Etihad 787-9 vs. A380 Business Studio
 

Hey Guys,

I have seen quite a few review of Etihad's new A380, but not much yet in the way of the 787. I will be flying on the 787 this summer from IAD and wanted to see if anyone had a review or summary of what to expect with the new business studio.

- Is it the exact same as the business studio on the A380?
- I know pajamas are now offered in J. Any thoughts from anyone who has them?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

The Business Studio is pretty much the same on both aircraft. I haven't really seen any trip reports of it even for the A380.

I'm flying IAD-AUH in a couple of weeks so I'll let you know!

This is a review for A380 Business Studio - http://thedesignair.net/2015/02/22/t...february-2015/

@Speedbird - That sounds great! Can't wait to hear your thoughts.

Re-visiting this old thread to get more recent thoughts. While the business studio is the same on both aircraft, is the service better on the 787 given the A380 has 70 business class seats? Or does it not matter since there are a sufficient number of FAs to handle 70 passengers on the A380? I have the option to fly AUH-IAD on the 787 or AUH-JFK on the A380, wondering if there is any reason to choose one over the other. Perhaps the A380 because of the lobby? Thank you in advance for your help.

I've flown EY J on a number of long-haul trips and must say I find the service on the "smaller" business classes generally better. I have never been on the 787, but glad to say will be doing A380 to 787 on an upcoming trip in May. Probably not helpful for you though!

Having said that, the best / most consistently great service I have found is on the DUB - AUH or AUH to DUB flights. Compared to A380, it's a lot better. The only thing I can put it down to is that I was on a 77w two configuration on the DUB - AUH / AUH - DUB, so J is basically the top class on that, rather than the middle class on the A380s. However, sometimes it's luck of the draw with service. I've had great crews on the A380 coming out of SYD too (and some just OK crews too). At the end of the day, the hard product is excellent, and if you do need things, just push the call button. You are paying for it after all!!

I've done both a lot lately, much prefer the 787 personally, The service isn't as good on the A380, and the cabin doesn't feel as private. If you can see past the upper deck, useless lounge and general gimmick of the A380, the 787 is the way to go.

I Also agree only rarely is the service better on the A380 than it is on the 787, i find the smaller cabin on the 787 nicer and the crew just generally more relaxed and more friendly on the 787. The A380 lounge is only useful if your traveling with a group and want to have a chat. Also based on my experience IAD is a far superior airport to arrive into/depart from that JFK, even more so it your transiting.