Etihad Airways – review: Traveling from the UK to Thailand we were filled with excitement and anticipation for the journey ahead. We were flying with kids and keen that everything ran smoothly. Flying London to Thailand with Etihad Airways really did become part of the adventure. It was filled with so may wonderful delights, little treats and smile inducing moments. It’s a series of journeys the children can’t stop talking about. We also took advantage of Etihad’s stop over in Abu Dhabi for some family fun at the end of the trip which really was the extra level of happiness for all of us. Read on to discover what to expect in both business and economy class, in the lounges, on board and in Abu Dhabi.
Keep reading the end where we have a video of our time onboard.
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Etihad Airways – review -Flying from Heathrow Business Class to Thailand
Checking in at Terminal 4
We arrived at Heathrow’s Terminal 4 with plenty of time since it was the start of the summer season. There was no reason to worry though, checking in at the dedicated business lane meant we were through in no time.
Using this lane, particularly when you’re traveling with kids is such a bonus. It meant we were off through security in record time with no stress at all.
Etihad’s Business Class Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 4
As it was the start of the summer season the airport was fairly busy. If you fly Business Class with Etihad though you have access to their dedicated lounge.
This was our favorite of the lounges we experienced. We were there in the morning and there was a wonderful breakfast spread of juices, pastries, cereals and fruits.
You could also order individual meal items, like Eggs Royale to come which was such a treat.
For those traveling with children there’s a pod filled with beanbags, books and games suitable for a wide age range.
The whole lounge provided a lovely, calm space to sip cold drinks, read from the complimentary online magazines and relax before our flight.
Flying Business Class on Etihad Airways with kids to Thailand
We took four flights with Etihad Airways, three of those in Business Class and absolutely loved the whole experience. This is a fantastic airline which really cares about its passenger’s comfort.
The seating on board – Etihad Airways – review
On board we each had our own pod with chair that would lay flat into a bed at the touch of the button. For me this was wonderful and I snuggled up with the cozy blanket for much of the flight.
The chairs also had a massage facility which the kids loved. They adored being able to stretch out and watch cartoons and child specific films which passed the time perfectly.
The seats were incredibly comfortable and spacious.
There was a wide range of films to watch and I loved browsing through albums of music to listen to.
Eating onboard Business Class with Etihad
For me, aside from being able to lay flat onboard the food was the real standout star of flying Business Class with Etihad. It was incredible and this is from someone who rarely eats airplane food.
You could choose when to eat your meals and there was such a range to choose from. The quality was fantastic and it felt like every dish had been delivered from a top restaurant.
I’m vegetarian and some of my favorites were the herbed chickpea salad with a mint dressing and a delicious tofu with curry sauce on a bed of lentils. It was all so tasty and I would love to have it again.
I also really loved that you could choose local dishes like the cheese kunafa with crushed pistachio and syrup with a strong coffee which was delicious.
The children loved their meals too from fishfingers and chips to a pasta with vegetables they tucked in and loved every plate.
You could also order snacks throughout the flight which the children took full advantage of. Little bowls of crisps or cookies were steadily delivered and I have to confess to enjoying a few cups of tea and coffee with side orders of baklava.
We all thought the food on board was wonderful.
Business Class amenities on Etihad Airways
I loved the amenities we had on our Business Class flights. To start with there were the quilted blankets that felt like duvets, along with comfortable pillows.
We got a gorgeous Acqua Di Parma set which included some lotion, a toothbrush and paste and a small fragrance. The bag had poppers which meant it could be turned into a little jewelery tray which I used throughout our travels in Thailand – it was so useful!
There was also a little pack containing socks, hand gel and a little snood that doubled up as a mask or scarf which is also something we will all use again.
Economy Flights on Etihad Airways to Thailand
Of course flying economy class with any airline is hard to compare to Business Class but Etihad do a great job here too.
We flew from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok in their economy cabin and thought it was great. The seats were spacious and comfortable and we enjoyed the blanket and pillow.
Each seat had it’s own console to watch films and play music or games. You could also charge your phone here which was really handy.
We thought the food on board the economy cabin was of a very high standard with a particularly delicious curry for the vegetarian option.
Etihad Airways – review – traveling with kids to Thailand
Our children couldn’t have been more welcome on Etihad Airways. This is clearly an airline that cares about the families they have on board.
The food for the kid’s meals was well designed and thought out and my children really enjoyed the food. It would be nice if there was an option to select a kid’s meal that is vegetarian but that goes for every airline I’ve flown with and Etihad were great at making sure they had food they could eat.
Etihad have some really sweet children’s amenities, linked to Warner Bros. World for the kids on board. The Scooby themed packs were well thought out and greatly appreciated by my youngest two.
Enjoying an Abu Dhabi Stop Off if you fly with Etihad
One of the benefits of flying with Etihad is that you can easily include Abu Dhabi as a stop off.
We loved this and there’s so much to do in Abu Dhabi that we will definitely be back for a return trip. For this journey we chose to focus on Yas Island and all the many theme parks and attractions here.
As it was summer when we visited the weather was very hot. Luckily this doesn’t affect many of the entertainment options which are under air conditioned cover.
We had a great long weekend in Abu Dhabi visiting Warner Bros. World, Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World. We also stayed at the world’s first Warner Bros. Hotel which the children declared the best hotel stay ever.
We visited the amazing Yas Mall, ate boxes of baklava and shopped in all the fantastic stores on offer.
Our time in Abu Dhabi really made our holiday complete as when we left Thailand (which we will be writing about and featuring here in the coming weeks) we weren’t going home, just off on another adventure.
If you can extend your trip to include an Abu Dhabi stop off I would definitely recommend it. It also really helped with all the jet lag as we staggered our return back home.
Our conclusions in our flights London to Thailand with Etihad Airways – a family adventure
We absolutely loved our time flying with Etihad Airways and would heartily recommend them to anyone flying with kids or without.
The food, service, amenities on offer and comfort levels are some of the best we have experienced. Being able to combine the trip with an Abu Dhabi stop-off just added to the adventure.
Thailand is a wonderful holiday to take children on and we wouldn’t hesitate to fly with Etihad when we return to this part of the world.
Find out more…
We hope you’ve enjoyed our Etihad Airways review. Find out more about Etihad Airways here.
Check out our video of our time on board
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