Hello, this is my first post. I dont fly long haul that much (3 times a year max), but since my brother has emigrated to Sydney, I will be flying a bit more.

I booked up some cheap Christmas flights to Sydney with Etihad, looking at my itinerary I have a long wait on the way back at Abu Dhabi before my connecting flight back to the UK, 9 hours 45 minutes to be precise.

What would you recommend I do for this time, nearly 10 hours seems like a long time but not long enough for a hotel (and I wouldnt want to leave the airport particularly). As im Coral class, I cant get access to the Etihad lounge (diamond and pearl only) and I really dont want to be one of these people who are laid up across 4 seats outside the departure lounge!

any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to Flyertalk, mabell

I will move this thread to the appropriate forum where you should find answers and posters knowledgeable about the issues you have raised, the Flyer Talk Middle east forum.

Thanks for your understanding and I hope you enjoy being an active part of FT !

Jouy31
TravelBuzz moderator

The Abu Dhabi airport is relatively interesting, but certainly not enough to do for 10 hours. I would suggest leaving. It's about a half-hour drive to Abu Dhabi, with taxis easy and cheap. You could kill some time walking around downtown Abu Dhabi. Check out the Emirates Palace hotel, which is near the Marina Mall.

It's also about a 75-minute drive from the airport to Dubai, so you could easily get there and back and see plenty in your layover period.

I'd allow 90 minutes to get to downtown Dubai, but even with traffic, you have time to see a few things here. Personally, I think Abu Dhabi is prettier, actually. The corniche area is nicely developed and the water is really really pretty there. Plus you can see Emirates Palace, and then check out some of the malls.

ETA: Oh I just realized you meant Xmas 2007 not 2008. Sorry!!