On A Plane: Etihad Business Class Review
Etihad Flight 403 Business Class Review
Flight du jour:
EY 403
Bangkok (BKK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH)
December 1st, 2015
Departs: 8:35 AM
Arrives: 11:59 AM
Duration: 6 Hours 24 Minutes
The Etihad flight du jour.
The time had come for another adventure and this one was off to a good start with our Etihad Chaffeur picking us up in an black Mercedes Benz and whisking us off to the airport (Etihad discontinued their Chaffeur service for partner award tickets on August 10th, 2016). We booked the tickets pre-devaluation using 30,000 American Airlines Aadvantage miles each way (the new award price between Asia 2 and the Middle East is 40,000 AA miles) and $91.40 in taxes and fees total for the outbound and return segments.
My first thought upon entering the cabin was that it looked like someone had stolen the upholstery from my parents couch and sold it to Etihad. Airlines tend to put a lot of thought into their premium cabins but the striped seats looked like everything about the 1980’s that we don’t want to remember. Maybe they were trying to replicate the fake wood grain on the adjacent side tables, or maybe stripes were super hot when they put in the order for these seats, but whatever the case may have been they weren’t looking so hot now.
Electronics Banned On Airlines That US Legacy Carriers Don’t Like
If only it was April 1st…
We have a new addition to the seemingly ceaseless string of poorly thought out and implemented travel orders emanating from the current White House that promises to make your travel experiences less enjoyable.
Electronic devices banned on flights to the US by Middle Eastern carriers
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently issued an order banning electronics larger than a cell phone from being brought into the aircraft cabin on direct flights to the US from 10 airports in 8 Middle Eastern and African countries. Apparently, while flying nonstop to the US is a threat, CNN reported that an aviation official said that “they believe a threat to the U.S. would be negated if a passenger transferred through a secondary city with additional and more trustworthy screening procedures.”
Continue reading Electronics Banned On Airlines That US Legacy Carriers Don’t Like
Getting to India for less
There are still plenty of bargains to be had out there in the miles and points game, but India ain’t one of them. Coughing up your hard earned miles and cash to be crammed into coach for such a long flight seems like a terrible idea. Thankfully, a man with a handsome mustache has some tricks on how you can get there in style for fewer miles than you might normally pay.
The AAdvantage award chart has the Indian subcontinent at 67,500 miles for business class and 90,000 for first class each way. That is the second most expensive U.S. based award on their entire award chart!