REVIEW: Etihad Airways – Business Class (Regional) – Malé to Abu Dhabi (A320)

Index

FOR INFORMATION ON HOW I BOOKED THIS FLIGHT CHECK OUT THE INTRODUCTION TO THIS TRIP REPORT HERE:

FIRST CLASS APARTMENTS TO THE MALDIVES

This is a follow up review, for full details on the seats please read the original here:

ETIHAD A320 BUSINESS CLASS

The Flight

The aircraft on the return featured the same shorthaul Recaro recliner seats as the outbound. I like the comfortable mixture of a leather headrest and fabric seat combined with the large pillows and squishy blanket. As somebody that lives in Europe I never cease to be amazed when I get to experience ACTUAL short-haul business class, with a business class seat!

Etihad A320 business class seat

The crew was very smiley and efficient and got the plane boarded extremely quickly. So quickly in fact that we didn’t have time for a pre-departure beverage, as we had been granted a slot to take-off within seconds of the doors closing!

Once in the air, menus were distributed:

Menu

An extremely strong wine list, better than a lot of carriers in long haul. The Moreau et fils Burgundy retails for around £32 a bottle and the Bordeaux is around £80! This has to be some of the best business class wine I’ve ever seen.

Espresso based coffees, single malt whiskey, port, cognac and dessert wine. A list that puts most other carriers’ long haul business class offerings to shame.

Pre-Dinner Drink

Before the meal I opted for a glass of the wonderful Chassagne Montrachet, it was served with warm cashews and almonds. A perfect way to stimulate the appetite.

Dinner

So many great touches: an individual bread basket, the metal serving plates to occupy the empty space on the tray, the oil and vinegar in addition to the butter. The dish itself was extremely simple but tasted good. Not exactly business class quality but fresh and tasty so no huge cause for complaint.

The tuna loin was a little overcooked, as were the vegetables. It was a nicely plated dish but nothing special at all in terms of flavour or texture.

Around 20 minutes before commencing our descent, the cabin manager came around with a tray of ‘white sangria’. I’m not sure if this was in some way inspired by our Spanish captain (we actually had the same captain on both the inbound and outbound flight) but it was certainly unexpected.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect but the result was pretty good! I assume this was just an ingenious way of using the leftover wine from the bottle I’d been drinking earlier. If so what a great idea, way better than just pouring the contents away.

Conclusion

Etihad’s short haul product is great for a flight of this length. I was able to relax comfortably, enjoy some good drinks and chat with the relaxed and friendly crew. The food could use a little work, as could the IFE but otherwise this was a fantastic flight.