Five things I liked about Etihad Airways' new A321LR

Small, but important, disclaimer. I didn't pay for this ticket, I couldn't have done it even if I wanted to, and I didn't even ask to participate in this special flight, I never do that. In return Etihad did not ask me for anything, they did not press for good press, let alone ask me to make content about this event with special tones.

I know, I'm repetitive, but in a world of "I'm a content creator/journalist/influencer/blogger...if you give me the (business) tickets I'll make you .... (you finish the sentence) people have a hard time believing that the bum instead always pays for everything and then As the Latins taught repetita iuvant.

End of premise.

The first of 30 A321LRs from Etihad

For the first time in my life I took off from the airport in Finkenwerder, which is Airbus' private airport. Only test flights, delivery flights, and the shuttle, operated by Volotea twice a day, depart from here for the European giant's workers to travel between Toulouse and Hamburg, i.e., Airbus's two main headquarters on the old continent.

A special car, one that marks a very important bet for Etihad, we could call it with a movie quote, "Kansas City Shuffle".

He convinced everyone that he was not aiming high, but with his strategy he may instead have fooled everyone-only time will tell if the gamble paid off or not.

To grow everyone needs planes, but while many are waiting for the 777X, A350 and other wide-body machines, EY only (in M.O.) chose to focus on A321LRs and have them in a very short period of time so that we can disproportionately increase mid-range destinations, thus making those coming from far away transit on AUH and bring them to their destination thanks to this made-in-Europe jewel.

So here are the 5 things that I liked

#5 The First Class

According to EY management, sales are going very well, beyond expectations. The gamble of being the first company in the world to sell first class on a single-aisle car is also paying for the only company in the world that offers a three-room apartment as a first class aboard its A380s.

This means that there are, often, two passengers who are willing to pay the important fare difference between an F and a J, to fly the entire itinerary in first class, which previously could not happen since F seats on board Etihad are only on A380s and some 777/300s and 787/9s

As I said. ITA also has the same session, only it did not install the door and does not have the first class.

#4 the aesthetic and functional choices.

Yes of course There is always fake marble and fake wood, but it is not exaggerated, and as always it is the details that make the difference.

Extra-spacious hat racks are a good choice, especially on an airplane intended for (almost) long haul.

The usb-c sockets allow you to charge any device, the wall-mounted monitor in the first row of economy is very convenient, and the on-board technology is top of the market.

The economy pitch, i.e., the space separating the rows of seats is in the normal range. Excluding the first 4 rows, all passengers have about 76 cm of space, nothing special since that's pretty much what all carriers with these long-haul setups offer, and about 3.5 cm more than low-cost setups.

#3 Wi-fi is not Starlink, but it is fast and steady

Given where they will fly, mainly these machines, Starlink was not an option. the choice of Viasat still provided the right compromise. Download speeds throughout the trip were more than good, with peaks near 100mb.

What I liked most of all, however, was the Ability to jump from one device to another without going crazy, all it takes is one click and the email.

#2 The consistency of the product.

Etihad's logic is not very different from that of Emirates, only the dimensions change. The idea is to offer the passenger The same standard of seating and service on any machine you fly and to whatever destination they need to reach. Thus, the passenger will know what to expect every time he or she picks up a ticket with Etihad.

This does not happen in Europe where business class is an economy seat with a tray in the middle, not to mention catering. Not happening with Qatar where the QSuite is the gem, but then there are so many other configurations. It doesn't happen with Turkish Airlines That has the same problem as QR.

The choice of the first class is precisely in this direction, those departing from Singapore with The Residence will be able to continue in F to Milan, Tunis or Paris.

#1 the obsessive attention to detail

Flying a car to Rome or New York does not have the same issues as flying it from Abu Dhabi. Here, every year, you have a minimum of 3 months where you live above 40°. High atmospheric temperature affects engine performance of aircraft, particularly during takeoff and landing.

Warm air is less dense, which means the plane needs more thrust to generate lift and overcome resistance. Translated you have to save as much as possible on the weight of the plane, to avoid being in the unpleasant situation of deciding whether to fly passengers (or luggage).

So fewer magazines on board, no doors in the rest of business class and extreme optimization of every little bit of the plane, because every KG counts.

In conclusion

The "not" flight review will come out next week, in the meantime you have to make do with these hot thoughts of mine and not in the literal sense since it is 46° in Abu Dhabi right now.

I at the moment can only say THANK YOU for giving me this unique experience. PS a warm greeting to the commander of this flight who was "made in Italy".