This post includes everything you need to know about the addition of the A350 to Etihad Airways’ fleet.
The long-awaited debut of Etihad Airways A350 aircraft took place today, with an inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG).
Background
Etihad took delivery of their first A350 back in 2019. A total of five of the largest A350-1000 variant have been delivered. However, the airline’s downsizing combined with COVID-19 has kept the planes in storage ever since.
The Etihad Airways A350s are in a two-class layout with 44 seats in business and 327 seats in economy. There will be no first-class cabin.
This represents around a 40% increase in premium capacity and a 20% increase in economy seats compared to the airline’s 787s.
The increase in capacity will potentially be good news for Etihad Guest members looking to book or upgrade using miles.
New Business Class seat
At the last Dubai Air Show, it was revealed Etihad will introduce a new business class seat on the A350. Etihad has selected the Collins Super Diamond, one of a growing number of business class seats to feature a door.
The Super Diamond comes in a reverse herringbone configuration with all seats having direct aisle access.
The outer seats point towards the window. The middle pair of seats are angled towards the centre of the cabin with a privacy divider that can be raised and lowered.
The seat map Etihad is using online for the A350 does not illustrate the angle of the seats.
The major advantage of this configuration is there are no bad seats in the cabin unless you are keen to be away from the galley.
This is the same seat British Airways introduced on their A350s. Check out my review of this suite-style seat on a British Airways flight to Dubai.
Economy Space on the A350
The first six rows at the front of the economy cabin will feature Etihad’s Economy Space seat. These are regular economy seats with up to five extra inches of legroom compared to the rest of the cabin.
There will be one additional row of Economy Space seats located at the emergency exit doors further back in the cabin.
Where will the Etihad A350 fly?
Over the next three months, the A350 will be flying to short-haul regional destinations while cabin crew get familiar and trained on the new aircraft type.
The A350 is initially scheduled to operate certain flights to Mumbai, Delhi, Cairo, Jeddah, and Istanbul over this period.
From July, the A350 will be scheduled on ultra-long-haul destinations to Chicago and New York.
My verdict
Honestly, I have mixed feelings about the new seat. I am a sceptic when it comes to doors on business class seats. Large dorm-like business class cabins, which the A350 will have, do not strike me as particularly calm or premium.
I am also a fan of the Business Studio, at least the A380 version which felt very roomy and private. The 787 version feels more cramped and of course, it is the only one flying currently.
However, trying to get a ‘true window’ or ‘true pair’ on the 787 does feel like a bit of a lottery. So in that sense, the new cabin will be an upgrade.
I am looking forward to trying out the new seat.
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