This was published 1 year ago
Airline review: Etihad, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, economy class, Abu Dhabi to Paris
By Ute Junker
Etihad Airways scored Best Cabin Crew at last year's Business Traveller Middle East Awards.
THE ROUTE
Flight EY37; Abu Dhabi to Paris.
THE AIRCRAFT
Economy class on board an Etihad 787 Dreamliner.Credit: iStock
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
THE LOYALTY SCHEME
Etihad Guest is not part of any of the major airline alliances but they do have reciprocal arrangements with a number of individual airlines including Virgin Australia. You can have points earned on Etihad flights credited to your Virgin Australia account, or use Etihad points to book a Virgin Australia flight. New members of Etihad Guest receive 500 bonus points upon joining.
CLASS
Economy seat, 18C (aisle).
DURATION
Seven hours, 25 minutes.
CARBON EMISSIONS
According to Etihad's online carbon calculator, my flight emissions are 387kg, which I can offset for $US5.96 ($8.50) through their partnership with CarbonClick.
FREQUENCY
Etihad flies to Paris daily from Abu Dhabi.
HEALTH
Passengers are required to wear a mask.
CHECKING IN
Etihad offers passengers the opportunity to upload the travel documents required by their destination several days before flying. I upload my documents (in this case, my vaccination certificate and my EU Digital Passenger Locator Form) and receive Ready To Fly status. When I get to the airport, having already checked in online, I join the Ready To Fly bag drop queue. As it is significantly shorter than the other queue, I am through to security very quickly.
THE SEAT
Seats are arranged in three groups of three, and are 17.2 inches (43.7cm) wide with a 31-inch (78.7cm) pitch. I'm in 18C, an aisle seat, with an empty middle seat next to me and, even better, an empty seat in front of me, so I can relax knowing that the seat will not be reclined. Having plenty of personal space makes the flight much more comfortable.
BAGGAGE
20kg of checked baggage, one carry-on bag of up to 7kg plus one personal item, up to 5kg.
ENTERTAINMENT
The entertainment system doesn't get much of a workout on this early-morning flight, with many passengers – presumably as tired as I am from a very early start – dozing most of the way to Paris. For those who can't sleep, a good selection of movies, TV series and albums is available on our seatback screens.
SERVICE
Etihad Airways scored Best Cabin Crew at last year's Business Traveller Middle East Awards and this crew doesn't let the side down. True, with many passengers fast asleep there are no great demands on them, but they are uniformly friendly and efficient.
FOOD
Breakfast is served not long after take-off, with a choice between a breakfast omelette or a pudding cake. Several passengers around me express confusion as to what a pudding cake might be; the crew seems equally uncertain. Most people stay with the safe choice and take the omelette. I skip breakfast but check in with my neighbour, who gives the omelette the thumbs up.
ONE MORE THING
It's not clear why, but we arrive in Paris almost an hour earlier than expected, which is a delightful surprise.
VERDICT
Any flight that gets you there early is a good flight.
OUR RATING OF FIVE
★★★★
The writer travelled at her own expense.
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