Etihad Airways

Having read other reviews of the Etihad Economy seat on the 3x4x3 B777 we decided to pay extra to get an exit seat. This was well worth it but still not good. With 10 seats across the seats are so narrow that you can hardly move (I am 1.82 and normal weight) This seems even worse at the exit row as your tv screen and table are stored between the seats. However fortunately you have legroom. I cannot imagine having done a flight on any other seat in the economy cabin as the legroom is really non-existent (I tried it) and together with the lack of width it makes for a combination from hell. My travel partner is 1.72m and even he found it extremely difficult. Moreover a crew member on passive transfer sat on the jump seat facing us and spread her luggage out on the floor during the flight so we could not actually stretch our legs even if we had paid extra for exactly that.

Unlike their B777 the Etihad A330-200 offered relatively comfortable economy seating. The 2x4x2 configuration makes it easy for anyone to get in and out and the seat width and comfort was acceptable and better than many European airlines. Recline was okay and the screen worked well. Leg room was not impressive but on par with most airlines. All in all recommendable.

I am a small person and having issues with the leg room. Should have more leg room.

The seats on A330 flight pleasant because they did not use a configuration that just crams as many seats as possible. The Boeing 777 seats are unbearable pitch is limited and the seat width is horrendous. Avoid the Etihad Airways 10-abreast (3x4x3) Boeing 777 seat arrangement at all costs. AVOD options fantastic but not enough to take away from the narrow seats on the Boeing 777.

Sydney to Abu Dhabi 14 hrs in the worst seats I have ever tried to sit in. I will never book with this airline again. The onward flight to Manchester was just as bad on the A340-600. Cheaper airlines have better seating. Qantas or Air New Zealand in future.

AUH-LHR. Seated in row 21 (A/C) which was a shame as row 20 was an exit with bags of extra legroom. All adequate and comfortable enough versus flight duration until seat recline from in front made for very uncomfortable hour until the fellow passenger thought better of it and moved the recline back half way! IFE good with ample choice inflight service not as slick as outbound sector but still decent.

LHR-AUH. Seats were adequate versus duration of flight. Attentive inflight service. IFE sound not working but did not complain as decided to sleep instead.

We sat in seats 43K and 43H as they were 2 seats rather than 3 seat configuration. I was almost deafened by excessive noise from the aircraft engines? I was not impressed by the seat width or leg room and this aircraft performs poorly against Singapore Airlines for long haul. My blanket although in a sealed bag on opening was disgustingly dirty with food particles stuck to it! When I asked for another I was met with rudeness. We found the staff to be unhelpful. My entertainment system had to be rebooted. Our food was ok but there were no extra snacks during the flight. I was seriously disappointed with Etihad as I had thought from adverts that they were committed to great service and quality - but this is not the case in economy. Also the staff never checked seat belts once and I certainly didn't feel that in an emergency situation I would be relying on them for help which is standard in most airlines. I wouldn't book Etihad again in a hurry I will stick with Singapore.

Amsterdam to Abu Dhabi and onward to Bangkok. Seats on first flight were very cramped. My first reaction was never again. I have a normal size( 185 ). The seat on the second part( 777) was reasonable. On return flight same again. However I flew from Abu Dhabi to Dusseldorf with Air Berlin. Etihad has a coop with Air Berlin. It should be forbidden by law! I could not move for 8.5 hours. Seats are not even okay for a short charter flight. Next time it is Qatar Airways again for me.

The seats were very small according to the flight hours. It was a 15 hours flight and seats were uncomfortable according to the flight hours.