Etihad upgrades business and first class dining, sleep service

Etihad's premium passengers now enjoy improved inflight meals and an upgraded sleep service in both business and first class as the airline continues to 'reinvent' its inflight experience to be more closely aligned to a boutique hotel than a metal tube in the sky.

Up the very front in Diamond First Class, the service takes on elements of a five-star hotel with a “silver-tray reception service" featuring a personalised welcome letter from the Cabin Service Manager, a fragrant hot towel, traditional Arabic dates and a beverage of your choosing.

Once you're in the air, canapés, a pre-dessert course and more are served by your personal chef on Japanese-made Nikko bone chinaware, accompanied by Studio William ‘Royal Oak’ cutlery and stemmed Lucaris crystal wine glasses (not pictured).

That's followed by a ‘café gourmand’ arrangement of coffee or tea aside mini cookies, macarons, cakes and pastries, and a signature XO Cognac in new glasses by Norman of Copenhagen.

Inspired by the colour palette of Etihad's new Airbus A380 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner interiors, new cabin dressings, a luxurious throw and a matching cushion now appear across the Etihad fleet, with other small touches such as an evening 'sweet dreams' card when the crew make the bed.

Pearl Business Class gets a noticeable upgrade on longer flights – including those to and from Australia – thanks to a new mattress service with a plush doona and a full-size pillow for a great night's sleep, plus loungewear and slippers to match.

The airline's popular ‘dine anytime’ option has also been expanded to include an all-day menu, presented with on a contemporary table setting using new chinaware, cutlery and stemmed wine classes (not pictured)...

... along with a hammered metal side dish inspired by the airline’s Facets of Abu Dhabi livery found on its new Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner:

Coral Economy passengers aren’t forgotten, with new menu cards, tableware and meal trays, a new convertible pillow that can be used traditionally or as a shaped neck pillow, a cotton drawstring amenity kit and a reversible eye-mask with ‘do not disturb’ and ‘wake me for meals’ printed on either side:

There’s also a ‘cabin tidy bag’ that houses the blanket at each seat, which can then be used for your shoes or other goodies throughout the flight to reduce clutter and improve your personal space.

The on-board improvements follow the recent opening of a premium Etihad Arrivals Lounge in Abu Dhabi and come just weeks before the debut of The Residence – a three-room suite to rival the private jet experience on the airline's new A380 fleet.

Also read:

• Review: Etihad Boeing 777 Diamond First Class suites, Sydney-Abu Dhabi
• Review: Etihad Airways First and Business Class Lounge, Sydney
• Etihad's new Airbus A380 first class suites
• Etihad's new Boeing 787 first class suites revealed
• Etihad to fly Airbus A380 to Sydney from June 1, 2015
• Etihad to launch Boeing 787 daily direct Brisbane-Abu Dhabi flights

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Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.