Etihad Airways has today unveiled new Business and Economy Class seats for its upcoming Boeing B787 Dreamliners. The airline unveiled these at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
Business Class Suites
Etihad Airways has announced that its Boeing B787 Dreamliners will feature an evolved version of the Business Class Suites installed on the Airbus A350-1000. This is a customised version of the Elements seat manufactured by Collins. Etihad says that it is the first airline in the world to introduce the Elements seat on the Boeing B787.
Each of the 32 Business Class seats will have direct aisle access, arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. The seats recline to a fully lie-flat-bed 78 inches in length and feature a 17.3-inch 4K TV screen, Bluetooth headphone pairing, multiple charging ports and wireless charging, as well as “plenty” of storage.
The seats also feature a sliding door for added privacy, and Etihad says that the height of this sliding door has been increased as compared to those on the A350s for “even greater privacy”.
Enhanced Economy experience
The new Economy Class seats are lighter in weight than the current fleet and therefore more fuel efficient. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier says that the seats “boast exceptional comfort and an increased feeling of space created by the smart design and adjustments including a slimmer profile armrest”.
The seats feature a 13.3-inch 4K inflight entertainment screen which also includes a convenient USB charging port.
Etihad’s new 787 Dreamliner cabin interior showcases further enhancements to our award-winning and industry renowned cabins. Our new Business class takes the guest experience to new heights with the second evolution of the Business Studio which was launched on the Airbus A350-1000 last year.
said Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways.
Passenger experience upgraded
The newer B787s, three of which will join the Etihad fleet in the third quarter of 2023, will have the latest inflight entertainment technology from Safran. New features include Rave Ultra 4K monitors, Bluetooth headphone pairing and the option to pair personal phones and tablets to the screen and use as a remote.
The aircraft are fitted with a new connectivity solution from Viasat using Ka-band technology which offers high-speed Wi-Fi with streaming capabilities on board as well as Live TV, including news and sport channels.
Earlier this year, Etihad introduced new “Wi-Fly” packages on its wide-body fleet with Chat and Surf packages offering unlimited data. Etihad Guest members, including those who enrol instantly just before the flight, are rewarded with free ‘Chat’ packages while they fly.The free Chat packages provide access to popular messaging apps such as What’s App, WeChat, Messenger and more. Generous Surf packages offer unlimited data for the full flight duration.
We remain fully committed to providing industry-leading experiences for our guests and we’re proud to showcase this here at the Arabian Travel Market. This year is about growth for Etihad – as well as enhancing our guest experience and adding aircraft to our fleet, we’ve announced new routes for our network, including Kolkata last month, Lisbon, Malaga and Mykonos this summer and Copenhagen and Dusseldorf in the fourth quarter.
Neves added.
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Etihad also recently announced sustainable onboard dining equipments and a Armani/Casa branded Amenity Kits and dining ware, which have been now rolled across the airline’s Business Class cabins.
This seems very nice!
Etihad’s A350-1000 raised the passenger experience to a great extent. While I have not been on one, flight reviewers worldwide have been praising the experience onboard Etihad’s A350.
Etihad’s new B787 hard products are a step in that direction, which is very good. Now that the airline is focusing more on passenger experience while being “boutique”, it is heavily investing on hard products that are competitive.
The new Business Class suites looks great, with nice colour combinations and the use of aesthetically-great textures. The Economy Class suites too look great. The airline has done away with the Beige-coloured seats and has instead opted for a greyish-shade which looks amazing and goes well with the brown and golden shades that Etihad uses.
While all of this is great, I have one question that comes to my mind. Etihad has not revealed whether its existing B787s will undergo refurbishment to feature these new seats or else they will continue with the old seats. While that is a question, logically speaking, Etihad should refurbish the older B787s to have a product consistency across its long-haul fleet. At a time when Etihad continues to market itself as a passenger-centric airline, I think this should be definitely be implemented. We will have to wait for an official announcement from Etihad if it is truly in the works.
Meanwhile, Etihad recently announced that it will go daily on Toronto route.
Featured image by Etihad
All the other images by Gulf Business
What do you think of new hard products for its upcoming B787 Dreamliners? Let me know in the comments section below.
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