AUH-MCT Etihad Regional Business Class
A surprisingly comfy retro Business Class seat!
A brief and delightful regional trip down to Muscat Airport, with an underrated seat, nice food, and excellent service. Good start to the inbound trip!
AUH-MCT Etihad Regional Business Class
Oman Air First Class Lounge
MCT-BKK Oman Air First Class
Gate43 Airport Hotel - Deluxe Twin Lake View
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Lounge BKK
BKK-SIN Thai Airways Business Class
After spending an extended period in the Etihad Business Lounge, I made my way to the gate under the Abu Dhabi moonlight, with daylight having already faded away. It's time to head back home!
Damage: Bought 80,000 Aeroplan points for SGD1649 including taxes. This award flight covered the following segments: AUH-MCT on Etihad Business Class, MCT-BKK on Oman Air First Class, and notably, BKK-SIN on Thai Airways A350 Business Class, which offers lie-flat seating!
Boarding
It took approximately five minutes to walk from the lounge to the gate, where boarding was conducted at a runway gate. Business Class passengers were given priority boarding, and Business Class passengers were ushered to a separate shuttle bus to take you to the aircraft.
Seats
The Etihad A321 Regional Business Class doesn't have lie-flat seats, but its recliner seats appear to be a modernized sleek version, different to those offered by Singapore Airlines on their regional flights.
These seats feature button controls for adjusting the seat position and an in-flight entertainment (IFE) controller located conveniently on the right side of the seat, which meant entertainment accessible even on short 40-minute flights! Singapore Airlines, please take note!
Additionally, I was seated in Seat 1A, which being a bulkhead seat, ensures great legroom.
Features and In Flight Entertainment
Besides the seat, there is also an IFE screen available to the right of my seat. Curiously, I neglected to capture images of it, perhaps due to the brevity of the flight, too short to enjoy any movies! However, I recalled that the movies selection was pretty extensive.
Well maybe I was just simply captivated by the beautiful night views from the window! 😆
Moreover, the seat had a table that exhibited notable sturdiness, and I particularly liked its wooden finishings.
Amenities
As per right after the post-COVID period, an essential wellness kit containing a face mask, alcohol wipes and sanitizer was provided.
Additionally, a high-quality and comfortable noise-cancelling headset was provided, which was quite impressive for such a brief flight.
Dining
For the welcome drink, only water or juice was offered, and I opted for lime juice.
During the flight, a delightful “snack” was served, featuring Arabic mezze, a chicken roll, and chocolate cake. It was delicious! Exceeded my expectations for such a short flight and was thoroughly enjoyable! 😋
Lavatory
The lavatory was quite basic, with little noteworthy to mention. However, it was impeccably maintained and spotless in condition.
Service
No negative experiences with the service; the cabin crew was notably friendly, and orders were served and cleared promptly. 👍
I barely had time to finish my “snack” before we began our descent, accompanied by the glittering night views of Muscat.
Conclusion
My first flight in Etihad proved to be a solid one. Despite having a recliner seat, the hardware was already much nicer compared to many other short regional flights. Combined with the excellent food, this experience left a strong first impression of Etihad.
As we approached Muscat Airport, my excitement grew in anticipation of experiencing Oman Air’s First Class Lounge service for the first time!
