Etihad A320 Business Class

A surprise last minute upgrade resulted in a fantastic business class experience on our way to Jaipur even though it was just a three hour flight. Why, you ask? Well read on and you’ll find out (that’s cheesy I know but deal with it).  

Pre-Boarding

Etihad has its own terminal in the Abu Dhabi airport, which within it has its own First and Business class terminal. This should be a thing at all airports. It allows the luxurious experience of business class to extend throughout your journey, truly from beginning to end. Once we checked in at our designated area, we walked through a private security line reserved for business class as well, and it may have been the most efficient, hassle free experience I have ever had at an airport. The simplicity of it all was just a sight to behold given how chaotic air travel can be and usually is.

The lounge is also fantastic, boasting a wide array of food options and comfortable sitting areas. My only complaints are that there was no view over the tarmac to watch the planes land and take off and that it was located far as hell from our gate (which made us almost miss our flight because boarding started much earlier than expected and wasn't announced in the lounge until basically the last possible minute). But I have to say, Etihad did it right with their pre-flight experience. It was fantastic.

Seat

I had low expectations for the seat on this flight, and boy did it prove me wrong. This puts domestic first class on American carriers to shame. The seat had great legroom and was electronically controlled to a variety of positions with a considerable amount of recline. Storage was limited to the seatback pocket for the most part, as there was also a small slot on the seat which fir my phone nicely.

Food

Etihad again impressed me here, as I had fantastic lamb on this three hour flight to Jaipur. Granted, it was a bit too chewy, but having it with the mashed potatoes and vegetables made it very enjoyable. Plus, the bread was a super cool roll where two different types were morphed into one. I thought it was cool, I don't know. Maybe you don't. But if you do, let's be friends.

Entertainment

There was a solid amount of options here for Etihad. All the options you would expect were there, and the screen itself was big enough (one of the better screens that are located in your armrest I've ever had). I personally watched Woner Woman the whole flight basically. How is Gal Gadot a famous actress. She really isn't that good. The movie was great though. And she truly is stunning.

Service

As a premier airline, Etihad takes pride in its service and it showed loud and clear, even though this was just a three hour flight. All the flight attendants had a smile on their face and were more than happy to help in any way necessary. Also, I'm putting this down under service because why not, the blanket provided on board was undoubtedly the most comfortable blanket I had ever used on any aircraft in any class. Undoubtedly.

A quick flight that could not have been any more enjoyable, Etihad thoroughly impressed me. Etihad, along with Abu Dhabi in general, made me really excited to fly back to UAE, this time by way of this airline rather than Emirates (which was great, don't get me wrong).