Pre-trip musings
June-to-July 2025 is not exactly the cheapest time of the year to find fares in the Philippines as it is technically summer in the northern hemisphere (and Europeans travel a lot at this time). Yet as someone who teaches at university, this is only the only prolonged time-off I could conceivably ask for.
This trip would take me to Paris and Scandinavia. I was initially leaning towards Qatar Airways as it had routinely showed the most affordable fare at US$2,300-2,500. KLM had once showed something similar. Yet it disappeared right before I was confident of having enough money to charge my credit card for it. So I kept looking at Qatar Airways deals. Suddenly, Etihad had shown a similar price out of Stockholm but needed to connect from Copenhagen. When I amended the exit point from Europe back to the Philippines to be Copenhagen, I found a deal for less than US$2,100, more than US$300 cheaper than Qatar’s offers. This appeared a steal given that this was business class and involved Paris, a destination that is not exactly cheap to fly into from the Philippines.
Initially I did not worry about booking the flight straight away, hoped to find recent Etihad trip reports saying it’s in the same league as Qatar Airways or Singapore Airlines (though trip reviewers like Nonstop Dan and Jeb Brooks made reviews that made me feel Etihad isn’t a carrier worth being excited to fly. And as a consequence of this pondering, the dates I was eyeing had suddenly disappeared. But after a few minutes of panicking, I found a new pair of dates (i.e. one week later than originally planned) which might work out. It would have been tempting as Black Friday and Christmas sales were on the way. Yet as Black Friday isn’t institutionalised in the Philippines yet and low prices seemed to be going off the shelves, I felt I had no choice.
Ultimately, the Etihad flight would make sense for the following reasons:
- a $2,000-ish return business class ticket between Manila and Europe is simply a rare find. Even for a place like Manila where business class tickets in the market would often return such steals.
- On long-haul flights, you are guaranteed a flat-bed and direct aisle access. Most of Qatar's flights involving Manila do not even feature it as QSuite flights there are pretty rare. And even if you do get a Qsuite flight at booking, the risk of getting "Qatar-ed" had been quite high.
- The fare includes lounge access, free seat selection, a generous mileage bonus, even a low low change and cancellation penalty relative to the ticket price I paid.
- I wanted to use this trip to cultivate my Eurobonds (SAS) frequent flyer account. Although Etihad has its own frequent flyer programme called Etihad Guest with generous miles on offer for this fare, there’s just something unique that draws me to Eurobonus (not least is my love for Scandinavia?). Likewise, I would most likely have to fly on a standalone Air France flight from Paris to Copenhagen a few days later (spoiler alert: I made a big mistake that would see me credit the flight to the wrong frequent flyer programme). As SAS was now part of the SkyTeam, passengers on Air France may also earn Eurobonus points.
- No need to travel to the more distant Clark International Airport.
This longer segment was due to be serviced by a Boeing 777-300ER (77W), the oldest wide body aircraft on Etihad's fleet. Although I was getting tired of taking the 77W for long-haul routes, I was just thankful it would be on a 1-2-1, assuring direct aisle access regardless of where I seated. But a couple of months of checking the flight for changes has paid off as it was swapped out for a Boeing 787-10 (78X). Yes, the first flat bed flight I would take on a non-77W. And I would be on one of Etihad's first 78X flights for this season to Manila. And the 787 family of aircraft makes up the largest share of aircraft type on Etihad's fleet so I was glad to be in the majority. Prior to this swap, the only flight that was originally subject to a 78X was my Etihad flight out of Copenhagen into Abu Dhabi. But three of my four flights ultimately ended up getting this so it was a welcome change (and hence and regretfully, I wouldn't be featuring a trip report of the flight back home since the experience on them was very similar albeit with more sadness the trip was drawing to a close, but here and on the second flight report for this trip, I will reference moments from the return journeys where warranted).
CHECK-IN
Check-in desks were open more than the advertised three hours before departure. Etihad's check-in row had two desks to serve business class passengers (as well as those with status). I can genuinely say that the agent assigned to handle my bag drop was one of the most cheerful and understanding I’ve met. No issues whatsoever, although she reminded me to pack my liquids into my hold bags. Also, I asked if it is still possible to change from SAS Eurobonus to Etihad Guest and the agent said it’s unlikely. But then again, I also had no Etihad Guest account to change to.
The boarding card layout was an interesting surprise. It contained details both my flights. So I had to use the same boarding card for both flights. Lucky for me I have a mobile boarding card for the Abu Dhabi-Paris flight, which is weird because the Manila-Abu Dhabi flight did not even allow us to have our self-printed boarding card.
Something that felt encouraging about this use of NAIA Terminal 3 that wasn’t previously present was the addition of a new ”blue lane” that allowed business class passengers and OFWs to be cleared separately from everyone else. No queues. We were hauled straight through to a different section from what we’re used to after such checks.
Lounge visit
And here we are at the PAGS Lounge where I would spend the next 100 or so minutes. They transferred temporarily to a different area. Although it begs the question of who used to occupy this temporary space for PAGS. Most of the main hall seating was occupied. A small part of it was cordoned off for VIPs (six seats and to be precise and only a make-shift rope separated them from everyone else) and I found myself sitting near it. The food offering was pretty basic and not so much to my liking. But let’s be honest - this is true of many lounges at Manila (yes, even SIA's Silver Kris lounge did not have a lot of catering options to my liking). In any case I wasn’t exactly at the lounge for the food as I have just eaten lunch an hour prior to arrival at the airport. Although not every seat had access to power sockets but my seating area did.
The toilets were alright. No showers though so for those who want to shower before or after a long flight, you won’t find it in here.
The staff go out of their way to remind passengers whose departures are imminent. They did it to the Qatar Airways flight before us. Shortly afterwards, it was our turn. I was ready to leave, but not before I had one more chat with a group of people I have just met in the lounge. Having a chance to chat with some chaps was probably the best part of this lounge.
One thing the lounge area deserves credit for is the views of the tarmac. I have even spotted our chariot being hauled in to its gate, having been allocated to a different gate for the flight it used to arrive into Manila for.
Boarding
To my astonishment, Etihad ground staff have arranged the holding area by row numbers with business class getting their own waiting area. A similar arrangement would be done at Copenhagen during my return flight with a part of the holding area cordoned off entirely for business class.
When I arrived for boarding, a queue was building up in the priority lane. I knew I should have left earlier. Nonetheless, it did not take long for me to board the plane. No bottlenecks. The crew instantly pointed out my seat.
Flight proper
EY441 from MANILA to ABU DHABI
Flight number: EY441
Gate: 115
Aircraft: Boeing 787-10
Scheduled departure time: 19:10
Aircraft registration: A6-BMG
I chose the seat right next to the exit to get off quickly once the flight is over. Like a child, I felt a pang of glee to try the seat. Watching it on YouTube videos is enough to get me excited. But actually sitting on the seat…now that’s something different.
Seat 12A is forward-facing and slightly closer to the window so you have some buffer between the seat itself and the aisle. But the passageway is narrower than what its backward-facing aisle seat counterparts offer. The tray table is embedded into the wall and you push a button at the bottom of it to deploy it. Above it is a tiny lamp which you can use if the cabin is too dimmed out. You can push the table backwards or forwards, which is useful during mealtime and when you need to use the toilet. And that is in addition to the generously-sized side-tables, including one by your bedside which functions as a drawer to a storage compartment. So availability of surfaces is no problem whatsoever on this aircraft.
You had not just one, nor two, but three screens to help you navigate your way. One was the main TV screen for most of the linear programmes. The whole system was called e-Box. Another was the remote which helps you navigate what’s on the main TV screen and functions as a secondary screen for live TV and moving maps as well, and a third to control your seat (including to deploy the massage feature). Of course you have traditional seat controls right within easy reach, just below one of the side tables. Live TV is always appreciated and with all the news happening around the world, including the region I will transit at, it keeps us updated. But I also managed to enjoy a film - Sonic 3. I can create a music playlist though their selection might not be as wide as others, but adequate. The live map was present and I don't about you but it has a strange effect on me to make the flight feel slightly faster. In-seat AC and USB-A power to charge laptops and phones were provided.
Ten minutes after take-off the seatbelt sign was off. I headed to the toilet. Unfortunately the portion behind the toilet's mirror got exposed. A member of the crew has fixed it promptly. It was a generally basic, standard loo. But I appreciated the window that one could open to admire the view whilst answering nature’s call. Unlike the windows by the passenger seat, the ones in the toilet are lowered and raised manually so no need to worry about wrestling control from the cabin crew.
I set the bed and it went into a flat position. There was a tiny gap but nothing to be worried about. My stuff under the seat felt secure. I fell into a lounging position. I thought the second object was a round pillow but it served as the beddings as well that the attending crew gave me an extra one. The seatbed was pretty comfortable and for some reason helped the flight feel ”quicker” than it was. I didn’t fall asleep but it wasn’t due to the product…I’m just a light sleeper by nature. Though given the departure time of the second flight, I am determined to sleep more there.
As I said, the seat is controlled by pushing buttons. You can even initiate the seat's softness through one of the screens as I described in a previous paragraph. It helped make the bed comfortable.
TIP: On most long-haul aircraft, Etihad seats closer to the aisle are criticised for being backward-facing. But it has two small upsides. First is that it has slightly more privacy than the forward-facing seat closer to the window. Second, you have more space to get in and out.
As for the meals, the crew had gotten my order prior to take-off. I appreciated their dine-on-demand style. Dine-on-demand had two meanings. First is you choose the time of the flight you'd like to have your meals. And second, you can have as much of certain dishes as you pleased.
I had their pasta offering within the first hour or so of the flight. It was delicious and I’ve managed to even eat the pumpkins. I skipped the appetisers and it’s always useful that the crew asks if we prefer this. The dessert included ice cream and cheese and crackers.
For beverages, I asked for camomile tea and it came with honey and peanuts.
About an hour and a half before landing, the crew served me with their signature Etihad sandwich. On the side were crisps and water. I found those tasty as well. In theory, you can have as many of these as they are able to supply, but this is an issue between you and your nutritionist. Having it at this time rather than the second leg could mean more time for me to catch up on sleep then. Yet, I would regret not ordering this at all on the flight back home.
Etihad’s WiFi is somehow on the pricey side if I’m being honest, especially for a business class ticket given that a proper business class product should let passengers…take care of business. It costs $25 and you are unable to carry it over to the next connecting flight of the day. The speeds were only 4 Mbps - fine for messaging and text-based websites, but slow for anything that requires videos or animation. To put it in perspective, 15 Mbps already seems slow nowadays. But it keeps you connected throughout the flight. I know people are going to have strong opinions about inflight WiFi but at least it’s there for those who want to use it. I found it useful to play catch up on the latest news, experiment around with AI, and chat with some friends.
Compared to Emirates, Etihad’s amenity kit for business class is rather basic. It came with a dental kit, face mist, sleeping mask, ear plugs, and lotion. Emirates though would go all the way to provide deodorants, a pack of tissue, and a shaving kit too.
Soon it was time to descend. We started 45 minutes’ before actual arrival time, which was more than an hour before scheduled arrival time. At that time, a listing of connecting flights were activated but my flight to Paris was not yet amongst those listed - only those scheduled for departure within three hours.
We arrived much earlier, almost three hours before departure of my flight to Paris rather than the two as advertised. As soon as we were on the ground, I activated the eSIM plans I arranged for my brief transit at Abu Dhabi, which isn't exactly an affordable place to stay connected with mobile data.
The crew were enthusiastic in saying their goodbyes. And I felt thankful they served us exceptionally.
