This is the first post in my UAE and Qatar itinerary series. It was my first time trying a premium cabin on one of the Gulf carriers, so I was very excited!

Check-in

When checking in for the preceding flight, CZ8784, I wasn’t able to get my Etihad boarding pass there. In fact, the ground staff had apparently never even heard of Etihad Airways. It seems China Southern and Etihad did not have a partnership, so my bags also had to be collected in Beijing and checked again. When I got to Beijing to check in for the Etihad flight, the lines were very long, and even the business class line moved slowly.

BGS Premier Lounge Review

PPS members can also access this lounge, but only the business class side. The business class section is on the right, and the first class section is on the left. The lounge itself is quite large and comfortable, but the food was fairly average. There were only two hot dishes: kung pao chicken and stir-fried vegetables. That may also have been because I arrived fairly late, at around 11 p.m.

Beijing to Abu Dhabi (PEK-AUH) on EY889 in Business Class

Aircraft

The aircraft operating this flight was a B781, with a total of 32 business class seats. The seats alternate between forward- and rear-facing. If you’re traveling solo, I’d recommend choosing a forward-facing window seat, either A or K. If you’re traveling as a pair, I’d also recommend the forward-facing seats, since they’re closer together: E and F. My seat was 6K, and privacy was excellent.

I was still very excited while boarding, and the over-the-top luxury vibe hit me right away.

Seat

The forward-facing seats offer better privacy, though it’s hard to capture that effect from the aisle
I took this photo of a rear-facing seat before the passenger in front boarded. Privacy is a bit worse, but you can tell there’s a lot of overall space and plenty of storage
There’s a small compartment on the left that’s handy for a water bottle or for storing your glasses while sleeping

Once seated, I realized just how much legroom there was. You also can’t really see the passenger in the middle section, so privacy is excellent.

This light is very stylish. It can switch to the smaller reading light above, and it automatically turns off when the seat is fully flat
Plenty of legroom
The screen is large and very responsive
This storage area on the left is height-adjustable and can also be used for storing items
Evian water and noise-canceling headphones

Amenity Kit

The amenity kit was from Acqua Di Parma, the Italian fragrance brand, and included items such as perfume samples and hand cream.

Dining

This flight took place during Lunar New Year, so the menu had been specially updated for the holiday. Since it was a late-night flight, there was no formal full meal service. Instead, the airline offered an all-day dining menu, meaning you could order whenever you wanted.

I slept for a while first, then ordered some food after waking up: chicken fried rice, fennel tomato soup, fruit, and ice cream. The fennel tomato soup was especially good, and the chicken was very tender.

For breakfast, I chose the stir-fried beef, which was nice and tender.

Etihad Arrivals Lounge

Etihad does have an arrivals lounge, but it’s very small. You can take a shower there, though the food selection was fairly average.

Final Thoughts

The experience on this Gulf carrier was very good overall. The flight was only about 9 hours long, though, so after sleeping and eating a bit, we were already there, and it honestly felt like I hadn’t had enough time to fully enjoy it. The hard product was excellent: extremely private and very spacious. Add a sliding door, and it would feel a lot like Qsuite. Service was also very polished, and I was very satisfied overall. If I had to pick one drawback, it would be the arrivals lounge, which felt a bit too small, though there usually weren’t many people there anyway.

Series Articles