We’ve spent the last 13 years intermittently flying back and forth between London and Sydney, but had surprisingly never flown with Etihad before. When a good price came up for flights between Jakarta and London, we leapt on the chance to snag a business class seat at a reasonable rate.
I knew Etihad was a 4 star airline, so I wasn’t sure how it would compare to the likes of Qatar and Singapore Airlines. In this article I am going to take you through the full experience; from the seat and service, to the lounge and the price we paid for the ticket.
Here’s what to expect when flying on both the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 business class with Etihad between Jakarta and London.
Our route and ticket price
The route
Our flight was from Jakarta to London via Abu Dhabi. The flight was a night flight, scheduled to leave at 19:05 from Jakarta, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 23:55, a flight time of just over eight hours. The second leg left Abu Dhabi at 02:20, arriving into London Heathrow at 07:00, a journey time of 7 hours 40.
It appears that our flight time from Jakarta no longer exists, but there are several other options, with the best probably being the 7.05pm departure, arriving into London Heathrow at 7.00am the next morning, a journey time of just under 18 hours.
There are many flights with longer stop overs than this which depart Jakarta at the same time, so it’s good to keep an eye on that if you don’t want to contend with a long connection.
The 7.05pm flight time is slightly better than the one we got, allowing you to have dinner at a normal time and watch a few movies before getting a little rest.
It does mean you arrive in Abu Dhabi at the ungodly hour of 2 or 3am Jakarta time, but you board at a reasonable time in Jakarta and have the full business class experience with dinner service (there are flights departing Jakarta at 00.45 which means you can’t really make use of the food and drink without really putting your body clock into disarray)!
The price of the ticket
We paid $1,276 USD for our flight between Jakarta and London, probably one of the cheapest routes we’ve ever taken mile for mile.
However, if you’re only flying between Jakarta and Abu Dhabi, the route is bizarrely much more expensive, averaging around $1,665 USD.
The full journey between Jakarta and London is usually between $1,391 USD and $1,565 USD. In my opinion $1,665 USD is very expensive for this leg, but $1,391 USD and $1,565 USD to get all the way to London is very good value in the world of modern business class pricing.
It’s also worth nothing that often times Qatar is not a huge amount more on this route, so be sure to check them out too before deciding.
What’s included in the ticket
All luggage is designated as priority, so it’s first on the belt in your chosen destination. Seat selection costs $65 USD, which is a cheek for business class, but we were keen to avoid those backward facing seats (more on that later).
Our experience flying business class with Etihad
Cabin layout & space
The cabin for the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 are a 1-2-1 layout, with odd numbers facing backwards and even numbers facing forward. The odd numbered row all have seats that are closer to the aisle, so we strongly recommend snagging an even numbered row.
The biggest different between the business class cabins are the number of seats. On an Airbus A380 there 18 rows (72 seats in total) compared to 7 rows with the Boeing 787 (28 seats in total). This means the Boeing 787 feels a lot smaller and more intimate, whereas the Airbus A380 feels a lot bigger and noisier.
The Airbus A380 only had 1 extra toilet (3 in total) for the 44 extra seats….
The seat
When it comes to flight enjoyment, the seat is all important and Etihad’s seat was good. The seat is firm but quite comfortable and without the hard edges that dig into you like we had on the A380 with Singapore Airlines.
There’s plenty of space around your hips and even when stretched out fully my feet didn’t reach the end. It is a tapered seat in that it narrows towards the end, but is not on a slant which means that it’s a more comfortable experience when trying to sleep.
There’s a decent amount of privacy, particularly when in lay flat mode if you’re in the window seats. If you’re in the middle seats, as some of them face backwards, it looks a lot less private and I personally wouldn’t have been as keen on those seats.
I really don’t like the idea of facing backwards on a plane, but maybe once you’re in the air it’s no different. However, every time I see those seats on a layout I always fork out for seat selection to make sure I don’t get one!
When it’s time to sleep the seat fully reclines and there’s a mattress pad, proper warm blanket and a good pillow.
Food, drink and service
The Jakarta - Abu Dhabi leg (Boeing 787)
The food
The service began with a glass of champagne and fresh carrot juice which was rather exciting. First time getting carrot juice on a plane! Alas, it did go somewhat downhill from there. Not disastrously so by any means, but let’s just say the food wasn’t a highlight.
For a starter I opted for the mezze plate believing this would probably be their strength, but dare I say it was all a bit over chilled and tasteless. However, the presentation was nice and it was edible, just quite plain.
Next I went for the barramundi and the fish was actually fine, but the mashed potato was up there with the worst I’ve ever eaten. The veg was undercooked and a bit bland.
However, things got much better with dessert, so good in fact I forgot to photograph it! I opted for the chocolate fondant and it was excellent, if the rest of the meal had been like that, I would have rated it very highly.
But ending on a good note is always a win, so overall I’d say the food is ok, one or two dishes might blow you away if you’re lucky, but overall you probably won’t find it memorable.
The wines were all very good and of high quality, I’m not connoisseur, but I was very happy.
The service
The service generally speaking was friendly enough, but the food service was incredibly slow. I was near the back of the cabin and had a two hour wait for it to start, those in the front of the cabin had finished their entire meal before I got my starter. And each course was also so slow to the point I really just wanted it to be over as it was getting so late.
For this reason I would try and get a seat as close to the front of the cabin as you can.
Otherwise no complaints, it wasn’t one of those noticeably friendly airline experiences, but it certainly wasn’t bad.
The Abu Dhabi - London leg
The food
This leg began with a lemon mint drink and you could have had champers if you were up for a wee hour alcoholic drink. The lemon mint was lovely.
The brekkie was a lot nicer than on most airlines I’ve flown with and included some fun choices including shakshuka.
Was it actually shakshuka, no, but it was tasty and definitely up there with the best business class breakfasts I’ve had.
There was some good flavour and the pita bread was much nicer than the usual bread you get on airlines. The fruit was nice but the pastries I wasn’t a fan of. I didn’t try the coffee but the tea was good.
The service
Unlike the service on the first leg, on this one it was very prompt. Most people were sleeping for the majority of this flight so there isn’t a whole lot to say about the service, but in the morning the service was really good, so a big step up from the Jakarta leg (which is marked down due to the ultra slow food service).
The amenity kit
Etihad’s amenity kits are great, much better than Qantas, Singapore Airlines and anyone else we’ve flown in recent years.
The kit is designed by Giorgio Armani, but it’s more about the quality of what’s within it that I liked.
The toiletries are by ESPA so they’re a nice quality and you get lip treatment, facial mist and a hand lotion as well as the standard eye mask and toothbrush and toothpaste.
You also get slippers which I love and are so practical for moving around the plane.
In-flight entertainment
The in-flight entertainment is very good on Etihad, with plenty of movie choices, including new releases, as well as foreign language movies and TV shows. The screens are very large and of good quality.
The headphones are good, but won’t be as good as your own if you have an expensive pair.
The lounges
The Plaza Premium Lounge at Jakarta
The Plaza Premium Lounge is quite large with plenty of seating including some comfy options with power sockets. There were also some pod seating and quieter nooks. Most importantly for me, the lounge was low lit which I find very calming before a long flight.
There’s a decent array of food on offer, with the usual chiller cabinet food as well as some Indian options and a noodle station. I opted for Indian but I think the cook to order noodles would have been the way forwards here!
Beer and wine is free, only cocktails were charged for. There are plenty of soft drinks and push button machine tea and coffee.
Wifi is pretty good with a download speed of 31 mbps and an upload speed of 45 mbps, just make sure you connect to the one with a password as the open access version is very slow!
Showers are available and at least on my visit there wasn’t a queue. The bathrooms were also nice and clean.
The Etihad Business Class Lounge at Abu Dhabi
The Etihad Business Class Lounge at Abu Dhabi is one of the best I’ve ever been to, I would put it up there with Singapore’s lounge in Singapore, Qatar’s lounge at Doha and Cathays lounges in Hong Kong. I wasn’t expecting it to be so good and I was really impressed.
I could have spent a lot longer here and though it was a little busy, there were plenty of seats available in all the various areas.
The only downside was that the relaxation rooms where you can sleep needed booking and I didn’t have long enough to snag a slot. I poked my head in though and they were dark and calm, perfect for getting some rest.
The toilets smelled amazing - and it’s not often you can say that! The showers were also great, though you need some time to get a slot if the lounge is busy.
They have spa music playing in the toilets and elsewhere around the lounge which instantly helps you relax. Diffusers were spraying nice scents throughout the spaces too, which again made it feel lovely, clean and calm.
Wi-fi is pretty good (for a lounge) with a download speed of 22 mbps and an upload speed of 18.3 mbps.
It’s on two floors and both had a lot of different spaces depending on what vibe you’re looking for. I liked how there were little tea stations between the seats so you didn’t have to go far if you simply wanted a tea or coffee.
High quality snacks were everywhere and though I didn’t eat any ‘proper’ food as it was the middle of the night my body clock time, I had some excellent cheeses and chocolate pudding. There were plenty of alcoholic drinks on offer too.
The lounge also has special access to the plane which I haven’t experienced before. You had a little waiting area beside the doors that then opened to a walkway on to the plane so you didn’t even have to leave the lounge to board.
I can’t fault this lounge experience, it hugely exceeded my expectations and I was sort of sad that the lay over was too short for me to take full advantage of everything on offer.
So overall is it worth it?
It’s really nice to write one of these reviews and simply be able to answer yes. As long as you get a similar price to the one we booked (which is the same price I see throughout much of the coming year) then it is definitely worth it.
For the quality vs price, it’s one of the best business class flights I’ve ever taken. If you were only going as far as Abu Dhabi then it’s certainly not the case, but if going all the way to London then it’s a brilliant price based on today’s business class routes.
If, like us, you’re in Australia and wanting to get to London, it’s a cheap route when combined with an economy class 6 hour flight to Jakarta (or Bali and onto Jakarta if you want a holiday first).
While it isn’t the best business class flight I’ve taken, for the price it compares well to others, ranking higher for me than Singapore Airlines and Garuda, while not being as good as Cathay or Qatar.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support.
Our unbiased opinion on flying on the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380 in business class with Etihad. Exactly what to expect from the seat, to the food and service, as well as how it compares to other major airlines.