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Etihad unveils latest first class seat

4 Jul 2006 by business traveller

Passengers flying from London Heathrow and Paris CDG to Abu Dhabi with Etihad can now sample a revolutionary first class seat which rotates and reclines.

The Diamond Class seat is installed on Etihad's brand new Airbus A340-500s which began flying between the Gulf and Europe last weekend.

It sets new industry benchmarks. One of its most innovative features is the ability to rotate 180 degrees enabling passengers to hold meetings, dine and converse with one another. Each seat also features a 23 inch personal LCD video screen.

Says Peter Dunkin, Etihad's GM for the UK and Ireland, "we are extremely proud to be introducing the Diamond Seat as it fully upholds our ambitions to offer the highest standards of in-flight hospitality."

Each Diamond Seat is fitted with a privacy shell and has direct access to the aisles, allowing passengers to move freely around the aircraft with the maximum ease and convenience. It reclines into a fully flat bed.

The seat also has fold-and-swivel meal tables, an integrated personal mirror, pneumatic lumbar support, reading light and desk lamp.

Etihad is marketing the new Diamond Seat aggressively. Based on flights taken in mid-July, the carrier's website displays a return fare of £2,288 compared with the equivalent British Airways first class fare of £3,546.

Etihad's new A340-500 has 240 seats with 12 in Diamond (first), 28 in Pearl (business) and 200 in Coral (economy class). The business class seats fitted to this plane are also state-of-the-art. Pearl zone seats are fully lie-flat and come with a 15 inch LCD video screen.

Passengers wishing to sample the A340-500 will find it operating on daily flight EY304 departing Heathrow for Abu Dhabi at 2115. It also operates daily on flight EY303 which leaves Abu Dhabi at 1330 on most days of the week (on Monday EY303 departs at 1305 and on Friday at 1325). The A340-500 is also featured from Paris CDG on flight EY334 (daily except Tuesday) at 2215 for Abu Dhabi. The inbound service EY333 departs Abu Dhabi daily (except Tuesday) for Paris CDG at 1330.

For more information go to etihadairways.com

Report by Alex McWhirter

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