As previously mentioned, this leg through AUH was an awards redemption to position for my return flight. In the process, I was lucky to fly in Etihad's new first class suite aboard their 787-900 from IAD-AUH. Suffice it to say, I wish the flight was 10 hours longer.
But first, domestic AA F on a good ole mad dog. You're all familiar, so I won't linger here.
And the chilled beef & salad (and linens!), which was nice and light pre-Etihad lounge.
Landed at IAD with plenty of time to spare, I think it was a 4-6 hour layover to be exact. I was totally ok with that considering Etihad built a lounge at IAD for their once daily flight, and although small, it's pretty nice.
I got to the lounge and they were cleaning up after a recently departed Saudia (they let their premium passengers use it) flight. For awhile, I was the only passenger there. I explored and found the shower suites--I hadn't planned on showering in the lounge, but hey, why not. It was probably the best shower I've had in an airport...Definitely beats the suites in the Concorde lounge at LHR.
The food was pretty good. They had various light options in the salad bar area. There is also a full service menu which offers several options. I ended up with a lentil soup (that was fantastic) and a shrimp dish. Pics are below. Moved back to the couch area and finished off with some turkish coffee and dates. A little later, we were given the option to board and having spent quite awhile in the lounge (and drinking a decent amount), I opted to board the plane right away.
Entrance to the EY lounge at IAD
Shower suite in EY lounge
Lounge has direct access to the plane. The beautiful Dreamliner was parked at the gate
Some items I had from the salad bar
Menu
Shrimp dish
Post dinner
Dining area
Lounge area
With regards to the lounge food, I would eat something lighter as the food on the plane (in F) was actually very good. Just my opinion.