Review: Etihad A350 Business Class Suite New Delhi to Abu Dhabi

Flight no.	EY 211
Aircraft	Airbus A350-1000
Seat no.	6K
Cost	25k Aeroplan miles + US$45 (+5k miles for AUH-MCT)
Date of flight	November 2022
Flight duration	3 hrs

I flew in Etihad’s latest A350 Business Class Suite from New Delhi to Abu Dhabi, as part of my long journey to the Middle East.

How to fly Etihad’s A350 Business Class Suite

Travellers can redeem miles/points to fly in Etihad’s latest A350 Business Class Suite.

Miles from Etihad Guest can be earned through some Singapore credit cards or through flying on one of Etihad’s partners.

You can also redeem Air Canada Aeroplan miles, which can be bought through frequent offers or earned through flying on one of Air Canada’s partners.

Here are some ways to fly Etihad Business Class using miles:

Route	Etihad Guest	Aeroplan
India – Middle East	30k miles (+~US$370)	25k miles (+~US$45)
Middle East – Europe	60k – 70k miles (+~US$270)	45k miles (+~US$70)
SE Asia – Abu Dhabi	70k miles (+~US$285)	60k miles (+~US$75)
SE Asia – Europe	110k miles (+~US$500)	110k miles (+~US$75)
SE Asia – North America	110k miles (+~US$720)	110k miles (+~US$85)

Aircraft with Etihad’s A350 Business Class Suite

It is pretty easy to figure out which of Etihad’s aircraft are equipped with these latest seats. At the moment, Etihad only has one type of A350 aircraft, which is the Airbus A350-1000. You will find the new seats on all of these aircraft.

However, at the moment, there are only 5 of these aircraft connecting the airline’s home airport, Abu Dhabi, and New York, Chicago, Delhi and Mumbai.

Etihad A350 Business Class Suite

The Business Class Suites are laid out in a familiar 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone configuration and can be transformed into fully-flat beds.

All seats also come with privacy doors, but they are shorter than those found in Qatar Airways’ Qsuites.

Unlike other airlines, Etihad does not usually dump all beddings and amenities on the seats before boarding. This means that all seats look really smart and clean from the moment you see them! I personally appreciate this small detail.

I am a huge fan of these practical reverse-herringbone seats as they do not try too hard to be fancy or deceiving with a large seat but narrow foot well.

I loved the classy furnishing and comfort of the seat, as well as the large and responsive in-flight entertainment system.

The blankets found in Etihad Business class are one of the softest and most comfortable that I’ve felt. Wish my flight was long enough for a good sleep!

Dining

As I really wanted to try out these new seats, I found that the A350-1000 aircraft were only scheduled for 4am flights departing Delhi.

And as always, morning flight meals are always the least interesting as they typically feature just variations of eggs and sausages.

I picked the more-interesting local (Indian) meal for this flight and it tasted great!

Airport lounge access

Etihad Premium Lounge at Delhi International Airways was still closed and I was offered 3,000 Etihad Guest miles as a compensation.

The miles were not awarded proactively as my email was ignored for 3 months after the flight. However, upon reaching out to Etihad’s Twitter team, I received it within a day.

My ratings

This is how I am rating my Business Class experience (vs other airlines):

Seat	9/10
Bed	–
Dining	8/10
Privacy	10/10
Storage	9/10
Service	9/10
Cleanliness	10/10

Bottom line

Etihad’s newest Business Class Suites are comfortable, classy and come with privacy doors.

However, comparing to the already-good Etihad’s Business Studio, this is not a drastic improvement, other than the addition of privacy doors.