Yet another Gulf carrier has taken to the skies in a big way. With the start of daily Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner services on 1 August, Etihad Airways has raised the bar for luxury travel with ground-breaking First Suites, Business Studios and Economy Smart seats that offer a superior level of comfort and elevated inflight experience.
Etihad Airways’ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner seats 235 guests – eight in First Class, 28 in Business Class and 199 in Economy Class. The décor and lighting on board the aircraft is inspired by contemporary modern Arabian design, complementing the airline’s ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi’ design identity introduced in late 2014.
First Class guests experience luxurious private suites with a large, Poltrona Frau leather-upholstered seat and ottoman, a personal wardrobe, chilled mini-bar, a 24-inch TV monitor and centre seats that can be joined to create a double bed. There is even a professional on-board Chef to prepare fine cuisine for First Class passengers.
First Suite
Business Class guests enjoy the comfort and space of the airline’s new Business Studios, each offering direct aisle access, a fully flat bed of up to 80.5 inches in length, and a personal 18-inch touch screen TV with noise-cancelling headsets. Food and Beverage Managers, handpicked from some of the world’s best restaurants, oversee the service of a ‘dine anytime’ a la carte and snack menu in the Business Class cabin.
Business Studio
In Economy Class, the innovative Economy Smart Seat provides enhanced comfort with a unique, ergonomic ‘fixed wing’ headrest on each seat, a 32-inch seat pitch and a generous 6-inch recline. Passengers can enjoy more than 750 hours of on demand entertainment on a large 11.1-inch HD screen with an intuitive interface and video touch screen handset.
Economy Smart Seat
Travelling with kids? Families in all cabins enjoy a helping hand from the airline’s specially trained Flying Nanny, a member of the cabin crew who is on hand to offer assistance with children’s meals and activity packs.
These guest experience innovations are complemented by the Dreamliner’s DNA – the commercial aviation industry’s largest windows; air that is cleaner, more humid and at a higher pressure for better comfort; large overhead stowage bins; soothing LED lighting; and technology to sense and counter turbulence for a smoother ride.
Etihad Airways flies daily to Singapore. It introduced its award-winning First Class to the route on 1 June 2015 with the deployment of a three-class Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
