Review: Etihad Airways – an Excellent Flying Experience
Etihad Airways are one of the lesser known Middle Eastern airlines but they are one of the most popular airlines for flights from Asia to Europe. I flew on Etihad Airways recently from Bangkok to London round-trip and it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had flying.
I booked the flight online after doing many searches for affordable flights to Gatwick airport in London. Flights to England are very expensive nowadays due to the taxes the British add on, plus the very high gas surcharges, so finding a cheap flight wasn’t easy. I searched for about 2 weeks before finding a flight from Bangkok to Gatwick via Abu Dhabi. Where other airlines were charging over $1,000, Etihad had a flight with perfect flight times for only $878, which was quite a large saving. I did some research and found several websites that had very positive customer reviews for Etihad’s international flights, so I booked the flight.
Before even leaving, I was already happy with the airline because it had the exact times I needed available. I was meeting my parents in London for a quick stopover and then onto Spain, and I wanted to arrive at Gatwick around the same time they did. The Etihad flight arrived 25 minutes before their flight from New York. Perfect!
The flight from Bangkok left in the early evening and I was deliriously happy when I got on the plane to find out I would have all three seats to myself for the entire flight. Then, when the flight actually took off on time, I had already guessed it would probably be a nice flight. After take-off, the flight attendants came around with hot towels and glasses of water or orange juice followed by headphones to watch the movies.
But, not just movies were available on the flight. The plane had personal screens on the back of the seats in front of you, so you could watch any movie you wanted (and they had a great choice of movies) about 50 TV shows, play computer games, learn a foreign language, listen to a huge selection of music and much more. I was in seventh heaven.
The first meal arrived soon after this and it was excellent. One of the nicest meals I’ve had on a plane. I had chicken, which was perfectly cooked, and which was served with beautifully cooked vegetables and rice. There were also cheese and biscuits, a salad, fruit and a lovely dessert. After the first meal, I was looking forward to the second meal – which, when it arrived was just as delicious as the first. They also offer a fabulous selection of meal choices – vegetarian, hindu, muslim, diabetic, low-protein, high-protein, gluten-free, peanut allergy, non-lactose and about 20 other choices. Etihad has the best meal choices of any airline I’ve ever flown, there really is a food choice for everyone regardless of any restrictive diet you might have.
They also have a prayer room available for Muslims who have to pray several times during the flight. They even had a section on the entertainment menu which told you exactly what time it was and which direction Mecca was in so, if you prayed, you knew which way you should face.
We had a layover in Abu Dhabi, which was the only disappointing part of the trip. Abu Dhabi is Etihad’s hub, but it’s a very pokey little airport that’s absolutely crowded and smells like a chimney. Smoking is allowed in the airport and, because it’s a tiny building, it collects in huge clouds all over the place. I had a latte at a little café that had about 10 non-smoking tables. There really wasn’t much point though as I just ended up sitting in a haze of smoke coming from every direction.
Luckily, the layover was less than an hour and a half and we were soon on the connecting flight. I’ve never been so glad to get out of an airport in my life.
On the second leg, from Abu Dhabi to London, the flight was just as perfect. A lovely breakfast was served and, just like on the first flight, the flight attendants were fabulous. Very polite and friendly and very helpful, one brought me an extra little snack when I just simply asked her a question. They all had lovely smiles and looked like they were enjoying their jobs.
All in all, all my air flights on Etihad were wonderful. The staff was super friendly and helpful, the planes (especially the bathrooms) were kept beautifully clean, the entertainment choices were awesome, the food was excellent, and the flights were all on-time and all problem-free. I can’t recommend Etihad enough, and will definitely be booking a flight with them the next time I fly to Europe.
