BATHROOM

Proving size was really the theme of the experience, even the bathroom was huge:

I took a quick glimpse of the stairs, just to confirm that we were, in fact, on the 2nd floor:

ON-BOARD BAR

Before turning in for the night, we walked around the cabin to explore the on-board bar.

The bar is situated on the top deck of the A380 aircraft, in-between First and Business class:

It was completely empty when we made our way over.

We were a bit dismayed to find that the bar wasn’t stocked as it normally is due to Ramadan, but you can certainly lounge in the area. A flight attendant came over and said that she’d be happy to discreetly make us a drink of our choice in the galley and then bring it in.

The bone-dry bar

The sitting/lounging area was very nice and had seating for 6. We took a few pictures and then headed back to our seats for bed.

THE SEAT – SLEEPING CONVERSION

Having had plenty of food and drinks for one day, we decided it was time to catch a few zzzzs. The flight attendant swiftly converted the suite to sleeping mode while we got ready for bed in the bathroom.

We returned to find the sofa portion of the seat folded down and nicely made up with comfortable sheets and pillows. One of the coolest parts is that, if the divider between the apartments is lowered, our beds were basically touching, so we had the illusion of sleeping in the same bed, which is a nice option if you’re traveling together.

While in the bathroom, we took the opportunity to change into the provided pajamas which was the perfect decision before hopping into the lavish bed.

Pajama time!

The bed is huge and is advertised as 6 feet 10 inches long!

SHOWER

About 3.5 hours before departure, the flight attendants realized that I was awake and came by to announce that I could have a shower whenever I wanted. I let her know soon after and she set off to prepare it. If one is offered the opportunity to shower at 6+ miles high in the sky, there is no choice but to take advantage.

The shower area was loaded down with Bergamote amenities:

Here are a few poor quality photos, sorry in advance:

Pretty crazy and surreal to shower in the sky. The bathroom is large enough to change in and there’s a hairdryer stocked there, too, so the shower is a comfortable experience.

INTERNET

After taking a refreshing shower, I enjoyed a cappuccino and did a bit of computer work.

I purchased Internet for the entire flight for $21.95 and found it to be quite fast and very usable! A quick speed test rendered download speeds of ~4.5 Mbps but upload speeds of only 0.17 Mbps, good thing sending emails and browsing the internet mostly relies on the download speed.

The sun was up and the rest of the cabin began to stir:

DINING/MEAL SERVICE – “BREAKFAST”/LUNCH

With just a short time before touchdown, the flight attendants came around to set our tables for the final meal service.

Instead of “breakfast”, we wanted to better adjust to Melbourne time and thus ordered more of a lunch since it was around 4 pm Australia-time after all.

We started with a tray of freshly sliced fruit.

And a Bloody Mary, because “why not?”

We each ordered a soup, the “Spinach and Green Lentil” and “Green Pea and Mint Soup”. The pea soup was fine but we found the lentil to be much better. The “cripsy Arabic bread” that it was topped with was delicious, though.

McCown tried the Chicken Breast with “zucchini, fava bean, and lemon risotto.”

I ordered the Gulf Mix Grill with “Mint tikka, lamb kofta, markook roll, muhamarra with labneh” and it was certainly one of the highlights of the onboard dining.

And the most depressing part of the flight was that we didn’t get to see much of the sun as it was already setting as we made our approach to Melbourne.

SERVICE

Excellent service. I think it can be attributed partly to the fact that there were only a total of 4 people in the entire cabin.

At the press of the button, someone is by your side in just a matter of seconds.

You feel like they are almost just there for you (again, because only 4/9 seats are used on this flight), but nevertheless, very professional, friendly and helpful.

And, just like that, our 14+ hour stay in the First Apartment was over as we deplaned in Melbourne.

BOTTOM LINE: Although a 14+ hour plane ride seems like it would drag on forever, this flight literally passed like lightning – we couldn’t believe we were already in Australia! Flying in the first apartment was one of bucket list items (and really, the main reason why we picked Australia as our destination – to have the longest amount of time on-board) and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

The post Etihad A380 First Apartment – Flight EY 460 Abu Dhabi-AUH to Melbourne-MEL – Part 2 first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

BOOKING

We booked this bucket list flight using American Airlines AAdvantage miles for a total of 60,000 miles; this was before a major AAdvantage devaluation and now the flight would cost you 100,000 miles for the one-way route from the “Middle East” region to the “South Pacific” region. Furthermore, since we both have the Barclay AA credit card, we got a 10% rebate, driving the total price down to 54,000 miles + ~$79 in taxes each for the ~$6,300+ flight. We got even more value than that though since we arranged a 23 hours stopover in Melbourne-MEL before continuing on to Townsville, Australia-TSV in Qantas Business Class.

CHECK-IN

We were able to take advantage of the free Etihad Chauffeur Service from the Park Hyatt Dubai to Abu Dhabi International Airport for our Etihad flight.

Our (free!) chauffeur service

The trip took about 1.5 hours total.

The airport has a dedicated First & Business class check-in area.

And so the experience begins!

First Class check-in desks

We left the lounge and made the (extremely) long trek to Gate 61 in Terminal 3, literally the furthest away from the Lounge.

As we approached the gate area, they were doing a secondary document check:

BOARDING

Knowing it would be dark at the time of boarding, we snuck a few pictures before hopping in the lounge:

Etihad A6-APG sitting at the gate

We made our way down (ok, more so really up since we were on top deck) of the long jet bridge to board the flight.

We took a left after boarding to find the First Class cabin:

While I didn’t necessarily need to be shown to my seat since I’d studied it online numerous times and been counting down the days to this moment, a flight attendant escorted us anyway. She showed us to our seats, 3K and 4K:

Of the 9 First Class seats (well, 10 if you include The Residence), there were just 2 other passengers aboard, so 4 of us total.

SEAT

The seat was, well, let me just type a direct quote from McCown as we got settled it: “OMG. There was what I expected and anticipated from reading many, many reviews and then there’s the real thing. And let me just say, OMG.”

The sheer size and space and privacy are unprecedented and staggering.

The big, leather seat is luxurious and makes you feel like you’re visiting your grandfather instead of couped up on a plane.

The couch is perfect for having company over in your apartment. And then switched into a bed when you’re ready to sleep.

I mean, it’s realistically closer to a throne than a seat:

The empty neighboring suite

View from seat 4K

View of IFE and sofa (that converts to a bed)

The actual seat featured a few tactile buttons as well as a touchscreen for a variety of controls.

It was all really a sensory overload. The tiny compartments, sliding doors and gadgets and gizmos to check out will leave your head spinning.

Here are just a few of the storage compartments:

With the A380 being a nice, new modern aircraft, it did not lack power/USB outlets:

And it wouldn’t be a true “apartment” without your own fridge stocked with a few soft drinks and waters:

Or without a personal vanity table:

The vanity was loaded down with the amenity kit and various toiletries:

The exterior of the compartment, near the door, opens to reveal a tiny closet suitable for holding a few articles of clothing.

I mean there’s just so much space!

Shortly after getting settled in, a pre-departure glass of champagne was offered. It was served with dates and a warm towel.

Cheers!

There was also a nice letter welcoming us to the experience.

In-flight Entertainment

The First Apartment features a giant screen with a great entertainment selection and, at 24″, makes it one of the biggest in the industry, possibly the actual biggest since it looks like Singapore, BA, and Emirates don’t exceed 23″.

The handset was pretty cool because it can be used as a mini TV or as a remote to select and then broadcast to the bigger choice, very helpful since the enormous suite prohibits you from touching the main LCD screen to change the program.

One of the cool features I found was picture-in-picture, meaning you can broadcast a movie and also watch the tail camera.

Did I mention tail camera? I just love that A380 tail camera, it really never gets old.

A little too dark for a good image but you get the idea

So cool to see a bird’s eye view of this mammoth gliding through the sky

While they weren’t name brand and certainly not anything special, the noise canceling headphones worked well enough.

The safety video played and highlighted just how big the A380 is with a ton of emergency exits.

And, as always, Etihad make it easy to find Abu Dhabi and Mecca at any given point.

DINING/MEAL SERVICE – DINNER

Right after takeoff, we were offered a nice Chardonnay with a few snacks such as olives, crunchy Asian snacks (wasabi etc.), warm nuts.

Once the pre-dinner drink and snacks were cleared, the flight attendant came around and offered to set our tables so that we could dine together. It’s still hard to imagine that all of this is happening at 35,000 feet in the sky.

Might as well wash it down with a Manhattan, since they’re offering

Despite not being hungry in the least, we caved in and took advantage of the in-flight dining. I ordered the Steak Frites from the “Lounge and Grill” section of the menu which “offers sophisticated yet familiar favorites.” I tried to order it rare but said they couldn’t with the way they cook it on the plane. We settled on medium rare which was perfectly fine and it turned out beautifully. It was served with onions, tomatoes and Bernadine sauce. The steak was delicious and everything on the plate was really very good.

While I had just one course, McCown wasted no time in ordering 3 in all. Her first course was the Gulf Mezze: “a selection of hot and cold appetizers.” It included a spinach and cheese kabob (more like a fried wrap) and beef kabob (fried beef ball)- the beef kabob was the best thing I’d tasted in days.  Hummus, baba ganoush, tabouli (all very fresh and much better than even expected), served with Arabian bread (pita), pickled carrots and olives.

Somewhere in between, a refreshing dish with grapefruit was served– hard to remember exactly when as the drinks were flowing by this point.

For the second course, we tried the Sea Bass with purple potatoes, asparagus, and carrots. The fish was delightful, cooked perfectly and not too “fishy” at all. It was served with a buttery sauce that made the fish very good.

The final course was named “Textures” and featured 3 types of camel milk-inspired desserts, all with very different textures.  We sampled the ganache, mousse and ice cream. All three were very chocolatey and quite rich but all very tasty. Although it was made with camel milk “flavor,” there was no distinct, unusual flavor.

The full dining experience was awesome, and made that much better since the tables have room for 2!

Continued in Part 2 with pictures of the onboard bar, shower, the seat in sleeping mode, breakfast etc.

The post Etihad A380 First Apartment – Flight EY 460 Abu Dhabi-AUH to Melbourne-MEL – Part 1 first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

As a result, we were purposely very, VERY early arriving at the airport for as much lounge-time as possible before heading to our gate. We checked in quickly and were welcomed into the lounge which is located immediately after going through security.

CHECK-IN/ACCESS

We were greeted at the entrance and, after checking our boarding passes, she ushered us onto an elevator. One of the best parts about this lounge is the exclusivity, access cannot be purchased at the gate and there are very few ways to gain access. Here’s a list of ways in:

• Etihad guests of The Residence
• Etihad First Class guests
• Etihad Guest Platinum member + 1 guest
• Etihad Airways Partner airlines platinum members + 1 guest
• Virgin Australia Velocity Platinum members + 1 guest

First thoughts: the lounge is absolutely huge! It is apparently nearly 1,700 sq m (18,000+ sq ft) and has more than 16 “zones”, i.e. distinct areas that help break up the lounge and make it feel very private, even if you’re one of 100 guests.

FOOD & DINING

After arriving in the lounge, we kept up with the standard procedure of our trip thus far: eating a meal while not hungry in the least. A server showed us to a nice window seat and we began the quite elaborate dining process. In fact, I imagine this is how most people kill their limited time in the lounge. Our start-to-stop dining experience was nearly 1.5 hours.

–> FULL-SERVICE DINING

The full-service dining area was enormous

Full-service dining area

Views of…mainly construction + a few airplanes

Our server didn’t have to do too much arm twisting to convince us to try the 5-course Emirates Palace tasting menu.

Emirates Palace Dining Menu

The multi-course feast consisted of the following: starter (dates), foie gras de terrine (a course that we added from the a la carte menu), soup, scallops, lamb and then a great dessert.

The first course was a simple date filled with yogurt and crumbled pistachio. The sweet and delicious snack definitely left us wanting more.

Dates with Chami: fresh dates with local homemade yogurt

We added on a course of the Foie Gras Terrine, because, why not?

Foie Gras Terrine: slow-roasted plums, fig and ginger jam with bitter almond tuile

The chicken & barley soup was also good but we didn’t eat it all to save room for the next courses.

Chicken and Barley Soup: rich broth with tender poached pieces of chicken, onion and fresh coriander

The next dish, Scallops Mughrabia was by far the highlight of the meal. Mughrabia is a traditional ingredient in Lebanese cuisine and is essentially a type of wheat-based pasta, about the size of a chickpea and not unlike orzo. We were told everything was made at the in-house kitchen and certainly believed it after tasting this dish. The rich, flavorful saffron sauce was amazing.

Scallops Mughrabia: pan-fried scallops, mughrabia infused with saffron and finished with herbs

As for the main meat dish, we sampled the Lamb Medfoud. The slow-cooked lamb dish was a perfect portion, perfectly tender with amazing flavors. It was served over a bed of saffron rice which was also very tasty.

Lamb Medfoun: marinated roasted local lamb, saffron rice and tomato chickpea stew

For dessert, we tried the Batheatha, which was prepared with layers of special dough made of dates, saffron (they love cooking with this stuff!) and cardamom and filled with fresh cream. It was decadent and we were certainly unable to finish the whole thing!

Batheatha: layers of special dough made of dates, saffron and cardamom, filled with fresh cream

We finished off with some mint tea.

Each course was unique and had a vast contrast of flavors; all-in-all, it was a phenomenal, top-notch dining experience that I would easily expect to pay at least $150 per person for in any western city. All ingredients are sourced from within the UAE and cooked in their local kitchen.

Full-service dining area

Kitchen and bar seating in full-service dining area

–> SELF SERVE DINING

If you’re tight on time or simply don’t want to spend 1 to 1.5 hours having an elaborate meal, there are plenty of quicker options to enjoy for food.

Self-serve coffee machine

Self-serve dining area

Self-serve dining area

BAR & DRINKS

The bar–arguably the most important part of any airport lounge–was closed until sunset due to Ramadan. It opened somewhere around 7:15 to 7:30, depending on whoever is officially in charge of announcing sunset (but seriously, could that be someone’s job?). They had a few special cocktails that are only available in the Abu Dhabi lounge (they have special cocktails that are unique to each lounge around the world).

A bartender setting up the bar display as they get ready to open after sunset

Lounge area near the bar

A smaller bar, with alcohol still hidden due to Ramadan

Lounge area near the main bar

After sunset, we tried a few of the cocktails from the drink list.

This “Los Angeles” drink came topped with cotton candy!

Relaxing with a drink after dinner and the massage

STYLE, SPA & SHAVE

Passengers flying in First Class with Etihad are entitled to one free 15-minute treatment: either an Express Salon treatment (Express Clipper Cut or Express Wet Shave) or any of the 15-minute spa treatments from back to head to foot massage or even a facial or jetlag body treatment.

–> Six Senses Spa

We both made an appointment for a massage. We found it to be a VERY intense back massage, nearly painful at times. But I guess that’s what you get when you say you’re fine with a lot of pressure. It was a chair, not a table, and you basically sat backward with your feet wrapped under you– interesting, instead of lying down.

The massage lasted 13 minutes and was very well done. They poured some strong aromatic scents on a towel for you to smell at the very beginning and then rang a gong to end it. The room was private and they separated the genders into different sides with relaxing music playing- you couldn’t hear anything going on outside.

–> SHAVE

I paid an additional $15 US for a wet shave after the back massage. The guy that performed the service was great and it was truly a unique experience as it was my first time having this done and quite cool to have it done at an airport none the less.

The “Style” room where they give haircuts and wet shaves

Clean shaven and ready for the flight!

GYM

I had the guy that performed the wet shave show me around the gym. It had a treadmill, elliptical, etc… Also a dumbbell set with weights you must change yourself. There’s a shower inside, as well.

The gym: a bit cramped but certainly functional

Shower off the side of the gym to freshen up after a workout

Compact dumbell set in the gym

I can’t imagine that the gym gets much use, especially for people that are originating their journey in Abu Dhabi. Maybe for connecting passengers who want to stretch a bit after a long flight. But you’d really have to plan ahead for this and probably pack your workout gear in your carry on. Again, I can’t imagine that this will get much use but it’s cool nonetheless.

OTHER LOUNGE FEATURES

–> Relax and Recline Room

“If you need to use this time to gather your thoughts, visit our Relax and Recline Room. Recline on our comfortable Poltrona Frau leather chairs and enjoy a sensory experience with a combination of soothing sounds and imagery on our video wall. Any sounds from the main lounge will fade so you can lose yourself for a few minutes, or maybe longer.”

–> Play Room

–> Smoking Room

–> TV Room

–> Private Family Room

–> Cigar Lounge

Enjoy one of nine best-in-class varieties of cigars and a large selection of single malt whiskies and Cognac.

–> Bathrooms

SERVICE

The service was fantastic — while I was waiting off on the side, the lady walked over and addressed me as Mr. Griffin. She had not met me before and did not have my boarding pass. They must have a description for all current guests in the lounge. Magic.

After talking to our waitress in the dining area, we found out that many of the Food and Beverage Managers from planes had been pulled to work at the lounge for 3 months. We found that pretty intriguing that the airline decided to pull tried and true employees for the opening of the lounge instead of hiring new people (and, I guess, train the new hires while working). You could tell that these people had plenty of experience and it was really top-notch service.

Also, we found it quite interesting that there were no Emiratis working in the lounge; everyone we met was from a country pretty far away from the UAE. The people who we encountered were from India, South Africa, Trinidad & Tobego and Serbia– quite the eclectic and global group (and, all very good looking).

BOTTOM LINE:

It sounds like this lounge was under construction for quite some time but we agreed that it was definitely worth the wait. It is truly a world-class experience and we would have loved to have spent even more time in the lounge. It is worth the flight to Abu Dhabi and by far the best airport lounge we’ve ever been to. Kudos to Etihad for making this lounge an experience by itself.

The post Etihad Airways Flagship First Class Lounge – Abu Dhabi-AUH first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

At around, the lounge was mostly empty. Interestingly, it looked very similar to the Etihad lounge at IAD, with the same decor: dark wood with bright white and light blue leather upholstery.

In the lounge, there’s also a shower area and Jeffrey almost got a shave, but we opted to head on to our hotel. Although we were excited to head on to Dubai, we were a little disappointed to have to leave so soon as the lounge was very nice.

Etihad Chauffeur Service

The chauffeur line was just outside the airport exit and, after we followed the signs (no escort) – but we were greeted by a man holding a clipboard as soon as we stepped outside. He immediately found our reservation and directed us to the Toyota van which was first in line there at the curb. Our driver helped us get our bags in the car and then headed off toward Dubai.

Unfortunately, the sun had just set when we landed, so our entire ride was in the dark. Until we got to the outskirts of Dubai, we didn’t see anything but road and a few gas stations off of the exits. We did stop for the driver to pop into a gas station, and it was interesting to see the crowd at the station because there were people from all walks of life: two Western women, young boys, and men dressed in traditional Arabic dress and also jeans and t-shirts.

After about 1 hour 15 min, we arrived in Dubai. We passed both of the big malls and our kind driver pointed out the Burj al Kalifa – the tallest building in the word – glittering with lights through the hazy night.

Driving through Dubai to our hotel was pretty cool: just huge, tall building after huge, tall building. Once we made it to the hotel, we headed straight to sleep since our ride through the city had us ready to explore in the daylight.

The post Etihad Arrivals Lounge Abu Dhabi-AUH Airport and Chauffeur Service to Dubai first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

Here’s a map of our route for the 13 hr 10 min flight that covers a distance of 7,088 miles (11,407 km):

CHECK-IN

We landed on our American Airlines connecting flight at Washington’s Reagan-DCA airport, quickly grabbed our bags and then called an Uber to make the trek over to Washington Dulles-IAD. We decided to try UberPOOL for the first time as it was offering a flat rate of just $28 to transfer between the airports.

We stopped about half way and picked up a man and his daughter who were headed to the airport to get a rental car. While it was a bit crammed in the Honda sedan, it was certainly interesting chatting with our co-commuters.

Fortunately, we didn’t hit any Friday afternoon D.C. traffic and made it to Dulles in under 45 mins!

First time trying UberPOOL and it was a success!

When we got to Terminal A it seemed rather deserted (a bit like the D.C. area traffic).

Following the signs for Etihad, we looped back around to the rear lobby.

We found a completely empty check-in area and soon learned that the Etihad counters don’t open up until 4 hours before departure (their website says 3 hours, but we confirmed it was 4 hours from a volunteer at IAD). That meant that we’d have a bit of time to kill until 6:05pm when we could check-in for our 10:05pm departure.

We were the 2nd Business/First passengers to check-in, although there was already a decent line of people waiting for economy.

Check-in was a breeze with very friendly service. I seem to think they were actually a bit surprised that our final destination was Abu Dhabi. Maybe they’re used to people that look like us just connecting through on the way to the Maldives or something?

We went through security to spend a bit of time in the lounge: Etihad First and Business Class Lounge Washington, DC-IAD.

Here’s a shot of the main boarding area:

BOARDING

Boarding was quietly announced in the lounge around 9:05 so there wasn’t a mad rush but people were able to casually get up and board as they desired. We jumped up pretty quickly to make sure we could get a few shots of the cabin before the masses piled in.

They held off general boarding for a few minutes to give first/business a head start. The single boarding door on the 787 was just aft of the first class cabin, which also has 1 row of business class. We took a right at the gallery and entered the main business class area.

Our aircraft for the flight was A6-BLA, Etihad’s first of 71 Boeing 787s on order.

SEAT

Our first impression, which we had already largely formed from looking at pictures online, was that the seat is much nicer than the first class cabins on most airlines. We had seats 11F and 11E– forward facing center seats that are side by side.

The seats were nice, cubby-like… “suites” for lack of a better word. I guess Etihad said it best. The arrangement provides an enormous amount of privacy for a business class seat. There was also a nice divider between the center seats if it turns out you don’t know your neighbor.

There are a total of 28 “Business Studio” seats on the B787s, 8 near the First Class section and the remaining 20 on the other side of the galley.

As a result of the business class seating layout that is designed for privacy, of the 28 seats, there are really only 8 that are truly side by side. Another 6 are side by side but separated by large tables. The remaining 14 are true solo seats.

The seat literally has 3x touch screen LCDs. There was the main 18.5″ LCD touchscreen display and another handheld mini controller that allows you to control the monitor without the pain of leaning over. Reaching is for the peasants in the back of the plane.

Then there was a 3rd LCD touchscreen that controls things like the lights and the seat including, but not limited to, cushion firmness, massage, recline, forward movement, etc. And, if that wasn’t overkill, there are tons of light combinations: table lighting, seat mood lighting and reading light.

If the 3x touch screens aren’t enough, there’s another set of buttons to handle popular items like recline and reading lights.

The Business Studio seats are said to be 22″ wide and give around 6 feet 8 inches of space when fully reclined.

The soft brown leather seats by Poltrona Frau make the cabin look amazing and very inviting.

We also found plenty of storage and charging plugs:

The cabin had soft lighting and cool decorations like this:

On board and excited to be flying!

Also, I love the windows on the 787s, they are 65% larger than normal airplane windows and are also dimmable. This means you literally can’t close them but can dim them to darkness.

Before the masses headed in, I snuck a peak at the economy class cabin:

AMENITY KITS

Here’s a look at the amenity kits that were distributed:

IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

As we settled in, we got ready for our 12 hours 42 mins of flying time:

Shortly after the boarding doors had been closed, Etihad issued their prayer from the Koran which I understand they do before each flight:

Also, we could easily find the direction of Mecca at all times via an app on the entertainment screen:

Etihad’s in-flight entertaiment is called “E-Box” and it offers movies, TV shows, audio and games. We found controls and variety of screens offered to be fantastic. The system was very easy to use.

The selection, however, left a bit to be desired. There just weren’t that many Hollywood new releases to choose from.

Our plane was also “Wi-Fly” equipped, which didn’t just include the internet. You could also make and receive phone calls once connected.

 

We were too entranced with looking at the seats and eating and drinking to login.

MEAL

After getting settled in a bit, a flight attendant came by and explained their “anytime dining” meal service style. We were told we could order whatever, whenever. As it was already past 10pm, we opted for a few dishes “right after takeoff”.

We were handed a warm towel and went ahead and place our orders for the dinner service.

Warms nuts and a drink were served shortly after take off.

I started with the “Caprese salad with sun blushed tomato, mozzarella, kalamata olive tapenade and Parmesan crisp.” It was so refreshing and delicious. A bit deconstructed with everything in its own pile, but getting a bite of tomato, mozzarella, basil and balsamic together was amazing.

Next up was the “Arabic lamb kofta with sautéed squash, courgettes, red onion vermicelli rice and spicy saffron tomato sauce.” The dish was packed with flavor and was absolutely delicious. The lamb sausages were rich and very well cooked and seasoned.

McCown decided to venture out and try the Puri bhaji  as a starter. It was described as “puffed bread, potato curry and chickpea cake.” The dish had a nice spicy flavor. The curry was delicious – spicy but not hot spicy, just lots of flavor. The puffed bread left a little to be desired as it was a little bland, but was a good compliment to the extra-flavorful curry.

Next up for McCown: the “Malai paneer: cottage cheese in cashew nut sauce, pilaf rice and kidney bean masala.” While the cheese chunks were a little sketchy, the masala sauce had a good kick and left you wanting more. The “cottage cheese” was more like regular cheese than the gross texture of actual cottage cheese. The kidney bean masala was the spiciest of them all– if you don’t like spicy-hot foods, this dish could be a little alarming.

What’s that, do we want dessert? Uh, while I can hardly physically eat any more, I am determined to try everything offered to me. I opted for the cheese with a glass of Graham’s 10-year-old Tawny port.

There were two kinds of cheese served with grapes and crackers. One was a smoky blue and sharp cheddar. The blue was unusual but quite delicious.

If I could do it over again, I would have only had a light snack (perhaps just the Arabic mezze) in the lounge instead of a full, 3-course meal and saved a bit more room for the in-flight food. I found the in-flight food to be much better than the lounge’s food.

As it got later and later into the night (US time), it was evident that some sleep was in order. We changed into our Etihad pajamas and settled in.

We were both easily able to sleep for the majority of the flight and got some great (probably too much, really) shuteye before landing.

As we approached Abu Dhabi, we were offered breakfast. Seeing as how it was around 4-5 pm Abu Dhabi time, I hardly see how breakfast is the most appropriate meal to adjust to the time change, but McCown went along with it.

McCown tried the “Scrambled eggs with cherry tomatoes, scallion rosti potato and asparagus. Overall, we determined it to be okay. Nothing extraordinary. It was served with an excellent warm chocolate chip muffin and croissant which were surely the highlight of the meal.

By the time McCown had ordered, I had remembered that it was an “anything, anytime” dining situation, so I went with something a bit more time-of-day appropriate. I had the “Pulled barbecue beef brisket panini with cheddar cheese and tomato” which, like the eggs, was alright, but nothing to write home about. I also gave the “Beetroot, orange and ginger energiser drink” a try because… why not?

We also enjoyed a cappuccino before landing:

In the end, I’m not sure that I’m a big fan of the anytime dining plan. In traditional transatlantic or transpacific flights, they’ll serve you a meal right after take off, dim the lights for a solid chunk of sleep and then begin another meal service a few hours before landing.

With this system, people generally ate right after takeoff but then people slept and lounged the entire rest of the flight. There wasn’t a distinct “wake up and turn on all of the lights period” which I found annoying.

BATHROOM

The bathroom was spacious and also well designed and luxurious.

Since we weren’t near a window, the bathroom was actually the only place to take pictures outside and actually have a chance at seeing the sun:

SERVICE

Although the flight attendants are friendly enough, there is a distinct difference between other business class services we’ve been on — Thai Airways is still the most service-oriented airline that we’ve flown. Not that these flight attendants were rude; they just didn’t go above and beyond like some other carriers do. We found that while some of the Etihad flight attendants were great, others had a bit of an attitude.

At the beginning of the flight, they made an announcement outlining the various nationalities of the crew and languages spoken, here are the few I was able to jot down: French, Hindi, Thai, Romanian, Italian, Arabic, English….and many more. This certainly gave us the impression that it was a very international airline.

As we began our descent, we were presented with Fast Track Immigration Cards:

Not ready to leave!

After touching down, we had quite a lengthy walk to baggage claim.

We cleared customs quickly and popped into the Arrivals Lounge for a few minutes before tracking down our chauffeur to Dubai.

BOTTOM LINE: Our experience in Etihad’s B787 “Business Studio” was fantastic. I would gladly go out of my way to fly this business class cabin over just about any other carrier when flying to or through this part of the world.

 

The post Etihad B787 “Business Studio” EY 130 Washington-IAD to Abu Dhabi-AUH first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

Headed to Gate A16

Entrance to the Etihad Business/First Lounge

As soon as the sliding doors closed behind us, it didn’t feel like we were at the airport anymore. We immediately found it much fancier than most other airport lounges and, honestly, it already felt like we’d left the States. We found the service from start to finish to be friendly, personable and much better than most. We asked the front desk to check that our “limo” was reserved in Abu Dhabi, and she was able to look it up and confirm it for us– quite reassuring as we’d be landing in Abu Dhabi around 7:15 pm their time after a 13 hour flight, then need transportation to Dubai immediately (a little over one hour’s drive).

The lounge is two levels, but the top level was closed when we arrived at ~6:25 pm. The second level never opened up while we were there – I guess they typically don’t open it? I mean, max premium class pax they might have is 8 first + 28 business = 36 total. So, if they sold less than 36, they might have between 20-30 people total at a time, which the ground level can easily accommodate. Either way, it was still very comfortable with just the one level open. There is a bar area, a dining area with tables and then a typical seating area with the news playing and comfortable arm chairs.

Hanging out in the lounging area of the lounge

As I mentioned, we’d checked into our flight the very second the check-in desk opened, so we weren’t shocked to find that we were the first people in the lounge. Once we were seated, two very friendly attendants came to greet us with a tray full of dried dates and Arabic coffee. Although I haven’t had many dried dates in my life, I found these to be an especially delicious, sweet treat and the snack paired perfectly with the strong coffee. It was a nice touch to welcome us with our first glimpse into Arabic culture.

Dates + Arabic Coffee

Once we’d sampled the dates, we were eager to see the rest of the lounge, so we moved over to the dining tables. Of course, like every other place where we find ourselves with an abundance of free food, we ordered off the a la carte menu at our seats and, then (while waiting on our food), couldn’t help but sample everything from the buffet, too — a bit like it was our last meal on Earth… when, in fact, we knew there was another fancy, multi-course meal waiting on us on the airplane.

Buffet options

Dining area of the lounge

We each ordered a glass of red wine. Their choices included merlot, pinot noir, and a Bordeaux. The server did seem a bit confused about the wine choices, but we think she was brand new on the job, so obviously deserved some slack.

Appetizers

Ready for our first meal of many for the next few hours…

The buffet’s mezze included eggplants, hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbuli, olives, a selection of cheeses, etc. Soon after trying all the appetizers, our actual appetizers we’d ordered arrived– part of the a la carte menu, the appetizer tasted like a fried dough ball, so there’s not much that can go wrong there.

Jeffrey ordered the cod as his main dish, which was served over sautéed spinach with a tomato sauce and a side of basmati rice. I ordered the sirloin, which was a bit overcooked but otherwise delicious.

Main course: Cod

Main course: Sirloin

For dessert, we split the cream puff with chocolate syrup, served with lemon sorbet. It was a nice end to the meal because the lemon sorbet was light and refreshing. We ordered cappuccinos (no decaf espresso available).

Dessert

Once we finished our meal, we rolled back to our original seats to finish charging our devices and get ready to board, so we were only in the lounge long enough to enjoy a long dinner despite arriving so early.

Business area

Restroom

Boarding was quietly announced and we proceeded to the lounge’s very own boarding gate:

We’re comin’ for ya, UAE!

BOTTOM LINE: We found the lounge to be nice and well-appointed with a clean, fresh space and hope to visit again one day soon. For us, it was the perfect intro for our upcoming trip to the UAE and made us really excited to arrive in the UAE just a few hours later!

The post Etihad First and Business Class Lounge Washington, DC-IAD first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

We used 60,750 American Airlines AAdvantage miles each (a total of 67,5o0 – 10% rebate since we both have the AAdvantage Aviator Red MasterCard) and booked the following routes in Business Class. We booked before the March 2016 American AAdvantage devaluation, but this award only increased 2,500 points to 70,000 total (link to new award map here).

While we would never have paid the cash rates, it’s always nice knowing that your miles are getting a lot of value as the airfare for this route hovers at around $9,700 per person:

Using the Weekend Blitz Award Calculator, we find that this redemption yielded us a value of 13.00 cents/mile:

Here’s a taste of what we experienced on the flights:

Etihad Airways First and Business Class Lounge in Washington-IAD

Etihad’s new “Business Studio” on one of their new B787-9 Dreamliners

The Etihad Arrivals Lounge at Abu Dhabi-AUH

Etihad’s Chauffeur Drive Service

Follow along with us as we continue the trip report!

The post American AAdvantage Redemption: Business Class on Etihad to Abu Dhabi-AUH first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

In total, we’ll cover 32,661 miles over about 14 days and will be touching down in 4 countries (2 brand new ones for me and 3 for McCown)!

Part 1 – Charleston to Abu Dhabi

The first leg of our trip has us flying from Charleston to Abu Dhabi using an American Airlines award reservation.

We’ll fly American Airlines from Charleston-CHS to Washington Reagan-DCA and then make a connection to Washington Dulles-IAD for the long haul flight to Abu Dhabi-AUH.

I’m pretty pumped as we get to check out Etihad’s “Business Studio” on one of their new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Etihad has ordered a total of 71 Boeing 787s but they’ve only taken delivery of 7 so far (with the first on Dec 31, 2014), so it’s a pretty rare aircraft to be able to fly. The most recent one (A6-BLG) was delivered just a few weeks ago on May 26, 2016, so we could be on a very fresh plane!

Here’s why we’re pretty excited about the “Business Studio”:

We’ll stay in Dubai for 3 nights and are looking forward to seeing the World’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and maybe driving around the desert:

Part 2 – Abu Dhabi to Melbourne

The next leg of our trip has us flying from Abu Dhabi-AUH to Melbourne-MEL. This is the single most exciting flight of the whole trip as it will be in Etihad’s “First Apartment” aboard the Airbus A380. And, better yet, the flying time is blocked in at 13 hr 30 min, so we’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the ride.

Similar to its Boeing 787 fleet, Etihad’s A380 fleet is rather small and quite new. They have received 8 of 10 planes on order, with the oldest having been delivered 2 years ago and the newest just about 1-month-old (A6-APH).

The “First Apartment” looks extraordinary:

It even has a full lounge and bar!

We’ll have about 1 night in Melbourne to check out the highlights:

Part 3 – Melbourne-MEL to Townsville-TSV

Next up: the Great Barrier Reef! We’ll fly on Qantas from Melbourne-MEL to Townsville-TSV, with a connection in Brisbane-BNE.

Once in Townsville, it’s a short boat ride to snorkel near the Great Barrier Reef:

Part 4 – Townsville-TSV to Syndey-SYD

From Townsville, we’ll take a direct 2 hr 30 min flight to Sydney on low-cost carrier JetStar.

We’ll have about 5-6 nights to explore Sydney:

Part 5 – Sydney-SYD to Seoul-ICN

As we begin our journey home, we’ll fly from Sydney-SYD to Bangkok-BKK in Thai Airways Royal First. The 10 hr 20 min flight will be aboard a Boeing 747:

Then, we’ll connect in Bangkok-BKK onto an Asiana A380 in Business Class for the 5 hr 35 min ride to Seoul-ICN:

Once in Seoul, we’ll have about a day to do some quick sightseeing:

Part 6 – Returning home

Although I’m sure we won’t be ready for our flight home, we will be excited to fly Asiana in “First Suite Class” from Seoul-ICN to New York-JFK:

I mean, check out this enormous TV:

Although it won’t be the longest flight in terms of distance (it’s 6,906 mi vs 7,088 mi from IAD-AUH and 7,235 mi from AUH-MEL), it is in terms of flying time, which they’ve blocked at 14 hr 0 min.

From there, we have 2 short flights on Southwest as we continue our journey home to Charleston-CHS.

The post Counting down to the UAE & Australia in an Etihad First Apartment! first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

As a quick recap, here is a list of the routes that Etihad currently operates using their A380 to/from Abu Dhabi:

• London-LHR – 3,432 miles
• New York-JFK – 6,867 miles
• Melbourne-MEL (beginning June 1, 2016) – 7,235 miles
• Sydney-SYD – 7,492 miles

Best Values

The number of miles required for each will vary– along with the flying times:

40,000 miles (goes up to 62,500 miles on Mach 22, 2016)

London-LHR → Abu Dhabi-AUH – EY 12 & EY 20 – 7hr 15min
Abu Dhabi-AUH → London-LHR – EY 11 & EY 19 – 8hr 10min

60,000 miles (goes up to 100,000 miles on Mach 22, 2016)

Sydney-SYD → Abu Dhabi-AUH – EY 455 – 14hr 50min
Abu Dhabi-AUH → Sydney-SYD – EY 454 – 13hr 55min

Melbourne-MEL → Abu Dhabi-AUH – EY 461 – 14hr 05min
Abu Dhabi-AUH → Melbourne-MEL – EY 460 – 13hr 35min

90,000 miles (goes up to 115,000 miles on Mach 22, 2016)

New York-JFK → Abu Dhabi-AUH – EY 102 – 12hr 45min
Abu Dhabi-AUH → New York-JFK – EY 103 – 14hr 50min

As you’ll see, the Australia routes will give you the best bang for your buck if trying to maximize your time in the premium Etihad cabin. The lower the number, the better:

Abu Dhabi-AUH → New York-JFK = ~6.1k miles/hr
Abu Dhabi-AUH → London-LHR = ~4.9k miles/hr
Melbourne-MEL → Abu Dhabi-AUH = ~4.3k miles/hr
Sydney-SYD → Abu Dhabi-AUH = ~4k miles/hr

While the Australia routes provide the best value, the routes to/from Europe are also a good deal at just 40,000 miles one-way for 7-8+ hours in this fantastic cabin:

Award Availability

Dates with 3+ seats:

• July 24: 4 seats
• July 26: 5 seats
• August 3: 5 seats
• August 4: 3 seats
• August 5: 3 seats
• August 6: 5 seats
• August 7: 5 seats
• August 8: 6 seats
• August 11: 4 seats
• August 16: 4 seats
• August 18: 4 seats
• August 21: 4 seats
• October 23: 4 seats
• October 24: 6 seats
• October 26: 5 seats
• October 27: 2x flights with 3 seats

Here’s the Etihad A380 First Apartment award space that is available for at least two passengers between April and October 2016. This is a snapshot of what was available around 8 pm EST 12/21; the award space is guaranteed to change. Availability from London-LHR to Abu Dhabi-AUH:

BOTTOM LINE: Hurry up and book a seat on one of the most luxurious experiences miles and points can buy: The Etihad A380 First Class Apartment. It’s pretty phenomenal that certain routes are giving up 6 of the 9 first class seats to award bookers. If you book using American Airlines AAdvantage miles before March 22, 2016, you can still realize some significant values.

The post Up to 6 Award Seats Per Flight on Etihad A380 First Apartment London –> Abu Dhabi first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

Etihad currently operates the following routes using their A380 to/from Abu Dhabi:

• London-LHR – 3,432 miles
• New York-JFK – 6,867 miles
• Melbourne-MEL (beginning June 1, 2016) – 7,235 miles
• Sydney-SYD – 7,492 miles

Best Values

The number of miles required for each will vary, along with the flying times:

40,000 miles (goes up to 62,500 miles on Mach 22, 2016)

London-LHR → Abu Dhabi-AUH – EY 12 & EY 20 – 7hr 15min
Abu Dhabi-AUH → London-LHR – EY 11 & EY 19 – 8hr 10min

60,000 miles (goes up to 100,000 miles on Mach 22, 2016)

Sydney-SYD → Abu Dhabi-AUH – EY 455 – 14hr 50min
Abu Dhabi-AUH → Sydney-SYD – EY 454 – 13hr 55min

Melbourne-MEL → Abu Dhabi-AUH – EY 461 – 14hr 05min
Abu Dhabi-AUH → Melbourne-MEL – EY 460 – 13hr 35min

90,000 miles (goes up to 115,000 miles on Mach 22, 2016)

New York-JFK → Abu Dhabi-AUH – EY 102 – 12hr 45min
Abu Dhabi-AUH → New York-JFK – EY 103 – 14hr 50min

As you’ll see, the Australia routes will give you the best bang for your buck if trying to maximize your time in the premium Etihad cabin. The lower the number, the better:

Abu Dhabi-AUH → New York-JFK = ~6.1k miles/hr
Abu Dhabi-AUH → London-LHR = ~4.9k miles/hr
Melbourne-MEL → Abu Dhabi-AUH = ~4.3k miles/hr
Sydney-SYD → Abu Dhabi-AUH = ~4k miles/hr

With that in mind, there’s no contest that the Australia routes are the best use of AAdvantage miles, just 60k will get you nearly 15 hours pampered in luxury:

Award Availability

Typically, Etihad doesn’t release a lot of advance space for First Class on the A380. Or, at least, the seats that have been released get snatched up pretty quickly. In doing many sample searches, more award space is released within 2-10 days of departure. This is okay for a last-minute trip but not ideal given the March 22 deadline to book before the American award prices go up.

Here’s the Etihad A380 First Apartment award space that is available for at least two passengers between June and November 2016. This is a snapshot of what was available around 10 pm EST 12/12; the award space is guaranteed to change. First Abu Dhabi-AUH to Melbourne-MEL:

“GuestSeat” space is showing as available on Etihad.com which means the award space is bookable with AAdvantage miles

Again, the award space that is available for at least 2 passengers from Melbourne-MEL to Abu Dhabi-AUH:

“GuestSeat” space is showing as available on Etihad.com which means the award space is bookable with AAdvantage miles

BOTTOM LINE: Hurry up and book a seat on one of the most luxurious experiences miles and points can buy: The Etihad A380 First Class Apartment. If you book using American Airlines AAdvantage miles before March 22, 2016, you can still realize some significant values.

The post Tons of Etihad First Apartment A380 Award Space Available Abu Dhabi – Melbourne first appeared on Weekend Blitz.