Etihad has always be my carrier of choice. They offer the smoothest and fastest connection betwen SYD and GVA. They also offer the convenience and comfort of a late evening SYD departure which means an arrival in Europe early afternoon the next day. Jet lag is much easily managed that way I find.
This is my 29th sector on Etihad. And my 7th flight on their 777.
Today 777-3XFER A6-ETS operate my flights. It's the 30th 777 to join the fleet and the most recently delivered (Sep 2014). So I will be flying in a brand new aircraft.
Incidentally the inbound flight aircraft just flies over my house as I am waiting for the limousine service. It is a very dull evening in Sydney, with extreme low light condition.
A very courteous driver picks me up. Engaging but discreet. Just perfect. There is hardly any traffic. His car is an audi. Spotless.
I know much more about planes than car so I cannot tell you the model of this audi, but it is a beautiful car.
A quick look at the board, my flight is on time.
photo belongs to The Australian Business Traveller The new Etihad First and Business Class is absolutely splendid. Check the great revue in The Australian Business Traveller http://www.ausbt.com.au/etihad-airways-first-and-business-class-lounge-sydney I had a big lunch that day so unfortunately I am not hungry enough to try the food but it looks devine. There is a lot of amenities. There is even a toilet attendant, just like in AUH !
One metal but many marketed carrier ! Beautiful digital display, replicating the wood of the wall. Clever! Every details counts it seems.
The first sign of Etihad flight re-imagined branding.
My seat is 9K. The seat configuration in Etihad business class is very unique, and has been so for a long while now. Etihad was one of the first airline to stagger seats, so that every seat has an unobstrcuted aisle access. Very smart. However Etihad seat map reproduction can be very misleading. The best seats are any A or K as they are window seat. C D G H are aisle seat and do not offer as much privacy. E and F are conducive to travelling along with someone.
My little private suite. This is the second generation Etihad Business Class product. Much more spacious and convenient than the first generation.
The Business Class Cabin
And again. The flight will be full in business class (and probably full all 3 classes)
Ready to go. 14hours flying time. The screen definition is extremely clear. The IFE works well, however it is sometime challenging to move the arrow on the remove control to get to where you want to go. The choice of movie is decent. There is a few European movie to choose from. Note to the French readers: I watch Mais qu'est-ce que l'on a fait au Bon Dieu et Le Petit Nicolas. French movies is one of the thing I miss the most not living in France any more so I catch up on French movie as much as I can when I travel. The choice of movies overall is acceptable, but lack the variety and quantity of Singapore Airlines or Emirates for instance.
From SYD to the World of Etihad in Abu Dhabi :-) I plan to stay awake for dinner and during the first part of the flight to start my way towards Europe time. It is a quick taxiing to runway 16R. The aircraft rolls down the runway for just about one minute and lift off the ground gracefully. The 777 has used the whole length of the runway due to maximum take off weight. It is one of the most impressive take off. the 777 hardly shook or vibrated. Such a strong solid aircraft. My favorite aircraft.
This is my second ice cream! Well over the Red Center of Australia.
Avoiding a patch of bad weather south of Jakarta
Waking as weve just finished crossing India, after a very comfortable sleep
A very yummy breakfast a la carte is serve, on demand.
The Oman coast line in sight, well, only on the moving map. This is a night flight. Leaving at night, arriving at night, 14h later. Nothing to see through the window.
Preparing for landing
Nearly there.
Flight over any of the Gulf cities is always spectacular. The show of light display is lavish.
Just South of the airport now, before making a right turn for our final approach and landing.
The transit in Abu Dhabi will be covered in the second leg of my trip. To be continued soon…
See more
Verdict
Etihad Airways
8.1/10
Cabin9.0
Cabin crew7.0
Entertainment/wifi8.0
Meal/catering8.5
Sydney - SYD
5.8/10
Efficiency8.0
Access10.0
Services0.0
Cleanliness5.0
Abu Dhabi - AUH
6.0/10
Efficiency0.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.0
Conclusion
Another great flight with Etihad. Expectations met. On time performance impeccable. On board service immaculate, however the crew wasn't as attentive as usual, maybe due to the full load of passengers.
2 LIKESLIKE TO THANK THE AUTHORTHANKS ! FLIGHT-REPORT LIKED
Awesome first report that I was looking forward to reading! EY definitely has a good product and the solo window seats are perfect when travelling solo as you were. Is the picture of the first meal missing? I only see ice cream...unless you made a meal of ice cream, which is cool, LOL. I love there really long flights when you have a good product in Business because it allows you the time to rest and also enjoy the service. I'm more used to short transatlantic flights where you barely have time to sleep. I also like to catch up on recent French movies whenever I fly. It must be a French expat thing :-) The pics are great! just a few tips for future reports: the text is better on this site when it is above the photos as the photos are displayed in larger format and horizontal pics work best.
Happy to officially welcome you to the Flight-Report community and look forward to many more report!
Thanks for your encouraging words both. Will improve as time goes by. Watch out for my next flight reports as I have some flying to do in March... No missing pictures, just not so focused on food pictures to be honest, but will make sure I include catering in my next reports! I have a religious rule, I never drink when I travel, thus no picture of wine nor bubbles....
Gotcha, no worries for pics of wine etc if you don't drink. I have a rule that I drink insane amounts of alcohol when I travel :-P Yeah, taking pics of meals can be awkward at first...it still kind of is to me sometimes. I always use my reading light when the cabin is dark to take food pics so I don't have to use the flash and can be more discrete. In fact I never use flash when doing trip reports.
EY has one of the better looking cabins of the Gulf carriers.
It's interesting that the pillow on board is already of the colors of the new livery.
As Kevin said, only thing missing is catering pictures. The breakfast doesn't look overly compelling. Nothing to see outside the window on these long-haul red-eyes.
Overall, excellent first report with good pictures.
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282 reviews
17 Comments
EY has a very nice product, but not as good as it used to be. I guess even Gulf carriers have to cut some costs ;)
Thanks again for taking the time to write a report !
The pics are great! just a few tips for future reports: the text is better on this site when it is above the photos as the photos are displayed in larger format and horizontal pics work best.
Happy to officially welcome you to the Flight-Report community and look forward to many more report!
Kevin - Community Manager
No missing pictures, just not so focused on food pictures to be honest, but will make sure I include catering in my next reports!
I have a religious rule, I never drink when I travel, thus no picture of wine nor bubbles....
Yeah, taking pics of meals can be awkward at first...it still kind of is to me sometimes. I always use my reading light when the cabin is dark to take food pics so I don't have to use the flash and can be more discrete. In fact I never use flash when doing trip reports.
EY has one of the better looking cabins of the Gulf carriers.
It's interesting that the pillow on board is already of the colors of the new livery.
As Kevin said, only thing missing is catering pictures. The breakfast doesn't look overly compelling. Nothing to see outside the window on these long-haul red-eyes.
Overall, excellent first report with good pictures.
Good performance, as always with EY. Nice pictures also :)
The cabin looks great and I like the new EY livery (same as the pillows)
As Kevin said catering's pictures are missing and the text is better when above the pictures
See you soon for your next reports
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