Review - Etihad Airways First Class B787-9 New York Kennedy to Abu Dhabi

EY4 JFK-AUH

October 7th, 2024

Check-in:

My flight from Miami landed shortly after 6pm, so I made my way from T8 to T4. I haven’t transferred between terminals at JFK in many years, and I hope to not have to do that for many years to come.

I booked this ticket somewhat last minute - 5 days before departure. American Airlines had wide open availability in Etihad’s first class, with 3 seats showing bookable. Etihad operated 2 daily frequencies between Abu Dhabi and New York, with one served by an A380 and the other by a B787-9. Unfortunately, first class redemption on the A380 was pretty much impossible. I hadn’t flown with Etihad since 2015, so I figured it’d be fun to see how the airline was holding up, especially after the airline abandoned its ambitious growth plan.

I spent 115,000 American Airlines miles and $5.60 for this flight, which I’d consider to be an excellent deal. Nowadays, American Airlines miles are way less useful, with redemptions in Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways business class being scarcer than a non-matte black G wagon. Therefore, I was happy to make a dent to my stack of AA miles before the inevitable devaluation at some point in the future.

While Etihad was once an airline with lofty visions, the airline had since toned down its expectations after years of mounting losses and the Royal Family of Abu Dhabi no longer willing to light cash on fire.

First Class Check-in by Etihad Airways at JFK

The deterioration in quality was felt the moment I approached the check-in counter. Like, there wasn’t even a welcome mat for first class. What in the Ryanair is going on here?

Since there was no mat for the first class counter, I didn’t enquire about an escort through security. I figured I’d be ridiculed for posing such a question.

Lounge:

I don’t want to beat a dead horse, so for the disappointing lounge experience, head over to my lounge review here.

Boarding:

Boarding commenced with the wheelchair choo choo train being rolled down the jet bridge, given many passengers were connecting to India. On top of that, Etihad’s priority boarding lane included first and business class passengers, as well as frequent flyer elites. So the boarding area was quite hectic.

Upon boarding, I was directed to make a left. You know, not to be nitpicking, but usually you get escorted to your seat if you’re seated in international first class. I passed the front mini business cabin, which was showing its age.

Etihad Airways B787-9 Business Class Cabin

I don’t ever recall seeing business class seats being crew rests on a B787-9 before. Does anyone know why Etihad did this?

As I got to the first class cabin, the purser walked by and noticed I was taking pictures of the cabin. Instead of greeting me and offering to show me around, she told me to make sure that there was no crew in my pictures and went on her merry way. Now that’s a warm welcome!

At first glance, I thought the cabin was quite stylish and private. I chose seat 1K, a rear-facing window seat.

The leather seat was spacious and plush, while the colorful lumbar pillow added a pop of flair to the cabin. The suite felt contemporary and well maintained, even though it had been around for almost a decade.

The monitor was substantial and crisp, especially for a non-4K.

Under the buddy seat was a storage area, which was sufficient enough for a Rimowa cabin.

I do like Etihad’s aesthetics. The red wall and the lamp were sexy. And thank goodness for the individual air nozzle.

As you can see, the suite was private even with the door open.

Last in the seat was the minibar, which Etihad definitely plagiarized from Emirates. For a review on Emirates first class, check out here.

Awaiting at each seat was a pair of noise-canceling headphones. These weren’t branded, and they were okay.

Etihad Airways First Class Headphones JFK-AUH

First class passengers received a voucher for unlimited free wifi, which would’ve been a nice perk back in 2019. It’s certainly nothing to slobber over nowadays when free wifi in all cabins is becoming the norm.

Etihad Airways First Class WiFi Voucher JFK-AUH

Pricing was otherwise reasonable for the whole flight.

Unlike other first class products that usually present menu and wine list in leather binders, Etihad’s first class menu and wine list looked like what you’d find in a business class.

Moments after settling in, the first class flight attendant for my aisle came over to offer a pre-departure drink. No one ever stopped by to introduce themselves, nor was I ever addressed by name at any point. Credit where credit’s due - the way Etihad served the pre-departure drink was classy. The picture below speaks for itself.

Etihad Airways First Class Pre-departure Drink JFK-AUH

Etihad served the 2016 vintage of Billecart-Salmon. While not the most lavish first class champagne, I do love Billecart, so I was happy with it. Another kudos for serving the good stuff on the ground.

I was then provided with a pair of slippers, pajamas and a beautiful folio-style amenity kit. Everything was in collaboration with Giorgio Armani.

Etihad Airways First Class Pajamas and Slippers JFK-AUH

Etihad Airways First Class Amenity Kit JFK-AUH

The products within the amenity kit were from ESPA, a high-end British skincare brand.

Towards the conclusion of the boarding process, the flight attendant came around to offer Arabic coffee.

Etihad Airways First Class Arabic Coffee JFK-AUH

We pushed back with 6 out of the 8 first class seats occupied. On the morning of departure, AA still had three seats available for award bookings. I’d imagine most of the passengers were on an award ticket like me.

Inflight:

Once airborne, service was extremely slow to start. It wasn’t that big of a deal on this flight, given its length. My table was set roughly 50 minutes into the flight.

Etihad Airways First Class Dinner Setup JFK-AUH

A minor observation - I feel like it would be a tight squeeze for two people to dine at this table. Don’t you think? I guess you can use the area to the side for additional space…

For apéritif, I ordered a vodka martini, knowing I’d be having some caviar. The breads deserved a special shoutout, as they were warm and luscious.

Etihad Airways First Class Dinner Caviar JFK-AUH

The ossetra was from a UK brand named Gourmet House. On its online shop, a 1-oz tin retails for £46.80, which seems like a decent deal. Airlines of course purchase in bulk and receive massive discounts. The caviar itself was from Poland. I haven’t had much luck with Polish caviar, and this one was no exception. It just wasn’t creamy enough for my liking. The flight attendant did proactively offer another round, but I politely declined.

For my appetizer, I chose the herb marinated prawns with sakura cream, avocado, teriyaki sauce and wasabi. This was very good - the shrimp had an optimal firmness to them, and how did the avocado stay green???

Etihad Airways First Class Dinner Appetizer JFK-AUH

To cleanse the palate, I was served the best thing of this meal - an orange peel sorbet. A chef’s kiss was truly warranted.

Etihad Airways First Class Dinner Palate Cleanser JFK-AUH

For my main course, I went with the Chilean seabass with zatar mousseline, leek and asparagus. The fish texture was agreeable, albeit a bit bland.

Etihad Airways First Class Dinner Main Course JFK-AUH

Lastly, it was a hazelnut and dark chocolate cake for dessert. I mainly ordered this so I could indulge on a glass of port, which was the 1992 vintage of Dow’s single harvest tawny.

Etihad Airways First Class Dinner Beverage JFK-AUH

Etihad Airways First Class Dinner Dessert JFK-AUH

Overall, Etihad’s catering was cognate with industry standards. Passable, I’d say.

After dinner, I checked out the first class lavatory located at the front of the cabin. Dreamliner lavatories are hardly anything to get excited for, but this was nice enough, with cloth hand towels and a sleek design. There was no special amenities in the lavatory.

Etihad Airways B787-9 First Class Lavatory

The flight attendant had turned down my bed for the night. I found the seat to be much more comfortable than the first class seat on Emirates, as there was just much more space all around.

I tossed around for a few hours and gave up, even though the sleeping conditions were quite conducive. Well, it’d be bedtime again by the time we land in the UAE.

As we were jetting across Saudi Arabia, the flight attendant came back to offer breakfast. I started with a mixed berry smoothie.

Etihad Airways First Class Breakfast Beverage JFK-AUH

The breakfast menu was rather weak, with the only real option being the omelet. I decided to just customize something from the lounge & grill menu.

Etihad Airways First Class Breakfast Setup JFK-AUH

The lounge and grill concept on Etihad was essentially a casual take on a steakhouse - you choose grilled protein and some sides. I opted for the tenderloin with pommes frites and a piece of grilled seabass, just to see if it was the same as the seabass main course at dinner. It was, lol.

Etihad Airways First Class Breakfast Main Course JFK-AUH

The steak looked less dry than it tasted.

To accompany the red meat, I had a glass of 2020 Domaine des Sénéchaux Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I should’ve known better not to get a Châteauneuf-du-Pape but…

Breakfast was concluded with another hot towel, as well as a box of chocolates.

Etihad Airways First Class Breakfast Hot Towel JFK-AUH

On Arrival:

We landed at Abu Dhabi’s new terminal on schedule, and within minutes I was through passport control and customs, thanks to the fast track for first and business class passengers.

If I were to summarize the Etihad B787-9 first class experience in the most succinct way possible, I’d say it’s something you’d redeem points for but not pay cash for. Disclaimer, though - I consider the first class on Etihad’s A380s to be a totally separate product, as the seats themselves are different.

Service was, in my opinion, the weakest aspect of this flight. It just wasn’t refined, at all. I’ve noted several points earlier, but here are some more examples. I asked for a dry martini, and the flight attendant confirmed that I preferred it dry. When the martini came, it was dirty. Ok, not groundbreaking since a good martini is hard to come by under the best of circumstances. The service was excruciatingly slow. There were only two people (including me) having dinner after takeoff, and it still took 50 minutes to get the first drink and two hours for the main course. Plates would sit on the tray table forever before they were cleared. Same issue with the second meal - it took a whole hour for the food to turn up after ordering. You saw the pictures. It was nowhere near the most elaborate meal ever served in the sky. When I pushed the call button, it took over 7 minutes for someone to show up. Oh, and the flight attendant completely forgot my wine with the fish during dinner. I believe it’s common practice to staff two flight attendants for an 8-person cabin first class. However, the two flight attendants on this flight were struggling to serve 6 passengers.

Whining about airlines is kind of the crux of this blog, so if you’re gonna bring up how there are more important issues in the world to worry about, this ain’t the place dawg. What this flight made me ponder was Etihad’s identity issue. It’s obvious that the UAE doesn’t need two Emirates. So what is Etihad’s role in the shadow of a much more powerful brand, and what is the need for it to offer first class? The sheiks have their own planes. I’ve been told Etihad’s new business class is competitive.

Anyway, to reiterate my point, if you have miles to burn, go for it. I mean, it’s still better than business class. Now that I think about it, I feel the same way about BA first class. If I have to pay cash, I’ll probably just fly its business class. But if I can find availability with points, then why not.

Review - Etihad Airways First Class B787-9 New York Kennedy to Abu Dhabi

EY4 JFK-AUH

October 7th, 2024

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Satay Away