After spending 2 days in Abu Dhabi, It was time to make my way home via Doha to fly on the world’s longest flight to Auckland. From Abu Dhabi, there’s only really Etihad or Qatar to choose from. If I’m leaving from AUH I’ll always choose Etihad so I can enjoy their First Class Lounge.
The flights to Doha are usually from Terminal 3 and require a bus to take you to the aircraft. There’s a separate bus for Business Class guests and the cabin was only half full making it a quiet flight.
Etihad’s A320’s feature 16 Business seats in a 2-2 configuration.
Etihad A320 Business Class
For this flight, I choose 4A and due to the light load, the whole row was empty.
Etihad A320 Business Class
The seats are well cushioned and have a pitch of 49” and a width of 21”. If there’s one complaint about the seats, It would have to be the lack of foot space. It’s probably 10 centimetres high and basically impossible to store any bag under there.
Etihad A320 Business Class
There were 2 crew members for Business and they were quite friendly but rushed which is understandable for a 50-minute flight. They came around to offer newspapers and a pre-takeoff beverage along with a hot towel. I went with the lemon and mint juice.
Etihad A320 Business Class
Our departure out of Abu Dhabi was fairly quick and we made our way to the cruising altitude of 25,000 feet.
Etihad A320 Business Class
The seats feature an IFE screen which comes out of the centre armrest, In-seat power which is right at the bottom of the centre armrest and a USB port in the IFE screen itself.
Etihad A320 Business Class
The seating controls are found on the side armrest and they have a pretty decent amount of recline. Fun fact, There’s one A320 in the fleet with lie-flat seats.
Etihad A320 Business Class
There’s also more seat controls on top of the control panel and next to the tray table.
Etihad A320 Business Class
Here’s what impresses me most about these short Business flights. You’re served a snack/meal and they even do drink refills, that’s damn impressive!
Etihad A320 Business Class
They were little sandwiches with various meats in them and for dessert, a salted caramel tart was offered which was really tasty.
Etihad A320 Business Class
As soon as I was handed the food, the decent started and you have to eat quickly or the crew will take it away from you. I do feel for the crew especially on a full flight as it’s non-stop for them.
Etihad A320 Business Class
And soon after we landed in hot Doha, surprisingly at a gate.
Overall
These flights are Damn expensive which is why I always use an Amex travel credit for them. The flight is too short to enjoy watching or listening to anything but it’s quite an enjoyable experience.
