Shiny & Meh · ETIHAD AIRWAYS Economy Class A321 🇦🇪 Abu Dhabi - Doha 🇶🇦 CRAZY Uncomfortable

[@Twicedive135]

2:21 I love that these quirky one liners made a comeback from the older videos again

[@nkhan4]

I loved your cheeky "oh thats not how inflation works" is exactly how these airlines would lose their leisure legacy customers if they keep gouging while falsely using "inflation" as the reason. Before, business used to be at most 2 or max 3x more than the economy, now its almost 6x. I cannot justify that. Thats why now my leisure travel is to closer destinations, effectively taking out all these middle eastern price gougers out of the running.

[@007gibberish]

As an Australian it still looks to be a much better product than Qantas...

[@tfft]

A better all round product yes, but comfort level on par with Qantas' 737s.

[@toniblackmore3016]

Sadly, not a high bar.

[@JJ-vy2rh]

Totally agree and that bar is only getting lower ​@@toniblackmore3016

[@Sporty12boy]

Qantas is a pretty low bar now

[@SNNayak]

"Museum of generic curvy things" get my nomination for the award of greatest left-handed compliments in history.

[@rais1953]

Masterful put-down of shapes for the sake of having shapes.

[@anonymouslyopinionated656]

there was no compliment in that at all

[@squaredwhale]

Nice video! I was on a flight with them last week to Muscat and it's consistent with what you mentioned here. Good for you to manage to get inside the Pearl Lounge! It's way too crowded at night, with 90-minute queues when I was there. Not sure if it's worth it anymore.

[@mo.q380]

These seats were installed during the cost cutting period in 2018. Expect a totally different product on their upcoming A321 Neo LR’s which are coming next year with 3 classes of service.

[@Qatari2007]

Why would they bother saving just a few $$$ on seats though…

[@telamin1809]

Picked up my wife from the new AD terminal a few months ago. I was wowed by the drive into the airport and the arrivals hall. I also remember my wife mentioning the lack of natural light as you highlighted, but she still concluded it was a better departure and arrival airport experience than DXB by miles (no pun intended)

[@syed2194]

AUH seems to follow the Istanbul model for terminal design, where everything is overly centralized. That includes the lounge and food options, where there’s only 1 centralized lounge for Priority Pass. That’s why I like airports like Dubai more, things are more equally distributed with more options. There’s like 5 priority pass lounges at DXB.

[@syed2194]

Best travel reviewer on this website🫡

[@TheChosenRed]

I'm so intrigued now to find out what barking knees feel like 😅 always a pleasure watching your uploads Kevin 👌🏽

[@hanzlott]

FINALLY THIS LEG I WAS SO LOOKING FORWARD TO FOR A REVIEW 😭🫶

[@tfft]

Thanks for watching

[@markusknight]

Fan of Etihad here. I often fly LHR-MAA with a layover in AUH on Etihad and have consistently had a good experience. The AUH-MAA leg is often on an A320/321, but the service and food make up for it.

[@ciudad-del-mar]

The seats are a variant of the model used by Jet2 in the UK, which is probably the least comfortable airline I've ever had the pleasure of flying, even despite great crews. May just be "Galley FM" but I've heard that they actually had to refit their brand-new A321s after delivery because the seats were simply that uncomfortable.

[@Sbneubss]

Etihad used to be a great airline in terms of service back in days until covid hits. It went down when it's partner jet airways collapsed which had a huge impact on etihad. Also due to covid situation got pretty bad for them. Hopefully they come back like they used to before.

[@tfft]

Thanks for watching

[@ja785a4]

They've already become pretty good again, speaking from my experience (at least in long haul economy class)

[@mo.q380]

@@Sbneubss the wide body experience is amazing tho. As for the A320 family it can be a bit underwhelming but the service is wonderful and makes up for the seat itself. Plus this video just makes it seem worse tbh I flown this seat multiple times from AUH-AMM which is a 3 hour flight and it was not bad at all.

[@AmolNimbalkar]

Lovely review! About to embark on their A321 business and I am actually not looking forward to that. Let’s hope the business class in 21 is better.

[@botruong4102]

Thank you Kelvin for another trip report.

[@gunvaldsandhaland7757]

Great Trip Report And Info

[@jamesmartinDXB]

Spot-on again,Kevin. As a regular on the route, I agree with everything you reported. Not a fan of the EY narrowbody fleet at all. By the way, what are the 4 Qantas A380's doing there?

[@tfft]

Some of QF's A380s had their heavy maintenance before returning to service at AUH. To my knowledge, two of them are still there now in line waiting for service.

[@Rahul_Saldanha]

Shiny and Meh, how insulting yet accurate

[@ninadkeshavjoshi2086]

Irony at its finest

[@tfft]

Better than Rusty and Meh, no? lol

[@cheapercharlie]

@@tfft 😆

[@MattBlankenshipPhotography]

Always until the end, including all the ads!

[@Kenjikah]

A valuable point that you neglected to mention is that some passengers in the region opt to go Etihad Airways to the States because they have TSA processing in the airport. Oddly, TSA is on in Dubai which is a much more popular hub that Abu Dhabi.

[@MotuSid]

09:05 I have never encountered these seats on any Indigo flight, and I have flown with them many times. New addition?

[@haaraanoonn]

I wonder what's up with the THREE Qantas A380s on the ground. Great video by the way, keep up the great work! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@hamedalalawi9396]

Thank you once again for your video

[@swanandgharpure9368]

Great review Kevin, like as always. When can we expect a QnA video... It has been 3 weeks since you made an announcement

[@tfft]

There is no video, they will be Q&A community posts out later this month.

[@calvinac7]

Please make a trip report on Mangalore (IXE) A tabletop international airport in India

[@MotuSid]

07:57 energy savings, like you said earlier 😂

[@jelof21]

those seats are giving more Cebu Pacific than Etihad if anything

[@tfft]

Sure are.

[@ishaanrevankar492]

Please make a trip report on Etihad's A350 if possible.

[@tfft]

If they ever fly it on a route that is remotely convenient for me... but that's hasn't yet been the case.

[@jhmcd2]

If I remember correctly, I heard a few years back, maybe during COVID time frame, that Etihad got a huge loan from someone, probably from a UAE prince who needs a poor hard-working guy abroad to sponsor... At any rate, I have a tendency to like them more than Emirates, but mainly because I like routing for the little guy. But those seats...I have to wonder what the aircraft capacity is, are they getting extra seating, or is it a weight savings thing?

[@patricksmith9469]

Well the savings on the seats give you the contribution to profit! LOL.. Great review, as always. But this " Kangaroo " Routing is very very elastic! I expect you next in, I don't know, like Peru or something.. Ha!

[@Sporty12boy]

He also explained that it would include modern routes and Hubs

[@markalzawahra5284]

I think this is one of the ex Bamboo a321 neos that Etihad acquired. I dislike this aircraft too. It’s used frequently between BLR-AUH

[@tfft]

This plane was delivered to EY new in 2014.

[@shan2fly993]

This is one of the old A321s. Even I dislike this aircraft for the sector. BLR-AUH wasn’t that comfortable. The return journey on a 787-9 was LEAGUES ahead.

[@robm3074]

As usual Kevin the video was rated in A plus... However your way of humor was rated an A +++ .

[@Nand0s1]

Jetstar are using the same seats by the looks. Very rough way to spend 7+ hours on their PER-BKK route, with the return being a red eye...

[@tfft]

Interesting as Jetstar Asia, Japan, etc are using much more standard (and comfortable) seats in economy.

[@Nand0s1]

@@tfft Yeah they updated them with their A321-LR. Great choice for LR flights...

[@gregwhipps3813]

Having done numerous JQ A321 LR flights, they definitely do not have these seats… they have very ‘standard’ LCC seats.

[@aaronadam4747]

Shops and restaurant layouts in AUH are very cramped, compact and extremely close to each other making walking corridors very narrow. The layouts in IST are much better and spacious. Inefficient space utilization can ruin the whole experience. But I prefer EY and AUH than EK DXB and QR DOH any day as I like their boutique nature.

[@tfft]

Oh I'll take DOH any day of the week over AUH (or IST, DXB)...

[@aaronadam4747]

​​@@tfft Muscat and Bahrain should also be at the top of the list as well

[@ipalermo-xk6ly]

Good video Kevin. Meal Bag is probably a bit better than what Qatar offers in economy in the slightly longer DXB DOH. Flying economy in Ethiad can be miserable more often than not. The hard product is terrible, all those 77W which have not seen maintenance or a good clean for years

[@vai350]

I would be surprised if Etihad joins SkyTeam as Delta has already announced that they will be teaming up with Riyadh Air. Thanks for the review though!

[@tfft]

The same could be said about Riyadh Air due to Saudia being in Skyteam though, so I don't think the Saudi carriers are really part of Delta's broader chess game.

[@vai350]

@@tfft Fair point, but It would make sense to include a combined Riyadh-Saudia entity into SkyTeam considering they have much bigger ambitions( at least on paper).

[@DanielNguyen-jv1jf]

I have never been to Abu Dhabi airport, but I am sure it is the nicest airport compared to Doha, Dubai or Oman. Unfortunately there are no Etihad Airways flights from my airport

[@nicholasyan5388]

Hi Kevin, I think you might've got the aircraft wrong in your title. The aircraft operating your flight is the Airbus A321 and not the A320. Not sure if both of them have the same interiors for Economy though!

[@tfft]

Ah true!

[@toniblackmore3016]

0:56 was thinking more failed parachute actually😆, and pondering why this airport just didn’t add up to something more interesting when 6:32 😂😂😂. (In fairness though, since discovering it at Thanksgiving I only have eyes for DCA Ronald Reagan and its grand adventure aesthetic). That seat was something else (inspired demo btw), short and small I can get comfy in most seats, but that one looked brutal.

[@sushi777300]

I rather expect a closer cooperation between Saudia and Delta. Doubt that SV would be happy about EY joining Skyteam

[@chaitanyapathare1610]

12:10 Are those Qantas planes?

[@sushi777300]

In the future the seats look pretty uncomfortable especially with the odd placement of the recline latch

[@glassy69]

Interesting to see 3 QF A380s parked in AUH? Are these permanently parked here?

[@kimkima1957]

Etihad livery looks elegant on every aircraft type. ❤

[@mittyoz6257]

Nothing to do with Anything, but curious why there were three Qantas A380's parked as you took off.

[@_Tripsandtips101]

I was originally booked to go on a Qatar business class flight between MNL and Europe (approximately $2,400-2,600) but after seeing EY offer an unusually low $2,100 for a business class ticket involving Paris, I'd figure why not try EY? Seriously, DOH's airport looks more appealing at any any rate. I would expect EY to join SkyTeam given that it partners with AF/KL, KE, SV, Garuda, AirEuropa and SK. But it also partners from OneWorld and Star Alliance.

[@Adnan71584]

What are those Qantas A380s doing in Abu Dhabi? Maintainance?

[@abduljalil7765]

Yes Parked for Maintenance

[@CharliesAngels8]

I was on from AUH - IST. I absolutely agreed that the seat was awful for that length. The crew was a 9/10. I would have gone Turkish if they had a more reasonable departure time.

[@ashishpoonia4047]

This is surprising 😮

[@tfft]

Thanks for watching

[@vontaylor472]

Hey Kevin

[@Wog68]

You may not know the reason why they installed those seats.

[@2THGap]

6:30 So that’s the reason why Tom Cruise was running all over the terminal just looking for restroom that are so damn far apart 😂😂😂 Mother Nature can only hold for so long 😂😂😂😂

[@maquiladora84able]

wonder if that's only the case for economy? from what I've seen on youtube their premium products seem to be stunning!

[@tfft]

Yup, I have multiple Business and First class videos from them on my channel as well.

[@mo.q380]

Economy on wide bodies is perfect tho it’s just the A320 family that’s a bit cheap looking. But it’s not as bad as the the video is showing 😂

[@samsanjeevan2096]

Just shocked how inconsistent Etihad has become in the type of hard products on their aircraft. But considering how their fleet planning has been going, we should not be surprised

[@charliebrown5]

Thank You ✈️

[@christianbayerstein5243]

Apparently you don’t fly often in Europe, all planes have for short haul and middle distances these camping chairs style seats, even in business class, where just the middle seat is kept empty. And yes, they fly 4 to 5 hours with these seats to the Canary Islands.😂😂😂😂 welcome to good old Europe.🙈

[@tfft]

No, they do not. I have a dozen Euro economy and business class reviews on the channel. These are not the same style of seats. These make Lufthansa's slim line seats look like a luxurious throne.

[@christianbayerstein5243]

@ what is the difference between the Lufthansa camping chairs and Etihad‘s camping chairs? I don’t see any. And the Etihad seats can at least be reclined. That is not the case with many Economy class seats on Lufthansa’s A320/321neo fleet.

[@MotuSid]

10:13 holy moly that's horrible 😳

[@anonymouslyopinionated656]

The "Meh" seems too generous. Still better than the 2008-09 version of Etihad. AUH to MAA back then was truly the worst International flight experience I've had.

[@fluoroethene]

Wait i thought you flew from AUH to DOH on Qatar Business class?

[@tfft]

I have... but that's not today's video.

[@fluoroethene]

@tfft ow when's that coming

[@pspspst101]

I am flying with etihad economy from yyz to auh and now i am scared 😭

[@mkkm945]

The seats are indeed as disgraceful as you say - no need to apologize. This config needs a minimum of 1 row deleted and a maximum of every seat replaced. I hope their 321LR economy is better.

[@ishaanrevankar492]

How'd you rate EY's A321 with SQ's 737 Max 8?

[@tfft]

I'd still take the EY seat for a short flight. It's hard for any 737 seat to ever beat any A320/1 seat.

[@reewindfy]

Delta already has Saudi is a Partner in the region.

[@tfft]

Yup, but they don't put Delta pax on them on connected itineraries, which is why I said the comment.

[@shivagot97]

Awesome

[@kabuterrimondw5919]

Please start putting those quotes in again at the start of

[@thedumbaviator5536]

0:55 now i can't unsee it 🤣🤣🤣

[@tfft]

You're welcome!

[@soumyonath911]

Atleast better than other KZbinrs who call that a frog

[@jeffreyrivera8158]

I used to fly Etihad, on my last 14 hrs J class to JFk they refused to serve me an anytime meal saying I got one 5 hrs earlier. You think paying premium will get you a sandwich that probably cost $10 NOT! That crew group is so bad that they only want to hang around in the galley and never check passengers need.

[@TheStagswag]

If you were of a ahem 'larger size' that seat would push you even closer to the seat infront of you, your spine may not ever touch the seat because it's trying to be some sort of cocoon, I don't know. I guess wide backs just need to buy Business class 😅.

[@tfft]

I appreciate being implied to be petite haha.

[@rahulsansoya6070]

As a Canadian it’s still better than Air Canada 🇨🇦

[@richat30]

Etihad to me is the poor sister of Emirates. When I have a choice it would always be Emirates. I did not even find their Business Class seat in the 787 very comfortable - hard and too low.

[@rais1953]

Well those seats are disappointing. Anyway, viewing this from Perth we can probably avoid Etihad as Virgin Australia links up with Qatar starting mid 2025.

[@exercising1621]

hi

[@tfft]

🙋🏼‍♂️

[@exercising1621]

@@tfft is it better on their dreamliners economy?

[@jasongarufi8187]

The economy seats on that Etihad flight were awful. The airport was certainly very curvy lol.

[@MotuSid]

00:55 😂

[@SubhadipSen]

Even without the emoji, the approach/parking area is face-shaped, with a mouth, some eyes, and a long festive hat - it's certainly a coincidence, but I'd love to pretend there's some architects out there having a laugh!

[@tfft]

I hope so lol. Would almost be disappointed if it was by accident haha

[@KuroRyuu86]

wooo a rare economy flight report. I'm 186cm tall....I would struggle to sit that plane. I hate to admit that the Jetstar economy seats looks more comfortable than that LOL. So, that new airport looks boring to me. I know I shouldn't say that while watching and not visiting. I know you have complained of other airports before, But this one seems very bland from your footage. Normally I would love to see airports because they all have a certain flair or characteristics that makes them unique. This doesn't have it. Just curves and glass and white or beige.

[@guillaumesoumillon6682]

Ah, I thought Thai Vietjet a321 seats were the worst, seems like you found a serious contender here...And for those who complain about seat comfort complains, not everyone is 5'4 and 140lbs...😁

[@tfft]

I actually don't think VJ/VZ's seats are that bad lol. Same as Air Asia.

[@jezd9787]

I think they fixed that problem on most of their planes. It is one of the finest airlines in the skies so this does not make sense

[@tfft]

They retrofitted their entire fleet since I took this flight? I don't think so...

[@omi._.jalalo]

No comfortable seats and entertainment in economy for *that* region of all places, seems very uncompetitive

[@PhilMalone23]

As a german who only can easily collect Miles and More via Lufthnasa the Statement Ethihad should go to Skyteam for me is opposing. All allicances expect the Star Allicance has a Golf Carrier so it would be a very cool if we could see Etihad there.

[@tfft]

Etihad would never be allowed into Star considering United's new partnership with Emirates.

[@PhilMalone23]

@tfft Damm you untied. Always ruining something

[@KNSAddiction]

This kind of seat is unacceptable! You paid money for it and there is absolutely nothing but bad

[@tfft]

Thanks for watching

[@reviewdarijepang318]

Qatar airways always better 😂❤

[@ashishpoonia4047]

Lol

[@tfft]

Thanks for watching

[@Saa42808]

Has anyone ever told you that your “commentary” is extremely annoying. And I don’t need a red heart. 🤨

[@tfft]

Has anyone ever told you that basement trolling is not a sustainable career choice? As for the heart, my guess is you haven’t received many hearts in your time, and today will be no different.