete
lack of overhead bins - so although you have suites it still doesnt look cramped.



The window seats are perfect for traveling alone - if you close the door you have your own little cabin -
if you travel with a partner i would recomend the middle seats.



Soon after i sat down i was offered pre departure drinks.
(Also the arabic coffee and the dates were offered again like on the first flight)



The little hatch you see in the right corner of the picture once again contains a little
Bar.

Soon after takeoff a little snack was served.



The bag you see in the background was the anemity kit they handed out. It makes a
perfect laptop bag.

A few hours into the flight - after watching a little TV
(yes you really have enough legroom)



i decided it would be time to eat

The table setting



The a la carte menu for this flight offered the following

Starters:

-> Cedar smoked vine-ripened tomato

-> Cajun wood fired Prawns



(on a side-note - you shouldn`t serve prawns on a flight which also features the movie District 9 on IFE)

-> Algerian vegetable and chickpea soup

-> French onion soup

Again a little sorbet (not on the menu)



Main Course

-> Baked hamour

-> Middle eastern chicken breast

-> Poached beef ternderloin

-> Butternut pumpking and eggplant curry

-> Open ravioli with king prawns



for the main courses there is also a choice of side orders like salad / olives / Potato
dumplings / rice available

Dessert

-> Orange and raspberry self saucing pudding

-> Quattro of desserts



-> Chocolate fudge banana split

-> Seasonal fresh fruit

-> Providore natural ice cream

All the food was very good - also the size of the portions was big enough
The service was good too - my glass always got refilled and i never had to wait
for the next course.

In adition to the usual Flight-Attendants Etihad Airways also has a so called „Food &
Beverage Manager“ on Board its planes. In my case it was a very nice Italian guy.
His duty is to assist with food & wine choices in First and Business Class. I am not
sure if it makes that much difference to the usual when a FA recomends Food or
Wine - but it ads a nice touch.

After finishing my dinner i went to sleep - again while changing the FA prepared the
bed for me. And i have to say - it is the best and most comfortable bed i ever
experienced on a plane!



Of course it is completely flat. But not only does the seat go horizontal - you dont even
realise where you are lying was once a seat - it really feels like a flat matress. It also
is wide and long enough that you dont all the time bump against the walls.

Of course you can close the doors of the suite - and there is even a little „Do not
disturb“ Sign.



Instead of overhead bins you see this:



So after a little rest - lets continue eating. With many carriers you probably know the
kind of snacks that is served midflight whenever you are hungry. For this purpose
Etihad has its „Kitchen-Anytime“ menu. Whenever you are hungry you can choose
from the following:

-> Ocietra caviar



-> Steak Sandwich



-> Green leaf Caesar salad

-> Feta, avocado and smoked tomato toastie

-> Honey dijon lamb rack

-> chocolate raspberry sweet pastry tarte

-> Selection of cheese

-> Providore natural ice cream

-> Potato crisps

-> Minced lamb and rice dolmades

-> Smoked black sea salt prawn crackers

-> Baked cookies

-> Swedish crisp breads

-> Arabic baklava

The same items would have been available on the MUC-AUH flight (where i didnt eat
any of it) but i really enjoyed it on the 15 hour flight to Sydney to be able to have some-
thing interesting (and good) to eat any time i wanted.

If you spend all the time eating and sleeping even a 15 hour flight soon comes to its end.



Touchdown in Sydney was on time and i soon went through customs and border control.
When leaving the terminal i almost had forgoten about the limo-service - until i saw a
guy with my name on a shield waiting for me to drive me to my hotel.

And thats how i got to Australia. The whole trip was a very nice experience, and most
important - i arrived well rested to start my vacation.

ARJ85

I had a really great time in Australia, here are a few pictures i would like to share with you.

Of course i also went diving (never did that before - but what better place to start than the great barrier reef) A great experience and so much to see!!


(dont worry - that picture is from the sydney aquarium)

The first two days i stayed in Syndey





Some of my folks think i only went to Australia to take pictures of the opera house







And then i went up the east coast (mostly by plane) to Cairns, stopping in Brisbane, Hervey Bay, Mackay and Airlie Beach on the way.

Fraser Island was really fun







It is really remarkable what such a small car can do (but it didnt stay so shiny white after all i tried)







When visiting Lake MacKenzie i was the only one there - had the whole Lake for myself!



If you are already bored by sunrise pictures - this will be the last - i promise



also visited a few more islands and the rainforest along the way

Some days the weather would change every hour









I also took a train from Cairns to Kuranda



before returning to Sydney for my flight home

dabears1020

Great report so far and beautiful photographs. I can tell you really have an eye for photography, and it's really adding to the whole trip report. Can't wait for more.

JHIN

Great pictures

lols

great pics ! wht camera were you using ?

thx

e.d.

Moomba

Nice report and great pictures. If i wasn't such a status whore I would like to give Etihad a go. Maybe one day when I give up the status race.

Jimgotkp

Wow nice pictures! Really loving Etihad's new Suites.....

FriendlySkies

What a wonderful trip report! One of the best that I have read this year. The photos were fabulous! What kind of camera do you use?!

I look forward to future trip reports from you! ^^^

ARJ85

Actually nothing too special. Most of the pictures were made with my first DSLR - a Canon EOS400D (mostly with a sigma 18-200 1:3,5-6,3 lens and some with a sigma 150-500 1:5-6,3 APOHSM lens) - the rest with a four year old Casio Exilim and a few also with the iPhone.

Funny story: This trip (including the return flight) earned me enough miles so that i now have Silver Status with Etihad. And even better - the month i took that trip there was a promotion that earned me double the miles in business class and tripple the miles in first. So with this trip alone i earned enough miles for a business class return trip to Dubai for example.

Braniff

He posted on January 2 ! I agree it's an excellent photo report.

mattm199

Wonderful pictures, thanks for the TR.