On Etihad Airways, the business-class experience is about to get even better.
The airline located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, unveiled on Monday the eagerly awaited new cabins that will be fitted on its newest batch of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
In particular, Etihad will equip the aircraft with 32 brand-new business-class pods and 271 economy seats in a two-cabin layout.
Flyers will probably be impressed with the Collins Aerospace Elements suite product that Etihad placed in the forward cabin. The Super Diamond product that Etihad already offers on its Airbus A350-1000 aircraft is the foundation for these pods, but they add a number of bells and whistles that elevate them to the status of the airline's best business-class seat.
A taller privacy door, additional storage spaces, a 17.3-inch 4K entertainment screen with Bluetooth connectivity, and a bigger, more roomy bed are among the enhancements.
In economy class, passengers can anticipate a 3-3-3 configuration that is usual in the industry as well as 13.3-inch 4K entertainment screens with Bluetooth and a USB charging outlet.
The addition of Ka-band Wi-Fi from Viasat, one of the fastest and most dependable inflight internet systems in the sky, is a further exhilarating boost.
Even though this new business-class product has been a well-kept secret for almost a year, it's great to see Etihad finally make it official. The information was released just a few days after Starlux Airlines, a new premium airline from Taiwan, started transporting this good to America.
The Elements package was first used by Starlux, and flyers, including myself, are already raving about it. I've taken practically every type of business-class seat available, and I'd say this one is among the nicest in the world. This is fantastic news for Etihad's first-class travelers.
The Elements suite offered by Etihad isn't as roomy or as technologically advanced as the one offered by Starlux, though. Both the touchscreen seat-control panel and the enclosed storage closet were not installed by Etihad; instead, merely a drawer was provided. Additionally, compared to the 24-inch TVs on Starlux, the 17.3-inch TVs on Etihad are much smaller.
Unfortunately, Etihad will only be able to install its new cabins on upcoming Dreamliners—three of which are scheduled to arrive in the third quarter of 2023. 32 additional Dreamliners have been ordered by the airline in total. 39 Dreamliners currently in the carrier's fleet will continue to operate with their legacy, above-average product because no upgrade program has been announced for them.
For passengers who are seated at the pointy end of the aircraft, Etihad has now introduced an improved onboard experience.
This includes more reasonable Wi-Fi prices as well as tableware and bedding from the renowned Armani/Casa fashion brand. These improvements are currently available on all of Etihad's current aircraft and will be added once the new Dreamliners are delivered.
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