Etihad Home check-in: Everything you need to know

Etihad Airways offers a Home check-in service for passengers departing from Zayed International Airport. Morafiq, which also operates city check-in facilities, operates the service.

I was keen to try the service out as Home check-in is one of the ‘custom benefits’ Gold and Platinum Tier members can choose from when the new Etihad Guest programme launches on 1st June 2024.

The perfect opportunity arose recently. My son was performing in an after-school event the same day I had a late-night departure from Abu Dhabi Airport. I planned to head straight to the airport, so having the luggage picked up earlier in the day would be very helpful.

Booking Home check-in

To book, you are encouraged to download the Morafiq app from the AppStore or Google Play. However, you can just as easily book via the website. I downloaded and booked on the app.

When making the booking, you select a one-hour time slot. This can be anytime from 24 hours to five hours before departure. However, when I was booking the latest slot available was eight hours before departure.

My Home check-in experience

About 13 minutes into my one-hour slot, I received a call that they’d arrived. I popped down to find the Morafiq-branded van parked up with an Etihad uniformed check-in agent, a driver, and a porter.

The team set up a mobile check-in desk and went through a standard check-in process. My ID was checked, and the bag was weighed and tagged. A striking home check-in tag was also attached. I was given my boarding pass luggage receipt, and we were done.

The whole process took about 12 minutes. An hour after they left, I received an SMS that the service was complete.

The bag had an AirTag inside. I was amused to see my luggage had quite a tour of Abu Dhabi before reaching the airport.

The next time I saw the bag was on the baggage carousel at Charles De Gaulle in Paris the following morning.

Who is Home check-in good for?

One of my favourite American miles and points bloggers, Gary Leff, has been very dismissive of the Home check-in service offered by airlines in the Middle East. However, travel is different in this part of the world and there are a number of situations in which Home check-in can be valuable.

Home check-in service is particularly useful for the following types of travellers:

Passengers travelling with a large amount of luggage. No need to wrangle bags to and through the airport. This is particularly useful at the start of the summer exodus when expat families are often heading off with a lot of bags.
Parents travelling with young children: No bags means free hands available to wrangle kids and less time waiting in line with wiggling little people.
Anyone departing during the early morning peak when the airport can be very busy. No bags means skipping check-in lines and heading straight to security.
Tourists and visitors to Abu Dhabi may have to check out of their hotel hours before their return flight departs. This is especially the case for European visitors where the majority of departures are scheduled in the early hours of the morning. Home check-in means you’re free to continue sightseeing or head out for dinner before heading straight to the airport.
People like me who have an event or commitment prior to departure and want to head straight to the airport.

A secondary benefit of using Home check-in is that it forces you to get your packing done well in advance of leaving for the airport. There’s no last-minute rushing to stuff things into a suitcase, meaning a much more relaxed start to the journey.

With my boarding pass in hand, I was free to head to the airport and go straight through security.

How much does it cost?

The price is based on the number of bags checked in, regardless of the number of passengers travelling. Current pricing is:

Two bags – AED 185 (excl. VAT)
Four bags – AED 220 (excl. VAT)
Six bags – AED 280 (excl. VAT)
Eight bags – AED 340 (excl. VAT)
Ten bags- AED 400 (excl. VAT)
Additional bags at AED 35 per bag

A few things you need to know:

Home check-in is only available within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
It is not available to passengers travelling to the US.
Etihad Airways and Egypt Air are currently the only participating airlines.

Land & Leave

Morafiq also offers a Land & Leave service which promises to deliver luggage to your house within three hours of landing. That’s impressive. This is available to all passengers arriving in Abu Dhabi regardless of the airline they arrived on.

Flying from Dubai?

Emirates offers a similar service for passengers flying from Dubai International. It is powered by Dubz. You can find of DUBZ Home check-in here.

Dubz also provides Home check-in for passengers departing on Saudia, Kuwait Airways and flydubai from Dubai International.

My take

I am a fan of Home check-in services. I have used it on multiple occasions departing from both the UAE and UK. Home check-in takes a little friction out of the journey to and through the airport, making for a more relaxed start to any trip.

You can book Etihad Home Check-in here.