This post highlight some of the best-rated wine Etihad Airways is currently serving in their First Class cabin.
Last week a friend flying their family to Sydney on a US airline was shocked by the state of the food and drink on offer.
I don’t think the old days of luxury travel will return.
American Airlines passenger flying in a premium cabin from LAX to SYD July 2021
It has been undeniably sad to see some of the cutbacks airlines have been making during the pandemic. Inflight chefs are gone from Etihad’s First Class. The A380s are permanently parked and along with them has gone the First Apartments, inflight showers and Residence butlers.
With all of these cutbacks, a little pessimism is understandable. However, if Etihad’s current First Class wine list is any indication of the future of premium travel it may not be as bleak as my friend expects.
Etihad’s First Class wine list is still pretty good
A regular blog reader kindly forwarded the First Class wine list from a recent flight between Abu Dhabi and Morocco.
What is interesting is how every single wine on offer is decent and a few of them are exceptional. There is nothing on the list with a Vivino rating below 3.9 and several that are significantly higher.
The highlights are a Twelftree Shiraz with a 4.3 rating, a Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet with a 4.2 rating and Château d’Arche Sauternes with another 4.2 rating.
The Heidsieck champagne is the weakest link on the list with an okay 3.9 rating. Not exactly what I would hope to see served in First Class.
Here are the Vivino ratings for the entire wine list.
Reasons to be optimistic
I for one am pretty optimistic about the future of premium air travel. The pandemic encouraged airlines around the world to introduce innovations that would not otherwise have happened.
Over the last 18 months, we have seen Etihad introduce at home check-in, offer bundled COVID-19 travel insurance with all bookings and provide premium passengers with a snazzy snood style face mask.
I am looking forward to seeing what the next 18 months will bring.
Do you want your next Etihad flight to be in First?
If you want to make sure your next trip with Etihad is in First Class check out the best ways to earn Etihad Guest Miles without flying.