Retro Review: Etihad Business Class, Abu Dhabi-Male

Etihad business class, Abu Dhabi to Male

Flight: EY278
Departure time in Abu Dhabi (AUH): 9:35
Arrival time in Male (MLE): 14:55
Aircraft: Airbus A320-200
Seat: 3A
Duration: 4h 20m
Date of flight: September 26, 2013
* This is an award ticket, Business Class flight #33

After a short transit in Abu Dhabi International Airport, it was time once again to fly with Etihad and this time, we were headed to Male, our final destination. The flight was four and a half hours long and it actually turned out to be very exciting specially during the approach where we saw the beautiful atolls of the Maldives.

Etihad First & Business Class Lounge, Terminal 1

For details and more pictures of the Etihad Business Class Lounge, please click here.

Boarding

Boarding was scheduled at 8:35.

Aircraft, Airbus A320

The aircraft which was on a remote stand was an Airbus 320-200.

Business Class Cabin

The business class cabin has 16 seats half of which were occupied that day.

Seat 3A

Seat pocket with magazines, safety card, etc.

The seat control has several modes. Take note of the save and recall function 😉

The entertainment screen although small is of good quality.

The headphones and the entertainment control were pretty basic. Again, the control is not that user friendly, in my opinion.

The seat also has the basic reading lamps located on the right hand side.

Pre-departure Beverage & Towels

Our pre-departure drinks: a glass of water and lemon mint.

And of course, some hot towels to freshen up although it wasn't that necessary since I had just taken a shower in the lounge earlier 😉

Dining

The menu card for the Abu Dhabi-Male flight.

About ten minutes after the seat belt sign was turned off, Vera, the lovely lady from Indonesia came to our seats and took time to chat with us. She asked if we had been to the Maldives before and how long we would have our vacation. Lastly, she reminded us to take pictures of the atolls during our approach as we would have a great view from the window. After a few minutes, her colleague from Malaysia came and served our after departure snacks, a glass of apple and some mixed nuts.

The starter and country style bread (Middle Eastern style zaatar bread, house butter and pesto oil) was served on a tray together with the cutleries and drinks.

Starter

Balik Salmon tartar and cucumber cannelloni with mesclun salad and light wasabi cream

The other choice was the Traditional Arabic mezze, a selection of Middle Eastern hot and cold appetizer.

Main

Nile Perch in coconut curry sauce with steamed rice and sauteed vegetables

I won't deny that I love fish so for my main course, the choice came easy. And yes, it was really good specially the sauce 😋

The other two choices were:

Grilled chicken with tagine sauce served with vegetable couscous and roasted onions
Vegetable lasagne served with tomato-herb sauce and mixed salad

Dessert

Seasonal fresh fruit with grape coulis

The other two choices were:

Raspberry crunch cake with mixed berry sauce
A selection of ice cream flavours

There was also a cheese plate but I decided to skip. Mike on the other hand had his usual cup of coffee.

Lavatory

The lavatory had some Korres hand cream and face mist as well as a hand sanitizer.

Approach to Male

As Vera had promised, we had a great view of the atolls of the Maldives. Lovely 😍

CONCLUSION

After our flight from London to Abu Dhabi, I knew more or less what to expect on this flight. I was really impressed as to how the cabin staff took care of us and engaged into conversations. The food was really good and I was also able to have a good rest even for just a short flight. If I were to come back again to Male, I wouldn't hesitate flying with Etihad again. Till next time 😉