Etihads new 1st Class Platinum Lounge.
Etihad opened up the much anticipated 1st class lounge in May 2016. The lounge caters for only 1st class passengers as well as platinum Etihad guest members and platinum Etihad partner airlines members flying in any class.
The entry.
Its a tight squeeze in and located in the busy heart of the terminal.
One small lift after boarding pass / status check to the 2nd floor.
The 2nd floor entry where an array of hostesses will greet and take care of you.
The lounge.
Leading into the lounge, the seating on the right is where I always sit first to check on space available upgrades and for boarding passes to be coded to it.
Towards the back area of the lounge.
Seating areas throughout.
Kids will be entertained no doubt while elders get pampered at the spa.
Amazing acoustics blend in with the screen panel displays to set the body to relax and recharge mode.
This is where you set your alarm so you don’t slumber through your connecting flight ahead.
There are only a half dozen or so electric seats in the relaxation area.
Choose from a complimentary shave and /or a facial to a massage.
The fine dining.
The dining area with the private seating areas enclosed with the mirror doors at the back.
I chose pan fried Red Snapper with King Scallops as a main.
My starter choice: Lobster sweet corn chilled soup.
On my inbound flight transit I chose Scallops Mughrabia and Lamb Medfoun as mains and clearly dusted the same starter, gosh its delicious.
The bathroom.
Once the new airport is opened it should be interesting to compare how this lounge and its concepts will match up in huge spaces to the competitor airlines 1st class lounges have entry to seating.
Getting the GOLD treatment 2015.
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airline which bears the slogan ” the national carrier of the UAE” is currently still developing its new international hub, due to open in late 2017.
The current Star-Wars spaceship look-alike one is definitely short on space as Etihad has bought into many airlines recently which has directed a substantial amount of traffic into its hub.
I had a 10 hour layover at the hub expecting no more than Etihad Gold card lounge access however more perks were given than advertised on paper.
Etihad offers instant GOLD tier from time to time, read more HERE, the gold card package comes with a set of black leather tags and airline staff are well trained to look out for the elite branding on passengers.
Business Class check-in.
Etihad gold entitles you to carpeted business class check-in, lounge access through their network, extra baggage allowances and priority boarding
The flight transfer desk at AUH hub.
This is where you collect prams as well as the vouchers for meals and accommodation at the airport hotel.
The hotel vouchers and the meal vouchers.
I was given 18 meal vouchers free for the 10 hour layover worth R1800.
Each voucher has a value of AED 32 and can be redeemed at most restaurants within the hub.
The hotel.
The hotel room comp was worth $316
The lounges.
The shopping at duty free.
I found bargains with better specs inside than the iphone 6 for half and one tenth of its going rate respectively.
When economy is overbooked, Etihad gold gets a bump up to business class.
