Hello from the UAE, as I just flew Etihad Airways’ fascinating Airbus A321LR first class on the 6hr40min flight from Phnom Penh (KTI) to Abu Dhabi (AUH), as part of my review trip.
While I’m always excited to fly a new product, I was particularly looking forward to this flight, given that the A321LR is Etihad’s newest aircraft, and represents an interesting new chapter for the airline, of operating narrow body planes in long haul markets. The plane has a very unusual first class product, which might seem underwhelming on the surface, but it’s actually pretty awesome.
While I’ll have a full trip report soon, in this post I’d like to share some initial impressions, because this was quite the experience.
Etihad’s A321LR first class seat is more like business class plus
Etihad’s A321LRs are intended to offer wide body comfort on a narrow body plane. At the front of the plane, you’ll find 16 reverse herringbone seats, in a 1-1 configuration. It’s so nice to see an airline install reverse herringbone seats rather than herringbone seats on a narrow body, given that the latter is the standard.
When you look at the below cabin you might be thinking “wait a minute, where’s the first class?” That’s a fair question!
You see, there are a pair of first class seats, which are the two seats in the first row. The “back” of these seats is the same as the business class seats, with there being two major differences. For one, there’s a massive amount of space for your feet, taking advantage of the extra space at the bulkhead. Next, the first class seats have doors, while the business class seats don’t.
Purely in terms of hard product, this is more of a “business class plus” product than a first class product, since it’s just efficiently utilizing the extra space at the bulkhead. It’s similar to JetBlue Mint on the A321LR, as the standard seats are the Mint Suites, while the bulkhead seats are the Mint Studios.
There’s no curtain between first and business class, and for that matter, there’s no dedicated lavatory. So I think it’s safe to say that this isn’t quite as impressive as the first class hard product you’ll find on Etihad’s Airbus A380s and Etihad’s Boeing 787s.
Etihad’s A321LR first class tech is phenomenal
As you’d expect, since these A321LRs are all newly delivered, they have cutting edge tech. For one, Etihad has installed Viasat Wi-Fi on its A321LRs, and connectivity is free for first class passengers. The speeds were excellent throughout the flight.
On top of that, there was a personal entertainment monitor with a huge selection of movies, TV shows, audio, and more. There was also bluetooth audio, along with all kinds of charging options (AC, USB-C, wireless, etc.).
Etihad’s A321LR first class service is wonderfully personalized
One area where Etihad’s A321LR first class excels is when it comes to personalized service. There’s a flight attendant dedicated exclusively to first class, meaning they’re taking care of at most two passengers. On my flight, I was the only first class passenger, so talk about personalized service!
Yasmina was the first class flight attendant, and she was an absolute delight. Service was personalized and attentive, as you’d expect, with a 1:1 crew to passenger ratio. 😉
It’s also nice when you have first class to yourself, since you can use one seat for hanging out, and the other seat for sleeping.
By the way, it really is amazing how much is going on in that forward cabin on the A321LR. There are a total of three flight attendants in that tiny galley, including the cabin senior, the first class flight attendant, and the business class flight attendant.
My flight was only about half full in business class (and I was alone in first class), though I imagine it must be quite some work to manage those ovens and coordinate the service with a full cabin.
Etihad’s first class food, drinks, and amenities, are awesome
In terms of soft product, Etihad’s A321LR offers the full first class experience. This includes Etihad’s leather amenity bag, containing ESPA amenities, pajamas, and even slippers.
There was the typical pre-departure service with drinks of choice, Arabic coffee, dates, a warm towel, etc.
Then after takeoff, there was a trio of snacks, along with another drink.
Then there was the full dine on demand experience, with a huge selection to choose from. I had the caviar course to start.
For the appetizer, I had the smoked salmon with wakame salad, yuzu pearls, and wasabi mayonnaise.
That was followed by a sorbet as a palate cleanser…
For the main course, I opted for the chilean seabass with green pea and edamame puree, roasted turnip, potatoes, and pickled shallots.
For dessert, I selected for the saffron milk cake.
Etihad is consistent with its first class catering, and this flight was no exception. The food was great across the board, in terms of both taste and presentation. There was also the option to eat more before landing, but I had to pace myself, especially since I had a connecting flight. So I just had an iced latte, served with some sweets.
Etihad prices its A321LR first class appropriately
When Etihad first announced the details of its A321LRs and revealed that it would market the first row as first class, I was skeptical. In terms of hard product it’s more of a “business class plus,” so how can the airline in good conscience market this as first class, without disappointing passengers?
But after flying the product, I have a different take. The first thing to understand is that Etihad prices its various first class products differently — A380 first class is priced higher than 787 first class, and that’s priced higher than A321LR first class.
Of course airfare is all over the place, so there’s not a single, consistent premium I can point to. However, the A321LR product is considerably cheaper. Just to give a few examples:
- If you were exclusively traveling between Phnom Penh and Abu Dhabi, first class starts at $1,700 one-way, while business class starts at $1,000 one-way
- For connecting markets where you have the option of either flying first or business class on different frequencies, you’ll often find that A321LR first class just costs $250 or so more than business class
- There’s also the opportunity to bid for upgrades from business class to first class, and the minimum bids are typically quite low
So while Etihad’s approach is unusual, I really like it. Yes, you get a quirky hard product, but you get the full first class soft product, from the food and drinks, to the lounge access, to the best service ratio in the fleet, given that there’s one dedicated flight attendant for at most two passengers.
Obviously I’d rather fly Etihad’s A380 first class compared to this, but if the premium is reasonable, I’d absolutely recommend booking this, and I think Etihad did something really innovative (yet unusual) here. The way I view it, the airline is charging several hundred dollars more compared to what a “business class plus” product would cost, but in the process, is also providing a lot more value.
Bottom line
Etihad’s A321LR first class is unlike anything we’ve seen before from an airline. The airline has essentially taken a “business class plus” hard product, but is marketing it as first class.
On the surface, that might seem like a poor way to manage expectations. However, the pricing is typically more reasonable than Etihad’s other first class products, and the soft product is phenomenal. You get the entire standard first class soft product, and on top of that, there’s even a dedicated flight attendant for at most two passengers.
So while I don’t want to say that this is my favorite first class product in the world, my expectations were exceeded, as this is a really lovely product that I’d gladly fly again, if the price is right.
What’s your take on Etihad’s A321LR first class?
