Etihad’s new Boeing 787-9 aircraft have a new Business Suite – and Armani amenity kits added

If it feels like you’ve been reading a lot about Etihad recently, you have.

The Etihad from before covid is very different to the Etihad we see now. After trying and failing to compete with Emirates in the 2010s, the airline has repositioned itself as a ’boutique’ carrier and has emerged from the pandemic seemingly in good strength. In the past few years it has:

• received brand new A350s with a new business class seat
• relaunched its A380s to London and New York – something that was off the cards just a few years ago
• launched new codeshare deals with Flying Blue and SAS
• moved into its new home in the brand new Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport
• launched Armani/Casa tableware and soft products on board
• restructured Etihad Guest, its loyalty scheme (although the jury is out on that one)

More is coming as you can see below.

Etihad receives three Boeing 787-9s with new business class seats

Etihad has taken ownership of three more Boeing 787-9s, on the back of the arrival of the larger 787-10s late last year.

Etihad already has 30 787-9s in its fleet, so the aircraft is not new to the airline. What is special about these planes, however, is that they introduce a third new business class seat for passengers.

Let’s take a quick step back. Etihad’s current Boeing 787-9s as well as its A380s feature the very comfortable Business Studio first introduced in 2015 and which I reviewed here. Despite its age, this is a fantastic seat.

In 2022, Etihad introduced a new Business Studio seat (image above) based on the Collins Aerospace Elevation seat. This is the same doored suite that British Airways uses for its Club Suite. The seat looked very smart with Etihad’s styling as you can see above.

The new seat which it is now launching is an evolution of that seat and is called Business Suite. It is based on the Collins Aerospace Elements design and Etihad is, I believe, the second airline to introduce the seat after Taiwanese carrier Starlux.

The benefit of the Elements seat is that it retains consistency with the existing Elevation seat on the A350s but brings a number of improvements, including:

• a wider footwell / foot cubby area with more knee room when in bed mode
• raised tray table to increase the height of the footwell
• more efficient use of the space by changing the way the seat folds and moves between bed and seat mode
• reconfigured console table storage

Whilst the changes seem minor, they should improve what is already an excellent and popular seat, and I’m curious to see how it will compare on board.

Etihad has 32 of the new suites on board its 787-9s. Each has a 78″ lie-flat bed, 17.3″ 4K in-flight entertainment screen with Bluetooth pairing, wireless charging and multiple charging ports.

According to One Mile At A Time three new aircraft will initially ply flights to:

• Mumbai from 2nd March
• Munich from 4th March
• New York (EY100/EY101) from 11th March – 21st April
• Washington DC from 21st April

Of course, as with all schedules, this is likely to change as Etihad tweaks its operations. Until there are more aircraft with this new cabin I wouldn’t place too much faith on the above.

Etihad introduces new amenity kits and pyjamas

Etihad launched Armani/Casa soft pillows, blankets and tableware in 2023. The partnership is now deepening with the logical move into amenity kits and pyjamas which will now be supplied by Giorgio Armani.

It will replace the existing iconic yellow amenity kits from Acqua di Parma. The current amenity kits were well regarded, with differentiated First and Business Class kits, but the new ones look equally stylish. They come in richer, more muted tones:

The cube looks particularly fun!

There are three different styles and each comes in three colours. The biggest, as you can see above, are large folio bags that can carry documents or a 13″ laptop. These are for First Class.

The cube and smaller clutch with the dune design (“a contemporary print design drawing inspiration from the rolling sands of the stunning Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi”) are for business class.

The contents from ESPA includes Nourishing Lip Treatment, Hydrating Spa Face Mist and rejuvenating hand and body lotion, alongside slippers, an eyeshade, earplugs and a travel dental kit.

The Residence / First Class folio comes with two additional items: the ESPA Restful Pulse Point Oil and the Rest and Recovery Night Balm.

Even economy passengers get something – at least on flights over six hours – with a tote bag containing Beekman hand cream, and eyeshade and earplugs.

Pyjamas, meanwhile, are provided on flights over nine hours and are again differentiated between First and Business Class. First Class gets a Giorgio Armani x Etihad loungewear and slippers whilst business class seemingly only gets Etihad branded items.

Conclusion

Etihad continues to upgrade its customer experience with the arrival of brand new business class seats and amenity kits and loungewear onboard. Hopefully we can get on board and see both in action.

What I particularly like is that Etihad is doing this before the old products appear dated. All of Etihad’s business class cabins are comfortable and the amenity kits were already some of the best out there. Some airlines could learn a thing or two.

Details of all of the UK options for earning Etihad Guest miles from credit cards can be found in this article.

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How to earn Etihad Guest miles from UK credit cards (April 2024)

Etihad Guest does not have a UK credit card.  However, you can earn Etihad Guest miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

Cards earning Membership Rewards points include:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 20,000 Etihad Guest miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 40,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 40,000 Etihad Guest miles.

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 10,000 Etihad Guest miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 into Etihad Guest miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 1 Etihad Guest mile. The Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it.