It was my flight back to Europe after three weeks spent in Africa. I bought, only a couple of days before departure, a one-way ticket from Addis to Paris on Etihad for 924 € - a very reasonable price for about 12 hours in business class. The flight from Abu Dhabi to Paris only would have cost about 2900 €.
My flight from Addis to Abu Dhabi was a very pleasant one on an A320 with only two rows of business class in a 2+2 configuration. I arrived to Abu Dhabi in the evening and I had 12 hours between my flights.
I went to the Etihad Business Lounge. There were very few guests at about 8pm. The lounge is spread over several floors:
Some of the seating areas:
Some facilities:
I had dinner at the Etihad Business Lounge. There was an excellent choice.
I spent the night at the airside AUHotel. You can choose between standard and deluxe room, and a stay of six or twelve hours. I booked a deluxe room for twelve hours. The room had no windows as expected, but it was spacious enough and the bed was very comfortable. I had a good sleep.
In the morning I only went to the lounge to charge my phone (which I couldn't do in my room as I didn't have an adapter), then I went to the gate.
Our plane seen from the jetbridge. Registration number A6-LRJ, it was brand new: delivered in December 2025, one month before my flight.
Priority boarding was of course available.
This was a rather unusual plane. An A321, so a narrowbody aircraft, but with three classes. Economy was in the standard 3+3 configuration. Business class, where I was, where it got interesting. Unlike Eurobusiness with its 3+3 configuration or the typical regional business class in a 2+2 configuration, business class on this A321 was in a reverse herringbone 1+1 configuration, with flatbed seats in a 45° towards the windows.
These seats are possibly the most comfortable business class seats you will find on any narrowbody aircrafts. They also offer excellent privacy. They're very similar to the business class seats on Etihad's A380 and B787.
Seat 2A:
First class is not a real first class for the hard product: the first two seats in a 1+1 configuration have some additional legroom and a sliding door, but space is much smaller than on a B787 or an A380. The first class seats are not separated from the business class cabin. I tried to upgrade but both seats were already booked.
The cabin felt very modern and was in good condition. The remote control with its touchpad was especially up-to-date.
A large built-in screen:
An expected flight time of 7 hours and 10 minutes was announced, although the screen showed a flight time of 6 hours and 10 minutes.
A welcome drink of champagne, orange juice or signature lemonade was offered. I had some lemonade.
Push-back was at 08.20 for a departure time of 08.20. We took off at 08.35.
The view after take-off:
Let's have a look at the menu.
Warm nuts were first offered, but no drinks were served with it.
I ordered some champagne later and was offered some more nuts.
Orders for breakfast were taken. My first choice of Scrambled egg shakshuka was not available. I was suggested to have a tomato and cheese omelette.
Breakfast was served 85 minutes after departure. It's a long time, as Turkish usually does so only 25 minutes after take-off. It should be noted however space was limited in the galley, and one cabin crew was primarily dedicated to the two first class customers, thus leaving the other crew member in charge of the 14 business class passengers. She was working very hard and tried her best to complete the service.
Breakfast was average for a long-haul flight in business class.
I went to sleep after breakfast. The crew helped me to make my bed with a mattress and a duvet.
I slept well, although only for a short time. The seat converted into a bed was very comfortable to sleep.
I watched two movies afterwards. There are a total of 348 movies available.
Good quality headphones were offered.
This plane offers modern connectivity.
Wireless charging is available.
We landed in Paris at 12:55 and were at the gate at 13.02 for a scheduled arrival time of 13:15.
