Eithad Airways offers a very nice arrival lounge at their hub Abu Dhabi, with shower suites, a business center and refreshments. The facilities are top notch, open to First and Business Class travelers as well as elite Etihad Guest members. It contributes to the very good end-to-end experience for premium travelers on Etihad Airways!
Having lounge access after an overnight, long-haul flight is a big deal for me: On business trips, it was necessary to shower and change to go straight into meetings. And on personal trips, it’s nice to start fresh at your destinations or maybe take a shower, in case your hotel room is not ready after an early morning arrival.
That was the situation on my Etihad Business Class flight from Manila that arrived before 6 am in Abu Dhabi. The Arrival Lounge is landside after immigration and clearly market from the terminal. Staff at the lounge is very friendly and welcoming, directing me immediately to the shower suites.
The shower suites look like the bathroom of an upscale hotel, held in high-end brown stone and tiles, with a single sink on the side, a glass enclosed shower with rainfall shower head in one corner and a toilet in the other.
A full set of amenities, including high-quality toiletries, dental kit, shaving kit, comb and even deodorant. It’s nice if you don’t have to unpack your own toiletries bag to freshen up.
The lounge also has a small business center, so you can check email or print documents. There are TVs to catch up on the news as well as lounge seating with comfortable chairs to relax a little before starting out. The internet ate my photo of the lounge, so I included one from the Etihad website that is a good illustration of what you can expect:
Etihad Arrival Lounge, photo by Etihad
A buffet offered breakfast at my early morning arrival, with fresh fruit, pastries, coffee and juice.
Etihad Arrival Lounge food, photo by Etihad
Bottomline: The Etihad Arrival Lounge Abu Dhabi offers everything I’d expect from this type of lounge: Friendly service, a generous shower suite to freshen up, business facilities to prepare your day and maybe grab a coffee and snack before you go! It completes the premium experience of an Etihad Business Class flight, after great onboard product and service, and before hopping into the chauffeured limo to the hotel. Eithad Airways clearly understands luxury travel and has earned its reputation as a 5-star airline!