Etihad, review of Milan Abu Dhabi flight with only 18 passengers aboard a 787

The news continues to tell us of a bleak scenario for the world of air transportation, even as day after day comes pale signs of a slow return to a new normal, as the flight covid tested towards the Canary Islands by Neos.

The reality at the moment, however, remains that of deserted airports, few flights and with few passengers on board. Nevertheless, I never expected to fly from Milan Malpensa to Abu Dahbi on a 787/10, brand new, with (almost) more crew than passengers on board. It should be noted that the Emirates airline was the first to operate flights with only vaccinated personnel.

Reservation

A last minute business trip to the United Arab Emirates, the need to make as few stopovers as possible and at the same time find a "humane" fare led me to choose to fly Etihad departing from the Varese airport. I also chose this flight in function of the free Covid-19 coverage offered by the company to all passengers.

The flight is in codeshare with Alitalia and this allowed me to accumulate a small pool of qualifying miles useful for my renewal of Millemiglia status, although I hope Alitalia will follow the example of many other airlines that have already decided to extend statuses for customers in their loyalty programs.

At the airport

The arrival at Malpensa was even stranger than my last visit in December. The airport was practically deserted.

Of course I did not expect to fly on an empty plane, but when I saw that there was not the usual line at the check-in counters I should have expected it.

The fast track of my American Express Platinum is of no use, as there is no queue to jump at the controls.

Virtually everything at the airport is closed, lounges closed as the stores and eateries, all but one.

Once in the barren area the discouragement was even greater, very few planes on the apron and departure monitors empty and sad.

As mentioned, there is nothing to do but wait for boarding to open. And you don't even run the risk of missing your plane since so few leave that it feels like a small provincial airport, not what used to be the second busiest airport in Italy in terms of passenger traffic.

On board

Of course no crowd at check-in and none at boarding either. Once I reached my seat, I asked one of the attendants how many passengers there were: 18. One in business class and 17 in economy class, so much for social distancing.

Obviously no problem finding space for my carry-on luggage and no hurry during the boarding procedures.

It should be noted that there were a total of 11 crew members on board, almost 1 for each traveler.

Never before have I flown on such a large plane, the 787 10 in Etihad's configuration can carry 32 passengers in business and 267 in economy, an occupancy rate slightly higher than 5%.

The 787 is Etihad's new flagship; it is the most modern of Boeing's models, much larger portholes, comfortable seats and plenty of legroom even in economy.

Also very convenient is the headrest shoulder pad that allows you to snooze comfortably without ending up on your armchair neighbor's shoulder.

In economy, no beauty but a convenient and reusable sachet that contained masks and sanitizing gel.

The blanket also bagged and sanitized as per protocols.

As for the coffee table, it is spacious enough to accommodate a laptop computer without any effort.

Service and IFE

Let's just say that this flight cannot fit into the standard evaluation we do here at TFC. At my request to be seated in business, the attendant smiled and said she was sorry she couldn't accommodate my request, but otherwise she was pretty much at my beck and call since we were only 4 passengers in the middle section of the cabin.

The design of the seats is practically perfect. Each seat has a large screen; it is larger than what many companies offer in business class seats. Each station is equipped with a USB and a power outlet, in addition to the IFE's traditional headphone port. Legroom is also generous, but we know this is standard in Middle Eastern companies.

Food and beverage

Classic choice between a first and second course, I must say that the pasta not only looked good but was also edible.

A mandatory self-declaration form for entering the UAE is distributed to all passengers.

If Malpensa was deserted, what about Abu Dhabi airport? The photo speaks for itself.

In conclusion

It was a last-minute trip that will surely remain in my experiences forever, as I think I will never fly on such an empty plane again.

• B787