Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has unveiled several new products and customer enhancements at a trade show in Dubai this week. Among the most interesting is the all-new business class seating for Etihad’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
In addition to the 39 Dreamliners that Etihad already operates, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier plans to take delivery of eleven new 787s featuring updated interiors. Three of those are due to take flight in the third quarter of 2023, with the remaining eight further down the line.
Etihad describes its new business cabin as “innovative”, featuring a customised version of the Elements seat manufactured by Collins Aerospace. That’s the passenger favourite seat fitted to Starlux A350 jets, although Etihad will be the first customer to introduce the seat to the Boeing 787.
Every suite has a sliding privacy door, with walls even higher than its A350 sibling, plus a small lip encasing the top of the suite. Guests will enjoy a comfortable and spacious domain, with the cabin set out in an industry-standard 1-2-1 configuration across a total of 32 business suites. Therefore each business passenger will have direct access to the aisle.
Etihad has worked alongside Collins to further customise the seat and allow passengers to use the space as efficiently as possible. That includes a revised seat control mechanism that allows the seat itself to be positioned closer to the shell to minimise wasted space.
Of course, the Elements suite will recline to a fully lie-flat bed clocking in at over 198cm in length. The dreaded ‘foot cubby’ is also said to be larger.
While enjoying that bed and charging their own batteries, passengers can also charge up through multiple AC and USB charging ports, plus wireless device charging. There’s also a 17.3” Ultra 4K TV screen, which offers Bluetooth pairing of personal headphones. You can even pair your phone or tablet to the screen for use as a remote.
But the technology doesn’t stop there as Etihad’s Dreamliners boast a new connectivity solution from Viasat, using Ka-band technology to offer high-speed WiFi with streaming capabilities on board. That’s in addition to Live TV, including news and sports channels. To coincide with the improvements, Etihad is offering refreshed 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 departure, are rewarded with free ‘Chat’ packages while they fly. For access beyond messaging, passengers can purchase ‘Surf’ access for US$10 for flights under seven hours or US$20 for flights over seven hours.
Etihad Chief Executive Officer Antonoaldo Neves said the airline’s new seating would take the business class experience to new heights.
“We remain fully committed to providing industry-leading experiences for our guests,”
“Etihad’s new 787 Dreamliner cabin interior showcases further enhancements to our award-winning and industry-renowned cabins,” Neves continued.
