Trip Report: Abu Dhabi to Manchester Etihad Business Class 787
Etihad airlines has had a run of bad luck lately. It has struggled maintain its once extravagant moniker as 'reimaging flying', and after burning millions on some failed investments (Air Berlin, Jet Airways and Alitalia, we are looking at you) it has had to survive in a very slimmed down form.
Once famous for the introduction of some promising products, like the ultra-exclusive (and exorbitantly priced) A380 Residence, now a Boeing 787 shuttles just once a day from Melbourne, from where I started this journey, and then again once a day up to Manchester.
A strange quirk was I arrived in Abu Dhabi to torrential pouring rain. I did think this some curious novelty, until I realised that the desert based airport, has sunshine 340 days a year, and even a drop of rain causes chaos with its operation.
Disembarking the plane at Abu-Dhabi funnelled me straight into the flight transfer hall. This used to be an easy 5 minute walk, but thanks to Etihad no longer paying for the priority business and first-class lane, everyone was lumped together in one very slow queue. Add to this in the early morning when all the flights land, and the backup went all the way back to the escalators from arrivals, causing the most almighty pileup at the bottom. Compounding the process were quite a few passengers who never seemed to have gone through security before, and the odd way the queue split into three lines: the left most lane went straight to a machine early in the lineup, but the rightmost carried on to the far end of the hall.
Business Class gave absolutely no privileges here. I had over two hours to transfer, and I planned to spend most of that in the lounge. However, thanks to the further security screening in a long tortuous queue lasting over an hour, my aircraft was already showing final call by the time I was through.
Abu Dhabi Etihad Business class lounge at Terminal 3
I was determined to visit, even for a few minutes, the Etihad Business class lounge at Abu Dhabi at Gate 35, just off the main 'spine' of the gates.
Since Etihad shut down, or passed onto a third party operator, all its remote lounges, which were previously lovely, it's the only place to get any Etihad branded perks on the ground. However, I had to fight to gain entry, as the staff were insisting I had to leave 'now' to board my aircraft.
I have reviewed the Abu Dhabi Etihad Business class lounge at Terminal 3 many times before. The only change now is the removal of the spa, and the degraded catering options. Indeed, all food now is served for you at the buffet, and you have to queue behind a rope.
The Etihad Business class lounge AUH T3 is large, with space for over a thousand passengers, arranged in a rather U like shape. Everything is light and bright, but after 18 hours on an aircraft, was still rather disorientating. There is a large dining area, two large buffets, and at the back, acres of seats separated by wooden dividers. There are decent leather sofas from the renowned Italian manufacturer Poltrona Frau, with areas split into several walled off areas, with classy wooden dividers or curtains, which adds to the feeling of space.
As you walk in, the most obvious item is the bar. Right in the centre of the lounge, the large, wide, bar is the core element of the lounge. It was only 6am, local time, but I was determined to grab a quick champagne. I had however reckoned without the slowest barman in the world very, very slowly peeling himself away from a chat with his colleagues, and then wandering off for several minutes to find a bottle.
I went off to the main dining area, and ordered a full cooked breakfast, alas with one of Etihad's famous chicken sausages, and mushrooms which had seen better days. and then had the problem of somewhere to sit. In the main restaurant area are tables with 4 chairs. However, as is usual at this lounge, many solo passengers dumped all their shopping and luggage on three of the seats, and then wandered off, leaving only a few tables for those who wanted to avoid sitting on the floor with their food.
Thankfully the torrential rain continued, and my aircraft was delayed, so I could go back to the bar for cocktails, having a body clock feeling like early evening thanks to my arrival from Australia. Considering it was still now early dawn in Abu Dhabi, I went for a Bloody Mary, which was delicious.
There are high bar stools you can draw up to the bar; it is a great place to sit and watch the passing crowds. True, there isn't that much atmosphere at the bar, sitting on the usual Etihad orange swivel seats, but I was there for only a few minutes before quickly leaving for my aircraft.
Despite the signs now showing 'Absolute last and final call' and an announcement that the last passengers for Manchester must rush to the gate now, boarding hadn't started yet. Again, the usual system at Abu Dhabi of getting everyone into a small holding pen an hour before boarding had caught out almost everyone on board.
Also being caught out, were passengers who didn't have their paperwork in order: there was a checkpoint before you even got to the gate, ensuring you had a (paper) copy of a double vaccine certificate, arrival form for the UK, and a booked PCR test; a bureaucracy thankfully now axed.
With a Business Class boarding card, and priority boarding properly enforced, I was almost the first to board, and walked pretty much straight onto the plane from the lounge, thankfully avoiding an hour on a bench at the gate.
A menu and a wine list are at each seat as you board, and I was offered a glass of lime juice, or a glass of champagne. I chose both, and ensconced myself into the cabin away from one of the windiest wettest days the Emirates has had in many years.
There was a further delay, as no less than 15 passengers luggage was removed from the aircraft, as they didn't have the correct paperwork for the UK. How they'd managed to check in, and even get to the gate without it, was rather beyond me.
For buffs of airline safety videos, Etihad's latest version is an arty shoot at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and inflight prayers.
Etihad 787 Business Class seats
The Dreamliner brings with it inflight WiFi and Etihad's latest 'Business Studio' business class seats. The latter is very good, the former not so.
The Business Studios seats provide direct aisle access for every passenger in a 1-2-1 layout, and have a fully-flat bed stretching up to 200cm in length to cater for taller travellers, although the end of the suite still curves in on one side in a small tunnel going under the seat in front. It has direct aisle access from every seat, a side table for your laptop, and smartphone, plus a side seat cubby hole which has space for headphones and shoes.
Almost all of Etihad's 787s are equipped as two-class Dreamliners configured with 28 Business Studio business class seats, in just one cabin at the front of the aircraft.
Along with a standard reading lamp and mood lighting, there's an elegant side lamp to illuminate the studio with various dimmer settings.
Etihad 787 Economy Class
I wandered back to have at look at Economy Class on the Etihad Boeing 787.
Economy seats are 17 inches wide and have a 31 inch pitch, with a seat configuration of 3-3-3.
This is absolutely standard for an airline, and there is the usual rather large TV screen, split-fold tray table, and a USB charging socket. A novelty is the remote also has a quite large screen, which can show different channels to the main screen, such as the moving map.
At least this isn't one of the shorthall A320: on these Etihad Airways is scrapping seat-back screens fin a cost-cutting exercise and will instead offer wirelessly streamed films to passengers to watch on their own devices. This is, of course, yet another turnaround strategy after years of heavy losses.
Etihad Premium Economy, despite many rumours of a launch, does not exist, and as such the galley separates business and economy class.
Etihad Business Class amenity kit
Alas as this was a short daytime flight, of a flight of less than 10 hours, there was only a basic amenity kit, and no pyjamas.
The Acqua Di Parma amenity kit, in eye popping yellow leather - looked the part, but alas didn't have all that much actual content. There was an eye mask, ear plugs, basic wool socks and the famous 'signature fresh fragrance' which was a wiff of cologne.
I also found there were shaving kits and combs available in the bathrooms, which were really rather swish, with a nice tiled effect around the basin.
Etihad Business Class meals
While we were waiting for passengers who didn't have their vaccine certificates to be offloaded from the flight, the crew came through and asked what we'd like off the menu. Later, I noticed they phrased it quite carefully, in terms of 'do I have a preference' for my meal selection, not what I'd like to eat, as there were only a few of each dish loaded.
On the menu today was a mixture of breakfast, and brunch type snacks for those, like me, who had already spent most of the past 24 hours flying.
After take off the menu was:
Bakery and yoghurt with mango compote and crunchy granola,
A bowl of fruit.
Mains
- Cheese omelette with chicken sausage, asparagus rosti mushrooms and tomato jam
- Foul medames with manakish, sumac labneh and halloumi
- Lamb and goats cheese tart
- Brioche French toast with candied orange
Before Arrivals
- Steak Sandwich
- Tandoori Kebabs - Saffron, mint and yoghurt marinated chicken with chutney
- Bombolotti pasta with ratatouille, mozzarella basil and capers
- Chocolate mousse cake with ganache
Haagen Dazs ice cream
Pretty quickly after take-off we got into much calmer weather over the Gulf, and then flew north over Iraq, with spectacular views over the Zagros Mountains. The snow as we flew west of Mount Dena, nearly 15,000 feet high, was quite spectacular.
I started off with the traditional croissant, before having the yoghurt with mango compote and crunchy granola, and then a bowl of fruit slices.
It went nicely with a very good Cappuccino, and an orange juice.
Next up was the main course, with Ethiad's famous foul medames.
These are a popular Middle Eastern breakfast recipe that's made with cooked fava beans and cumin, then topped with a garlicky, lemon olive oil sauce. It was very different to the Medames on Qatar which was tailored to more Western tastes, but good never the less.
The Manakish, is a popular Levantine food consisting of dough topped with thyme and cheese. I found this a little lacking in flavour, however the halloumi in the middle of the salad was great.
It was the same for the sumac and the Middle Eastern soft cheese, labneh. It may not look it, but it was quite a big meal, and lasted me until we were well into Turkey.
Etihad Business Class drinks and bar service
The wine list on Etihad has been heavily slimmed down in the past few years. There is now just one signature cocktail, one type of Champagne, and two types of red and white wine, plus a desert wine and a port.
The list included
Bellini with Brut prosecco with white peach pulp
Champagne: Duval Leroy Brut Reserve
White wine
- Chardonnay Journeys End Stellenbosch South Africa 2019
- Two Tracks Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough New Zealand 2020
Red wine
- Bordeaux Blend D de Dauzac France 2016
- Shiraz Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Lieu dit Malakoff from Pyrenees in Victoria Australia 2015
Dessert wine
- Nederburg Nobel late harvest South Africa 2020
- Dows Colheita Port Portugal 2002
Etihad Bellini Copyright lux-travellerThe Bellini was fantastic, with lots of flavour However the champagne was rather pedestrian, and the Wither Hills Two Tracks Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand is a typical $11 in Dan Murphys or £5 in Tesco type of white. Clearly, Etihad are not pushing the boat out.
Etihad Leffe Blonde beer Copyright lux-travellerLooking for something with a little more flavour, I tried the beer. Etihad have Leffe Blonde on board, in cans, along with the more pedestrian Heiniken and Carlsberg.
Etihad 787 Inflight Entertainment IFE
The noise reducing headphones are great. Alas, live television, which was advertised as being available on this flight, just didn't work, and the crew confirmed it was inoperative on this flight.
Etihad Business Class IFE Copyright lux-travellerTo go with the noise cancelling headphones, each seat has a large, high definition, 21-inch video touchscreen, which is genuinely good. There is also a large remote, with a screen as well: this can show the inflight map.
Next to this is the power socket, and a USB charging socket.
Etihad Business Class seatback TV screen Copyright lux-travellerThe Etihad Airways IFE film selection is vast with 100 movies, lots of TV series, music, and games. However, I have heard some passengers saying there isn't that much to watch: that's because you have to explore through the A to Z list to see what is loaded. It is quite hard to see and find a film you want. If you just scroll through the Blockbusters section, there are only a dozen listed, and you have to delve into the submenus to see everything that is available.
Etihad Business Class IFE Copyright lux-travellerIt is well worth while doing so, because hidden away are several arthouse British films which otherwise would be hard to find. There is also an awful lot of dross, and films from two years back being listed as 'new'.
Etihad makes much of it's comfy pillow in Business Class Copyright lux-travellerThere is Wifi on board, however in Business Class you now have to pay for it. It totally failed to work for me: Etihad were very happy to take my 10 US dollars, but then refused to refunded it for service that just did not work.
You can also use your mobile to make calls or send messages as you would on the ground.
I found this came through as a direct charges from my mobile service provider at about double to a normal international roaming rate. It's really quite odd to be snoozing away on the patterned Etihad pillow, and then someone starts to natter away on their phone. Previously airline cabins were a haven away from hearing someone else's conversation, and this is a development I really don't approve of.
Etihad Business Class second meal
A couple of hours further along, and still some way out from Manchester, lunch was served, or rather as the crew called it, the light snack. And it certainly was light. It was also hard to get. Even though I was sitting half way through the cabin, most of the main choices had already been taken by the time I was asked for my options. Clearly Etihad no longer over cater. Instead, the options were Kebabs, or going hungry.
Etihad Business Class meal Copyright lux-travellerHowever, small though they looked on the plate, the Tandoori Kebabs were great. There were three types, with saffron, mint and yoghurt marinated chicken.
Etihad Business Class meal Copyright lux-travellerAlong with it came two little bowls of pesto and chutney. Adding to the slightly back streets of Manchester feeling was the rather odd bag of crisps added to the tray.
Etihad Business Class meal Copyright lux-travellerDessert was served at the same time, with chocolate mousse cake with ganache. That too was lovely, and paired very well with the light sweet Nederburg Nobel late harvest South Africa 2020.
Etihad Business Class 787 review
All too soon we began a slow decent to Manchester over the English Midlands. Etihad no longer give you a lavish treatment when you are on a flight, but it gets you where you want to go in some style, with most of the perks you expect with minimal fuss. Certainly the hard product - the seats, the planes - were ordered before Etihad tightened it's belt, and it's good to see the Abu Dhabi-based airline is still using them, despite years of heavy losses, and major cutbacks across the board.
Etihad Business Class 787 seat Copyright lux-travellerI'd arrived on what is now a once a day flight from Australia, with a seat booked using Virgin Australia miles: that doesn't come with some of the perks you expect, such as Etihad's once touted chauffer cars for business class passengers, and even the old Etihad lounge at Melbourne is now run by Swissport. I was, as you can imagine, getting quite tired by Manchester, after having spent nearly 24 hours in the air, at various airports, after linking with a domestic flight before the long haul to even get to Abu Dhabi.
Manchester, Hilton Hotel view Copyright lux-travellerHowever, it's good to see that although Etihad airlines has had a run of bad luck lately, and it has struggled maintain its once extravagant moniker as 'reimaging flying', it is still trying hard. It's survival, even in a slimmed down form, is impressive, and the fact that it does so with a quality seat and aircraft is even more remarkable.
See the full Trip Report: Abu Dhabi to Manchester Etihad Business Class 787 video:
Trip Report: Abu Dhabi to Manchester Etihad Business Class 787 video Click to play
Lux-traveller paid its own way for this Trip Report: Abu Dhabi to Manchester Etihad Business Class 787, and travelled incognito.Trip Report: Abu Dhabi to Manchester Etihad Business Class 787 Lux-traveller.com rating:7 out of10 
Seats: 8 - Fantastic, lot of space Food: 5 - OK, not the best Service: 7 - Decent, not exceptional IFE: 7 - Fine, with some decent content
- Nederburg Nobel late harvest South Africa 2020
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