As you could probably tell by now, I am a huge Etihad Airways fan, so when deciding how I was going to get home from Washington, I immediately looked at availability out of IAD. As luck would have it, there were first seats available which I immediately booked with 115,000 AAdvantage miles. I also found first available to Brisbane and used AA miles again. This would mean I would be spending 26 hours in these seats, Awesome!

I arrived in Washington from New York with a short connection so I couldn’t visit the lounge for long. Etihad starts boarding an hour before departure, so I boarded close to when I arrived.

For this flight, I selected 2A which is a forward facing seat.

The seat feels very spacious and very private at the same time. The seats are an upgraded and modernized version of the suites on the 777, A340 and A330.

The seat has an ottoman which can also be used a seat for another passenger dining with you.

I absolutely love the first blankets!

The seat is 26 inches wide which is great for sleeping and lounging on.

On the right side of the seat, there is a storage area, lighting controls, and the IFE controller.

This side is also where you’ll find the panel for more light settings and IFE controller.

This is where you’ll find the various reading materials and headphones.

On the left side of the seat, this is where you’ll find your chilled minibar and storage space.

I love that Etihad’s in-seat minibar is chilled, something their opposition doesn’t do.

As I settled in I was brought a welcome tray that consists of water still or sparkling, a welcome letter signed by the cabin service manager (very nice touch), a hot towel and some dates.

Menus were also brought to the seat.

This was my second time on the Etihad 787 but first time in first, so I started to look around and discover the aircraft.

The in-seat hangar is a great feature on the seat especially when you’re wearing shirts and coats that crease easily.

The 787 cabin only has eight suites making it very private and exclusive. The two window seats are backward facing while the aisle is forward and row 2 is the opposite.

The middle seats have a divider which is great for couples traveling together or if you’re solo and want added privacy.

Pyjamas and an amenity kit were brought to the seat as I sat back down. I was excited to find that the kits feature the new Omorovicza products.

The new Omorovicza products are quite nice, but I had a huge soft spot for the previous Bergamotte 22 products.

Etihad has two lavatories in the first class cabin.

The lavatories were always kept clean when I visited.

The bathroom also housed the new Omorovicza products.

I went back to my seat, and we started taxiing shortly after.

You can tell Etihad are very happy with their recent awards, they definitely do deserve it.

We quickly took off and reached our cruise altitude of 39,000 feet, pretty impressive! The crew brought a tray which had a coke, olives and warmed nuts. I decided to watch the election live which was more interesting in the air.

Sadly I didn’t get photo’s of the menu but here are the meals I had.

For the starter, I had the duck.

Sorbet to cleanse the pallet for the main.

For the main, I had an Authentic Gulf Lamb Biryani.

And for dessert, I had Strawberry, Coffee, and Chocolate Ice cream.

After the brilliant meals, I decided to get some sleep as I would need it!

I had around 6 hours of comfortable and deep sleep which proved to be vital for the long journey.

They call them suites for a reason, closed doors 😉

The cabin was dark, but this was a long exposure of the cabin.

After waking up from my sleep, I was feeling pretty hungry, so I decided just to have some light pastries and water. You can really feel the difference flying on the 787, waking up to no dry mouth and throat is fantastic.

Shortly after having the pastries we started our descent into Abu Dhabi. I love waking up to mood lighting, and this felt great.

Bottom Line

I still think Etihad are an incredible airline and they improve every time I fly them, the service and quality are always top notch and I always have amazing flights while onboard their aircraft.