While I’ve already had the chance to fly with Etihad’s A330 Business Class and the new Business Studios in the B787, the Etihad Boeing 777 Business Class was somehow always left out. In June I finally had the chance to cross that off my todo list and experience the 777 from Singapore to Abu Dhabi on my own.

1. Boeing 777 Etihad Cargo
2. Boeing 777 Etihad Review

Etihad Boeing 777 Business Class: The Cabin

• After a relatively pleasant flight on the Airbus A330, I looked forward to trying the 777. Unfortunately, the 777 did not impress. Etihad failed to impress on the Boeing 777-300ER. Photo: Paul Spijkers via Wikimedia.
• Etihad Cargo operates a dedicated fleet of Boeing 777 freighters in addition to the current passenger fleet that serves our network Aircraft & freighter fleet With one of the youngest fleets in the world, Etihad continues to invest in new aircraft and aircraft enhancements.
• The Etihad flyers among my readers might have realized by now: the Business Class in the Boeing 777 is mostly the same as the one in the A330s. The seat is the same, just the cabin has some small differences (because it’s Boeing instead of Airbus).
• A6-DDD Etihad Airways Boeing 777-FFX. Reg A6-DDD Airframe Info. Airline Etihad Airways Fleet Info. Airport Frankfurt Rhein-Main (FRA / EDDF) Germany. Serial 62744 / 1374. Aircraft Boeing 777-FFX Production List. Date 10 January 2021. Cross Data Search Correct Data. EXIF Data ILCA-99M2.

After a short stop at Etihad’s contracted SATS Premier Club Lounge (OK, but nothing outstanding) the boarding began quite quickly. As usually with Etihad, boarding was done by status groups – so First/Business/Status Guests were allowed to enter the plane first. I was welcomed quite nicely, and led to my seat in Etihad’s Boeing 777 Business Class with a smile.

The cabin looks pretty familiar though when you’re used to Etihad’s Business Class in the A330: the seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration and offer a great level of privacy for both couples and single travellers. Especially when considering the width of the 777 (wider than the A330 and B787) Etihad is one of the very few airlines that does not field a 2-2-2 configuration – even though this would result in more seats to sell. Just as a thought: Emirates even has a 2-3-2(!) Business Class in their Boeing 777s.

Etihad Cargo operates a dedicated fleet of Boeing 777 freighters in addition to the current passenger fleet that serves our network Aircraft & freighter fleet With one of the youngest fleets in the world, Etihad continues to invest in new aircraft and aircraft enhancements.

In contrast to Etihad’s A330 Business Class, the 777 features overhead bins also in the center of the plane. This negatively affects the spaciousness of the plane’s interior, but it still feels good. Depending on the configuration, the Business Cabin has a different length; in my case from SIN to AUH it was 7 rows á 4 seats each. The rows are not staggered, but the privacy level is still great – especially in the rows A & K. Beige and brown tones dominate the cabin, plus the copper/bronze highlights here and there.Even though a few brighter options would’ve been nice in my opinion, the overall look of the cabin has a classy feel to it.

Etihad Boeing 777 Business Class: The Seat

As usual I booked one of the “true” window seats in row “A”. I love looking out the window, and the privacy in that row is just great. Obviously, all seats in Etihad’s 777 Business Class can be converted into lie-flat beds.

Below the screen you’ll find an ottoman that can also be used as a foot rest in the “relax position” of the seat. That’s also where you can store your shoes.

On the right side is the table:

You’ll also find the control panel for the seat and for the in-flight-entertainment on that side. Your seat can be changed exactly to your liking, or by using the three presets (upright, relax, bed):

Above that you’ll find the typical Etihad Al-Ain water bottle 😉

The Etihad flyers among my readers might have realized by now: the Business Class in the Boeing 777 is mostly the same as the one in the A330s. The seat is the same, just the cabin has some small differences (because it’s Boeing instead of Airbus). If you’ve flown the Etihad A330 before and enjoyed it, you’ll also like the experience in the 777. Only the Etihad Business Studios in the Boeing 787 are another step forward in terms of space and quality.

Etihad Boeing 777 Business Class: The Service

First things first: the Etihad crew on this flight was outstanding. I’ve mentioned a few times that Etihad cabin crews can be hit or miss, but this one was excellent. Before the start Etihad offers a pre-departure drink. As I was on my way back from holidays, champagne seemed to be the right choice:

This is always followed by a hot towel service, served on a silver platter instead of just getting a hot towel in your hand.

Today’s food and drink menu was already waiting for me at my seat when boarding:

Some minutes before departure the flight attendant came by, so I could choose my dinner service for this flight. With the “Dine Anytime” system I could’ve chosen to dine at any point in time during the flight, but I was hungry already and ordered dinner right after takeoff. After takeoff, she came back with some warm nuts and another glass of champagne to start the dinner service:

I (again) chose the Arabic Mezze for my appetizer. This time they tasted a bit too sour and different from how they usually tasted.

The flight attendant also brought a fresh breadbasket:

I chose the seafood noodles as my main, which was “a great choice” according to my flight attendant:

She was right: even though the dish looks simple, it tasted great. Prawns and scallops were cooked perfectly, and I’d rather have something tasty and simple instead of something complex but bland.

I chose to have the cheese plate afterwards, but it was a bit disappointing compared to the high standards Etihad normally has. It tasted well, but just looked and felt a bit too old and dried out.

Another highlight at the end: a wonderful lemon tarte.

After that good (but not perfect) dinner service I put my seat in the lie-flat mode and rested for a few hours. The bed is long and wide enough for my taste, so I got some good hours of sleep until we landed in Abu Dhabi.

Conclusion: Etihad Boeing 777 Business Class

While most airlines nowadays try to cramp as many seats in their Business Class as possible, Etihad does the opposite: their Boeing 777 Business Class with its 1-2-1 configuration offers a lot space, a lot of privacy and a lot of comfort. The hard product with the well-known Etihad seat is excellent, the soft product and catering as well. Even though the new Etihad Business Studios in the 787 are even a level above, the classic 777 Etihad product ist still ahead of most competitors.

Etihad Airways operates three versions of 777-300ER airplanes.

First version of Boeing 777-300 is the most common in Etihad Airways fleet. This airplane offers 330 seats of three classes: first, business and economy.

First class may accommodate just 8 passengers. There are 8 closed suites here that have 180 degrees recline. The only disadvantage of the seats of the 1st row is location of the galleys and lavatory in front.

Business class contains 40 flat bed seats. Behind the first class seats first two rows of business class seats are located. Proximity of the galley will cause discomfort to passengers of the seats 6D and 6G.

The other 8 rows of business class seats are located behind the exit row. These seats have 1-2-1 configuration. During overnight flights the light from the galleys located in front will disturb passengers of the seats of the 7th row.

Missing windows make the seats 12C and 12H bad seats.

Economy class consists of 282 standard seats that are located in three sections.

First sections has 3 rows of seats. The seats of the 15th row are considered good seats as they have extra space for passengers legs. But the width of these seats is reduced a little as the tray tables are in the armrests making them immovable. The seats 15DEFG offer bassinet locations.

Location of the lavatories behind is the disadvantage of the seats 16DEFG, 17 ABC and 17HJK. Also the seats 16DEFG may be less reclining than standard.

Behind the exit row the second section of economy class seats is located. This section contains 14 rows of seats: 13 of them have 3-4-3 configuration and 1 row with 4 seats. Passengers of the seats of the 18th row will feel comfortable thanks to extra legroom. Among disadvantages of these seats: reduced width and close location of the lavatories. For passengers with babies the seats 18DEFG have bassinet locations.

The noise from the galleys located behind will cause inconvenience to passengers of the seats 30ABC, 30D, 30G, 30HJK and of the seats 31DEFG.

The third section of economy class seats is located behind another exit row. Thanks to the position of the bulkhead the seats 32ABC and 32HJK have extra legroom. However, these seats are narrower than standard. Another disadvantage of the seat 32K is lack of window. The noise and the light from the galley located nearby will cause discomfort to passengers of the seats 32C, 32H and 33C, 33H.

Due to position of the bulkhead the seats 34DEFG offer extra legroom. As the tray tables are built-in the armrests the width of these seats is reduced a little. Passengers traveling with infants are often seated here as these seats have bassinet locations.

As there are no seats behind the seats 40C and 40H are often bumped by other passengers and crew members passing by.

Passengers tend to congregate in the area of the seats 44D, 44G and of the seats of the 45th row in order to visit lavatories and thus causing discomfort to passengers of these seats. Limited recline makes the seats 45DEFG bad seats.

This version of Boeing 777-300 may accommodate 412 passengers in two classes: business and economy.

First 7 rows represent seats of business class. there are totally 28 flat bed seats here per 4 in each row. All seats of business class have 180 degree recline. Location of the galleys and lavatory in front is the only disadvantage of the seats of the 5th row. Galleys located behind the seats 11EF may also represent problem to passengers of these seats.

Economy class seats are located behind the exit row. There are 384 standard seats here. These seats are divided by exit rows into three sections. Most of the economy class seats have 3-4-3 configuration.

First section consists of 13 rows of seats. First row consists of 4 seats and the other 12 have 3-4-3 configuration. Because of the bulkhead position the seats 15DEFG, 16 ABC and 16HJK have less space for passengers’ legs. As the tray tables are built-in the armrests the width of these seats is reduced a little. Close location of the lavatories is another disadvantage of these seats as well as lack of floor storage during take-off and landing. For passengers with babies the seats 15DEFG offer bassinet locations.

Missing windows make the seats 25A and 25K bad seats.

Other passengers tend to gather in the area of the seats 26CD, 26GH and of the seats of the 27th row while waiting to visit lavatories and thus causing discomfort to passengers of these seats. In addition the seats of the 27th row are less reclining than standard.

Second section of economy class seats has 14 rows of seats: 1 row with 4 seats, 2 rows with 6 seats and 11 rows with 10 seats in each.

Passengers of the seats 28DEFG, 29ABC and 29HJK will take advantage of extra legroom. Among disadvantages of these seats: reduced width, close location of the lavatories and lack of floor storage during take-off and landing. The seats 29A and 29K have no windows that is why these seats are considered bad seats.

The noise from the lavatories located behind will cause discomfort to passengers of the seats 40CD and 40GH and 41ABC and 41HJK. Limited recline is another disadvantage of the seats of the 41st row.

The third section of economy class contains 130 seats that are located in 14 rows.

The main disadvantages of the seats of the 42nd roware: proximity of the galleys, lack of floor storage during take-off and landing and reduced width as the tray tables are in the armrests making them immovable. For passengers travelling with infants the seats 42DEFGhave bassinet locations. Because of the bulkhead position these seats have less legroom space. The seats 42ABC and 42HJK on the contrary offer extra legroom.

As there are no seats behind the seats 50C and 50H are often bumped by other passengers and crew members passing by.

The noise from the lavatories and galleys will cause discomfort to passengers of the seats 54BD, 54GJ and of the seats of the last 55th row. Passengers of the seats of the last 55th row will be among the last to deplane upon arrival. The bulkhead located behind makes these seats less reclining than standard. These seats are considered bad seats.

The third version of Boeing 777-300 may transport 380 passengers in two classes.

Business class offers 40 flat bed seats that are located in 10 rows. These seats are divided into two sections. First section contains 4 rows of seats that have 1-2-1 configuration. All these seats are standard, only close location to the lavatories and galleys may cause discomfort to passengers of the seats 5C, 5H and of the seats of the 11th row.

Behind the exit row the second section of business class seats is located. Location of the lavatories and galleys in front is the main disadvantage of the seats of the 12th row.

Behind the seats of business class 340 seats of economy class are located. These seats are located in three sections. First section of economy class seats includes 8 rows of seats that have 3-4-3 configuration. The seats of the 20th row are considered good seats as they offer extra legroom to passengers. Close location of the lavatories will cause inconvenience to passengers of the seats 27BC, 27 DEFG and 27HJ.

Second section of economy class seats may accommodate 130 passengers. Because of the bulkhead position the seats 28DEFG have less space for passengers’ legs. Location of the lavatories in front is another disadvantage of these seats.

Passengers of the seats 29ABC and 29HJK will take advantage of extra legroom. Proximity of the lavatories will cause some discomfort to passengers of the seats 29CD and 29GH.

The noise from the galleys located behind is the main disadvantage of the seats 40C, 40DEFG, 40H, 41A and 41H.

The third section of economy class seats is located behind the exit row.

Thanks to the exit row located in front the seats of the 42nd row offer extra legroom. Proximity of the galley will represent a problem.

Boeing 777 Etihad Cargo

Due to missing seats behind the seats 50C and 50H are often bumped by service carts and other passengers passing by.

Boeing 777 Etihad Review

Other passengers tend to gather in the area of the seats 54B, 54J and of the seats of the last 55th row in order to visit lavatories and thus causing discomfort to passengers of these seats. Also limited recline makes the seats of the 55th row bad seats.