Etihad today introduced its new Boeing 777-300ER two class planes on the Gatwick to Abu Dhabi route. The first of these planes was introduced three weeks ago on the Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt route, so we got onboard to see what UK travellers have in store.
The first surprise when boarding Etihad’s new Boeing 777-300ER planes is the seat and its configuration. The formation comprises a total of 378 seats in a two class configuration, business (Pearl) in 1-2-1, and Coral (Economy) in 3-3-3 (as opposed to ten across in Emirates). The business zone has 28 seats made by French company Sogerma, transforming into a 1.85m bed. Most refreshing is the staggered layout, which means that even in a window seat you have direct access to the aisle without having to disturb or step over the person sitting next to you, since they are some way in front and have their own cocoon which does not move forward or back. If you want to sit with a colleague, then it would be best to request seats either side of the aisle, though the footstool doubles as a seat allowing chats during a flight.
At first, the seats feel narrow, partly because of this staggered effect, and partly because there is a gap of several inches between the straight edge of the seat and the curved fuselage of the plane. The seat has a permanent foot rest / seat with some storage space underneath (though not for landing or take off), a permanent 38cm screen in front and very clear quality. Below the TV screen is a sliding hatch containing an Ethernet port for Connexion by Boeing as well as two USB sockets and the yellow, white and red audio and visual sockets. These permit ‘Plug & Play’, allowing you to plug several different devices (video camera, game console, still camera and portable DVD player) into the RCA plugs. The seat has three positions – upright, relax and bed, as well as the option of lumbar support and various massage options. It also reclines so that the seat area meets the footrest to become a fully flat 1.85m bed. This makes it only the second carrier to offer a horizontal (as opposed to lie-flat bed) to the Gulf region after British Airways, with Virgin Atlantic about to join the fray at the end of this month with its Upper Class product on the London to Dubai route. It also leaves customers waiting for the response from Emirates, which still has its ‘old’ seat on the London route (though its ‘new’ one in business is not lie flat or horizontal). Only in the new first class such as that on the Dubai to Sydney route will you be able to be fully horizontal.
Other improvements include mood lighting to create specific ambiences, supposedly to help jetlag, though on this occasion it was impossible to test, this being a daylight flight from Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt with a time change of only 3 hours. There is also a new entertainment system, which after initial confusion, proved useful, with a stated 30 films, 16 hours of TV programming, 24 hours of audio programming, 25 audio CDs and 26 interactive games. For business travellers the main attraction may well be the Connexion by Boeing throughout the plane, as well as the seat power for laptops requiring none of these fancy adaptors, and actually powering the laptop rather than just slowing the rate of discharge from the battery. For daytime flights, it is perfect since the Connexion by Boeing switches on automatically at above 10,000ft, and for a charge (£15.50 for 24 hours) you are fully connected. Several passengers in the business cabin were using voip phones, and I managed a couple of calls without any problems, though cabin noise can mean it is advisable to have headphones and a microphone for this in order to clearly hear the person you are calling.
There are a few teething problems. The table, which folds into the side of the seat in front, is too far away to be really useful for work, and this review was typed with the laptop on my lap, with the table used for holding notes. A steward confirmed that there have been customer comments about this, and perhaps Etihad will respond with a design alteration. The table position is fine for eating, since having to sit forward means avoiding the potential pitfall of rolling individual items of food, complete with sauce down your front. But for prolonged work – the sort envisaged by the seat power and the Connexion by Boeing service, the table is too far forward for comfort. Still, these are quibbles – if only more airlines offered the choice. And you wouldn’t have this problem in economy, where the wifi works, and the table is easily close enough, though with a seating configuration of 3-3-3 and a generous seat pitch of 84cm it is hardly cramped.
The food on this flight was particularly good – the same style of menu as out of London, but with better quality and taste, perhaps a reflection of the food being boarded in Etihad’s home and its hub? The wine list seems to be consistent, with the same choice on this Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt as we had on the London to Abu Dhabi leg a few days earlier.
Etihad currently has direct flights daily from London Heathrow Terminal 3 to Abu Dhabi, double daily on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It also flies daily from Gatwick North Terminal and, from March 27 will fly daily from Manchester.
Considering that from Abu Dhabi, all passengers, whether economy, business or first can have a complimentary transfer to and from anywhere in the UAE (if pre-booked), then the possibilities for this route are clear with regards to Dubai. At the end of this month Virgin will begin flying direct to Dubai, making a total of over 100 flights weekly from the UK to Dubai and another 24 flights with Etihad to Abu Dhabi. Price competition promises to be fierce, especially since Etihad, as well as purchasing five Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, has also ordered 24 Airbus aircraft – four A340-500s, four A340-600s, 12 A330-200s and, four double-decker A380s.
