Etihad A330-300 at AMS.

I recently traveled to Abu Dhabi after redeeming miles (90,000 miles and $46) for first class on Etihad’s A380 (the plane with the shower and onboard bar!).  I decided to fly the AUH-JFK route which was about an hour longer than flying in the other direction (jet stream folks).  I’ll review each segment of my trip:

• American Airlines CRJ-200 Review (Economy):  ‘Twas the Worst of Times
• American Airlines 757-200 Review (Economy):  ‘Twas Still the Worst of Times
• How to Layover in Amsterdam:  4 Hours
• Etihad A330-300 Review (Economy)
• Hilton Abu Dhabi Review (Executive Floor)
• Abu Dhabi Review
• Etihad First Class Lounge (Abu Dhabi) Review
• Etihad A380 Review (First Class) – A Plane with a Shower

I flew Etihad’s A330-300 in economy from Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi, an approximately 7-hour long flight.

Seats

The economy cabin was laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration.  I sat in the aisle seat on the right side of the plane.

Legroom was awful.  If you are over 6′ tall, it will be a tight fit.  I think I would rather have an entertainment system than additional legroom, but I would rather not need to make that choice 😉

Notice the no cell phone symbol–welcome to the 21st century.  Etihad advertised in-flight cell reception, although it did not work with my phone.  I think I would rather fly on planes that do not have cell phone connectivity–people can be so inconsiderate in crowded places.

Entertainment

What a system.  The movie selection left a little to be desired but I still found two current (and English speaking) movies that I wanted to watch.  Both the USB and 110v ports worked and were strong enough to charge my devices.

I appreciated the flip down cup holder as it helped organize my cords (it was not sturdy enough to hold an open-top cup).

Aviation nerds enjoy watching the in-flight map.  It appears we flew over Iranian airspace when we flew East of Basrah, Iraq.

Food

You get a menu in economy!  This is the first time I had received a menu in economy.  You do not receive many food choices, but I appreciated being able to review my food choices before the flight crew took my order.

I ordered the pasta and tortellini, with the red wine (blend) and sparkling water on the side.  The food was definitely above average for a long-haul economy flight.  I ate everything except the red salad.  The chocolate mousse dessert was by far my favorite dish.

The bread was soft and the dish included three types of pasta.

American Codeshare Notes

This trip was my first on Etihad and my first on a non-codeshare flight marketed by American Airlines.  For starters, none of my elite benefits apply to Etihad.  I received no lounge access (AMS had a priority pass lounge so it worked out), seat upgrades, or additional checked bags.  I received 0 EQMs and 805 redeemable miles.  The flight booked into the L fare class on Etihad which earned 25% redeemable miles.  If the flight would have been a codeshare (with an American Airlines flight number), I would have earned 3,229 EQMs and 8 miles per dollar spent on the fare.

Conclusion

Etihad has an excellent long-haul economy product and I would not hesitate to fly them again.  Next time, I will double-check the codeshare status of the flight to ensure I receive more EQMs and redeemable miles.