TechnoOenology

Had to give a talk in Sri Lanka last week and decided to check out Etihad since there's not much about it here on Flyertalk (or elsewhere). They were having a special offer in first class, which they call Diamond (business is Pearl, and economy is Coral).

Check in at LGW was instantaneous, and very courteous. Offered to escort me to the lounge, but as they use the Delta Crown Club in North Terminal I knew my way already - but a nice offer. Delta Lounge was ok, but poor selection of newspapers and reading material. A continental breakfast was set out and tasty, and the lounge lady at the desk always seems very cheery and helpful there. Flight called quite early and then a bit of sitting around at the very distant gate. First class were boarded first (unlike some earlier reports of a scrum - suggests Etihad listen to customer comments). Shown personally to seat, and offered to hang jacket and put case away. Wide range of fruit juices and champagne (Veuve Clicquot vintage 1996) offered, range of newspapers (mainly Arabic). Whilst we pulled away from the stand we were offered dates and Arabic coffee, which was a nice touch.

We left the ground precisely on time, and were offered menus. Interestingly, there were no amenity kits offered at any stage, and certainly no pyjamas. I managed to get some eye shades for one of the later sectors but nothing fancy. I'm so used to getting eye shades and ear plus that I don't bring my own any more so this was a negative.

Seating was 2-1-2 in the airbus A340-300, 2-2-2 in the A330-200, and 2-1-2 in the 767-300 (an old Varig-branded plane judging by the safety belts). Strange to have a difference between the two Airbuses, but oddly enough the A330 seemed to have by far the most roomy cabin, despite more seats per row. Only two rows of seats in the 767 and A340; three rows in the A330. In all the aircraft, the row one seats are set too far forward, so at full recline, the legroom is slightly impaired. The row two seats are ridiculously far apart, so there's plenty of room to ease row one back a tad. The best seats were the middle single seat on the 767, with 5 windows of leg room! All chairs reclined to practically 180 degrees, but were still like sleeping on a chair, because they don't have the flat bits of the BA or VS type seat. Still, pretty comfortable for a short sleep. Personally, I sleep much better on the completely flat, even if tilted, version, as I tend to lie on my front or side.

All service on all flights was individually served, with no trolley ever seen. Three staff dealt with the first cabin, and were all extremely polite, but slightly nervous (hope that's not just me!). All main meals were five or six courses long, I've just put one here as an example. All were beautifully served, with fresh roses or orchids on each plate setting. Helpings were generous, and the food was generally spicy/fusion style, rather than classically flavoured.

Full range of cocktails and drinks + selection of canapes, followed by...

Chicken liver mousse with foie gras, served with smoked apple relish and raspberry dressing, OR
Arabic mezze, a selection of traditional Arabic mezze with hummous and tabouleh tartlet, baba ganoush, labneh, vine leaf, spinach and cheese fatayar.

Then...

Tom Yum Kum, mildly spiced Thai broth of shrimps, chicken, lemon grass, mushrooms, limes, leeks and coriander

Then...

Lobster Italiano with Mississippi wild rice, pesto flavoured lobster with seasonal carrots, green beans and wild rice, OR
Arabian chicken provencale, grilled chicken with onions, leeks and garlic flavoured with olive oil, accompanied by lyonnaise potatoes and saffron rice, OR
Thai beef salad, tangy slices of beef with papaya, carrots, spring onions, cucumber and radish blended with Thai herbs, OR
Middle Eastern Mixed Grill, Persian lamb chop, kofta kebab and chicken, served with harra sauce, roast potatoes and accompanied by a spice flavoured basket, OR
Thai seafood salad, medly of hammour fish, Gulf shrimps and crab meat, seasoned with Thai herbs, served with assorted lettuce and red capsicum

Then...

Chocolate dome surprise, sweet lemon and papaya mousse coated with fine Swiss chocolate served with passion fruit coulis, OR
Charlotte Blanc, pistachio, mint and mango mousse with a puff pastry ring dipped in white chocolate served with a slice of strawberry.

Then...

Selection of international cheeses with grapes, dried fruit and crudites, OR
Selection of fresh fruit

Then...

Arabic pastries and chocolates

The wines were:


Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin Vintage Reserve 1996
Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseigneres 2002
Sancerre la Bourgeoise Vieilles Vignes 2001
Salitage Chardonnay 1999
Chateau la Garde Pessac-Leognan 1999
Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Les Frionnes
Possums Vineyard Shiraz 2001

The Etihad lounge in Abu Dhabi was small but very welcoming. This is a fully serviced lounge, so people will bring champagne etc to you on request. The buffet was the most comprehensive I've ever seen in any lounge ever: eg: full range of sandwiches, selection of canapes, selection of salads, selection of sushi, three hot meals, selection of fruit, cheeses, nuts, etc. All drinks however are brought to you - no help your self - that said they were most forthcoming, so no rationing going on. There were at least six (working!) computers with fast internet connections to use for free, TV in one corner, and views of the airport from the large windows. This lounge is available for both business and first class customers, but was very quiet with only a few passengers. Showers were available, and they would hang jackets and look after bags etc for you if you wanted to look round duty free.

Diamond service extended to arrivals in Colombo at least, since it was a bus to the terminal. However, first class pax got their own bus, and were individually escorted through passport control. Bags were ready and waiting on the belt - at last priority delivery working! The only downside was LHR, when first pax bags came off last, and we were left waiting for over an hour for our bags. Apparently if you are boarding or departing at ABU they have a private limo service, but this doesn't apply at other cities.

Overall, an excellent new service, and at the price, something I'd happily use again. Pity they're not in one of the big teams yet, as I'd have liked some frequent flyer points...

oopsz

Sounds very, very promising! I've heard etihad is in rapid expansion, it will be interesting to see how their service fares. With luck, they won't have the same growing pains as emirates has.

neil36

Sounds good,but I dont like the closeness of the seats in the middle especially on the A340-500.I have never flown with Etihad ( my wife has) and judging by the pics that I have seen on airliners.net,I wasnt impressed.And no amenity kit either.Well I was choosing between Etihad,Emirates,Qatar or Gulfair and choose Qatar because they are a 5-star airline and the seating and service onboard impressed a lot and the price was within budget ( Business Class).Very much looking forward to flying with them next year ( HKG-DOHA-LHR)

fly747first

I highly doubt Etihad will ever defeat Emirates or closely reach the same levels of expansion of Emirates. While I like Etihad, it lacks the creativity and vision of Emirates, although I do give the former tons of credit for introducing a great business class flat bed.