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Etihad Airways – Abu Dhabi, UAE (AUH) – Beijing, China (PEK) – Flight EY888 - Flight Review

Not Impressed

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Etihad Airways - Abu Dhabi, UAE (AUH) - Beijing, China (PEK) - Flight EY888: We had heard so much about Etihad Airlines and had been looking for an excuse to give them a try, so when we booked our trip to China we decided we could go to Abu Dhabi for a few days and then fly to Beijing from there. First Class was not offered on this flight from Abu Dhabi to Beijing so we booked the next best thing, Etihad's Pearl Class (Business) . Our flight was scheduled to leave Abu Dhabi at 10:00 PM and arrive in Beijing at 9:50 AM local time, making it an almost 7 hour and 30 minute flight. (Click here to read our Abu Dhabi resort and restaurant reviews and click here to read our Beijing hotel and restaurant reviews.)

Check-In: Since we had spent a few days in Abu Dhabi we were going to have the chance to experience and review the full Etihad Airlines experience from check-in and the business class lounge, to the flight and arrival in Beijing.

We arrived at the Abu Dhabi International airport and had the driver drop us at the designated Business Class entrance where we were quickly met by a bellman that collected our bags and escorted us to the Business Class check-in counter.

The check-in process was fast and simple and in less than ten minutes, we were on our way through security, immigration and off to Etihad's Business Class lounge.

The Lounge: Read our full review of Etihad's Business Class Lounge located in Terminal 3 coming soon.

First Impressions: After a short say in Etihad's Business Class Lounge, we waited at the gate which was located just a short distance from the lounge. Boarding started exactly on time and the Etihad departure crew announced for business travelers to board first. Somehow I got the impression this was not common practice with Etihad Airlines in Abu Dhabi, but we took advantage of the opportunity and boarded the virgin to me, Etihad Airlines plane bound for Beijing.

Once on board, I was happy I had the extra time to board. The layout of Etihad's new Business Class cabin was one of the oddest setups I have ever seen; and the lack of assistance from the flight attendants did nothing to make it easier to find our seats.

As we found our seats, I was happy we had made the extra calls to reservations and studied the seating charts closely before requesting and confirming our seats otherwise my travel partner and I would not have been seated close together.

The Cabin: Etihad's new Business Class cabin has a sort of 1 x 2 x 1 configuration, but the seat maps and even the description from the agents over the telephone were misleading.

In the first row, there is one seat by either window and then two seats in the middle, very, very close together (I couldn't imagine flying with a stranger in the seat next to me).

The next row has two seats by the windows and the middle seats separated by the foot area of the seats in the row behind. The staggered seating makes it very important to choose the right seat number correctly. If you are traveling with a mate and want to be close (very close) together, pick seats E and F otherwise you will be far away from your traveling partner (although sometimes that isn't all bad). If you want to be alone, pick any other seat.

The seats are very tight with a width 20" and when you lay flat to sleep, plan on rubbing legs with the person next to you (if you are in an E or F seat). And trying to get out of the seats when it's in the lie flat position is nearly impossible; you need to be part gymnast, part contortionist and little lucky to get out of them. To get of them gracefully is impossible.

The lighting on the plane is modern and easy on the eyes, a cool, relaxing ambient lighting.

The easy to use seats recline into a flat bed, but offer very little room width wise. The built in massage function of the seat does not offer much extra comfort. It's a nice concept, but I found it useless.

The ample TV screen located above the foot stool is conveniently located so it's out of the way, yet easy to see. The selection of movies and TV programs is more than enough to keep anyone occupied.

The Flight (Service/Food/Drink): Once we were settled in, the flight attendants came around with Champagne (Champagne Jean Milan Millenaire), water and juice followed by newspapers and magazines (only after we requested them).

As we waited for boarding to finish, the flight attendants handed out Ferragamo amenity bags chocked full of all the usual goodies plus a small bottle of Ferragamo cologne.

As we enjoyed our Champagne, our coats set in our laps. So much for the first-rate Etihad service we were anticipating. Don't they sell themselves as leaders in the industry? Finally, just before take-off, they came to hang our jackets and get our after take-off drink orders.

Once we were airborne and on our way (after a 30 minute delay) the flight attendants sprung into action bringing us our drinks and starting the dinner service.

Etihad's dinner menu started with Cajun wood-fired prawns with black bean cakes, coriander and sour cream, and French onion soup with chive and goat's cheese dumplings, and gruyere croutons.

The main courses were Middle Eastern chicken breast with dried date, green olive salsa and tomato passata; Beef chow mein, Cantonese casserole in soy sauce; Steamed bok choy and egg noodles; and Butternut pumpkin and eggplant curry with steamed white and brown wild rice. Each of the dinners was served with organic five-leaf salad.

Dinner was followed with a selection of cheese, and a selection of sweets and fruit for dessert.

In addition to the dinner menu, they also offer a Kitchen Anytime menu which was available anytime during the flight and had items like a steak sandwich, assortment of sushi, crisps, baked cookies and Arabic baklava.

We both thought that the beef sounded the best, but they only had six and by the time they got to me they were out of them. Apparently everyone thought the beef sounded the best. I tried the prawn appetizer and Middle Eastern chicken main dish.

After taking our orders they brought out each person's order out on a tray; with one hand they try to set the table while balancing the tray of food in the other hand. It was awkward and clumsy looking; it surely was not an impressive performance. More than once my flight attendant almost spilled the tray.

Finally with my dinner firmly on my table I dug in. The shrimp was ice cold and smoky tasting. I sent it back it was so bad. The Middle Eastern chicken breast was adequate but far from impressive. My travel partner had the beef chow mein and he said I wasn't missing a thing. What a disappointment. Had we known dinner was going to be this big of a failure, we would have had a proper dinner before going to the airport.

Service throughout dinner was so slow and spotty to the point I had to use the call button multiple times to get service. This was not the picture that Etihad Airlines' marketing and advertising paints! We fully expected more from Etihad Airlines.

The wine list was far from stellar as well, just one Champagne, two whites, two reds and one dessert wine. The Etihad Business Class wine list is as follows:

Champagne Jean Milan Millenaire - Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs NV

White wine:
Laboure-Roi Meursault Blac - Clos De La Baronne 2005 - Burgundy, France
Staete Landt Sauvignon Blanc 2005 - Awatere Valley, New Zealand

Red Wines:
Chateau Batailley Grand Cru Sieme Classe 2004 - Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
Langmeil Earthworks Shiraz 2007 - Barossa Valley, South Australia

Dessert Wine:
Gramp's Botrytis Semillon 2006 - Barossa Valley, South Australia

Japanese Beverages:
Kubota Senju, Tokubetsu Honjozo - Niigata, Japan
Nambu Bijin, Takubetsu Junmai - Iwate, Japan
Tantakatan Shochu - Asahikawa, Japan

Halfway through dinner they ran out of Bordeaux, so I had Shiraz. I find it hard to believe that with only two different red wines they could not have stocked enough to last through a whole flight.

After dinner I put the bed into its lie flat position and crawled under the blanket and put my head on the almost full sized pillow and drifted off to sleep.

Before we landed they offered a variety of breakfast dishes (Danish pastries croissant, muffins, cereals, banana pancakes and fresh fruit to name a few) but because of the long flight, time change and beginning jet lag, breakfast was the last thing on my mind. I opted for water, one must stay hydrated, and an energy drink. The energy drink was so thick and chalky tasting it took more energy to drink than it was worth.

Arrival: We deplaned around 9:45 AM (landing on time) and by 10:30 we were through immigration and had taken the train over to the arrival hall to retrieve our bags. By 10:45 we had made our way to Air China and we were checked in for our domestic flight to Hangzhou.

Overall Impression The Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi to Beijing was very disappointing. I had very high expectations for Etihad Airlines but our flight was similar to an economy flight, that is, except for the lie flat bed (which was just too narrow to have truly enjoyed). Based on this flight experience, as airlines go, Etihad Airlines is just another airline that presents itself as a high-end airline offering superior service, but in the end is nothing more than a means of transportation from one point to another. My rating for this Etihad Airlines flight number EY888 from Abu Dhabi to Beijing is Between Bombastic and Not.

Additional Information:
Flight Time: 7 Hours and 20 Minutes

Airline Partners:: ANA (All Nippon Airways), Bangkok Airways, Brussels Airlines, Jet Airways, Oman Air, Sri Lankan Airlines, Ukraine International Airlines,

Airport Codes:
Abu Dhabi, UAE - AUH
Beijing China - PEK

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