Airline: Etihad
Flight Number: EY64 and EY65
Plane: Boeing 787-9
Cabin: Business Class
Seat: 5A (both flights)
The Flights
This is my review flying Etihad from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi and back in Business Class on the Boeing 787-9.
EY64 leaves Heathrow at 13:55 and lands in Abu Dhabi at 00:50.
Whilst EY65 leaves Abu Dhabi at 10:30 and lands in Heathrow at 14:30.
There are multiple options available to/from Heathrow with Etihad in the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380, but this I picked for various reasons – including the fact I wanted to spend a fair bit of time exploring Etihad’s lounges.
Checking In
Etihad depart from Heathrow’s Terminal 4 – which is a bit of an irregular terminal for me!
Despite this, the check in process was very easy with very enthusiastic staff who gave me clear directions to the Lounge.
As I was connecting, there was no check in required in Abu Dhabi – but I hear that their Business Class check in is absolutely excellent.
The Lounge
In Heathrow the lounge available is the Etihad Lounge, which I found excellent. You can find my review here, but it’s a great lounge and I found the dining to be fantastic, which was an a la carte service.
In Abu Dhabi I visited the Etihad Business Class Lounge, which I have reviewed here. This was an exceptional lounge – but interestingly didn’t have a la carte dining unlike the Heathrow lounge.
The Plane
Both of these flights were operated by Etihad’s Boeing 787-9. Etihad operate 2 layouts of the 787-9, one with First Class and one without. This plane did not have First Class. Seemingly, like Qatar Airways, Etihad do not operate a Premium Economy service.
The layout of this plane is 28 x Business Class seats and 271 Economy seats.
The Seat
On both of these flights I was sat in 5A. The Etihad Business Class seat is very good indeed! It’s not quite as good a Q-Suite but very spacious. I have reviewed the seat in more depth here, but here are some pictures of my seat.
In short’ it’s a very spacious seat, with plenty of space to eat/sleep/work – but there are some improvements that could be made, such as privacy.
Food and Drink
Drinks
On both flights, before takeoff, Champagne was offered (along with water, or orange juice). I went for a champagne which was very nice. Again, drawing comparisons to Qatar Airways – Etihad didn’t offer the 10 x pre-departure drinks Qatar do.
Once we’d taken off, I took a beer, which was served with nuts. Unfortunately my beer was warm – so I sent it back for a cold one!
Etihad have a good range of beers, wines, liquors, soft drinks and even cocktails!
Food – LHR -> AUH
One of the things about this flight was that the Cabin Crew were insistent that dine on demand wasn’t an option and that dinner would be served shortly after takeoff. This seemed a little odd and not per Etihad’s policy, but I nevertheless accepted the position.
For starters, there was a choice of:
- Arabic Mezze
- Smoke salmon
- Potato and leak soup
Having had the soup on another flight, I knew it would be a solid choice, so went for that. I have to say it was very good!
For mains there was a choice of:
- Stone bass
- Chicken supreme
- Lamb Biryani
- Pene Pasta
I decided for various reasons to go for the pasta, which I really enjoyed.
Desert options included:
- Treacle sponge pudding
- Chocolate creameux
- Ice cream
Desert for me was a bit of a debate (I wasn’t sure about the chocolate creameux), so I simply ordered some ice cream and cookies – which was technically from the all-day menu.
The good news however was that due to lack of privacy, I was able to spy on my neighbour and get a picture of his chocolate creameux! I was glad I went for the ice cream!
Once dinner is done, Etihad also offer a variety of ‘all day’ options, these options included:
- Steak sandwich
- Club sandwich
- Mixed lead salad
- Fresh fruit
- Ice cream
- Cookies, chips, madeleines and baklava
I was proactively offered something from the all-day menu – but I was pretty stuffed, so carried on the drinks, which were served with crisps and cookies!
Food – AUH -> LHR
Despite a 10:30 departure, Etihad were offering a lunch service. This was good, as I don’t ‘do’ breakfast. Unlike my LHR -> AUH flight, the Cabin Crew did proactively offer dine on demand.
To start the options were:
- Arabic Mezze
- Buratta
- Butternut squash soup
Having previously enjoyed Qatar’s Arabic Mezze, I thought I would try the Etihad version…… sadly this was disappointing!
Main courses available were:
- Beef short ribs
- Seabass
- Chicken biryani
- Ricotta tortellini
I thought I would try the Biriyani, but sadly this was also disappointing. The chicken was chick thighs, and they were not sadly not great at all! Ultimately, I left most of it.
For desert, the options were:
- Cheese
- Chocolate fondant
- Blueberry mousse cake
- Fruit
- Ice cream
I went for the chocolate fondant, and had a ‘side’ of ice cream. This was good!
As usual, Etihad offer an ‘all day’ selection, which on this flight included:
- Samosas
- Mozzarella pumpkin salad
- Steak sandwich
- Fresh fruit
- Ice cream
- Cookies, chips, madeleines and baklava
I didn’t really fancy anything from this menu, but fortunately there was some spare cheese, which I had with a glass of Port towards the end of the flight!
Amenities Kit
On my flight from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi I was offered an Amenities Kit which had:
- Eye mask
- Lip balm
- Hand cream
- Ear plugs
- Toothbrush
- Hydrating spray
On the way back to Heathrow, I had a different looking Amenities Kit, but with identical contents.
Entertainment
The entertainment was the same for both flights offering a wide range of film, TV, music, games – and of course the flight map. I have to say I found the selection absolutely excellent.
The TV is a good size for the seat, and I have no complaints there either!
Wifi
Both of these flights offered Wifi.
Wifi could be purchased for $9.99, or priced at 1,200 air miles. There is a more basic free package, which is messaging only.
On my way back from Abu Dhabi I elected to use my Miles to use the Wifi and have to say it was great. One good feature is that you can use multiple devices (although not at once), which meant I could use my phone as well as my laptop.
Cabin Crew
On my Heathrow to Abu Dhabi, I found the cabin crew to be slow and somewhat standoffish. The drinks service was slow, the meal service was annoying that they refused (for whatever reason) to offer dine on demand. That said, the Cabin Crew were still friendly. One annoyance I did have was that I was told I didn’t need to re-check security for my connecting flight, when I actually did.
My Cabin Crew back to Heathrow were much more helpful. I was even thanked for my loyalty and coming back to Etihad – despite being an Etihad nobody! The Cabin Crew were far more proactive and helpful on this flight.
Again, in comparison to Qatar Airways, they weren’t outstanding.
Landing
Landing in Abu Dhabi was easy. It was a long walk to anywhere and I had to re-check through Security, but after that, it was a short walk to the gate for my connection.
Landing in Heathrow was also easy, albeit also a bit of a long walk. I waited around 15 minutes for bags, which by Heathrow standards isn’t too bad!
Conclusion
Etihad is obviously in competition with Qatar Airways and Emirates.
For me, I feel that whist Etihad is very good there are many factors and technological edges that, for example, Qatar have over Etihad. A good and simple example is the simple ability to pre-order food.
Etihad is still a great option, with great drinks, good food, good cabin crew and a great seat. I’d be more than happy to continue flying with them – although they may not be the ‘best’ Middle-Eastern carrier compared to the competition.
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