I have flown Etihad many times and I must say I am always left just a little disappointed. There is nothing wrong as such, it's just that I alws=ays feel something coul dbe better.

They are incredibly strict with the whole weight allownace thing, whihc I can understand, but it is never done with a smile or a hint of humanity; while I knwo the check-in can be incredibly stressful, no alllowance is made for the fact that we weigh our bags on home bathroom scales and maybe don't have the fancy machines they do, so a kilo here or there could kind of be excused.

Also be warned, if you want to pre-pay your excess luggage (as I did) you cannot if you are a Jet customer or using Jet miles... while they ay be partner airlines, thse apparantly don't tranlsate and so I had to waste even more time at check in paying for that and not getting the discount you are entitled to as an Etithad customer.

I had arrived very early at JFK, as last year when I had flown out from LA it ttok nearly three hours to check in!!!! Since I was early, of course the counters were not open and even when they opened at the appointed time, only a few were available and not the web-check in, which I had done, thinking it would save time.. silly me!!!

Again, the check in man was very courteous and it was his first day, so he apologised for things taking a little long, and I have to say it only took 40 minutes, so really that was not bad..

The flight from JFK to Abu Dhjabi was fine, though the food was uniformly bad ( as I have often found) and pretty inedible and I find it spicy (though you cannot order non spicy food).. the service was fine, though no extra pillows (flight full I was told) and the headphones quite uncomfortable - at least this time the movies were pretty good.

Having flown a few times, I'm quite au fait with Abu Dhabi airport, and not having a very long lay over, I was able to pass through quickly and get what I needed to get.

The connecting flight was also okay, but as I say there is something slightly brusque about the service and a feeling that you are somehow inconveniencing them.

But all in all not a bad journey.

In what is a fairly long haul flight, Etihad made the journey super comfortable. An extra large aircraft, the Airbus 330 is tailor made for long hours of flying. The in flight entertainment was outstanding, food served fresh and tasty along with a range of beverages. Overall the on board service excellent.

What else to say than amazing. Personal Chef and a very attentive cabin crew. Seats are most amazing and transforming into a cozy bed with the Etihad Matrazzes to match. For all legs the limousine drivers were ready to fetch me. Opted for the complimentary stay at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi. What a amazing hotel! Overall can only highly recommend even Business Class which is well worth the money.
A very handy option is the onboard WIFI and also the ability to make phone calls. Needless to say that the F&B offers are outstanding. A true 5 star airline.

I've heard a lot of positive feedbacks about this airline before i actually travelled with it. It is defininely great , but not as awesome as I was told, possibly because my route is not a priority route for the airline, so they do not perform their best during those flights.
Nevertheless, the planes are good and reliable (espcially comparing to FlyDubai or AirArabia), but also the flights are more expensive, so you get what you pay for. The food is excellent, you get a menu in the begining of the flight so you can chose from 3 different types of hot meal. Service is good and all in all i have a good impression of this airline. So far i've travelled twice, but i'm sure i'll fly with them again.

If you're on an A380 to or from Abu Dhabi in business, it's going to be a nice experience. Comfortable and spacious seats, large video screens (live coverage of the European Championship football was outstanding) and plenty of storage space. The same standard is not maintained on shorter hauls into Europe, for which the older and smaller Air Buses are used. Note that a B777 also takes some of the mid-week runs from Sydney to Abu Dhabi. Again, good but not great.

Abu Dhabi airport is in need of expansion. All passage and transit ways are crammed full of people, and moving between flights is not a pleasant experience. The Emirates lounge (while large) could also do with more showers. A wait of 1 hour is unacceptable. Having to transit by bus to and from planes that park on the tarmac (the Munich run) also shows that the airport is crying out for an upgrade.

Where Emirates really differentiate themselves is in their Chauffeur service to and from airports. I reckon this is a real winner and worth up to $400 on the Sydney to Munich return flight.