Fresh off my flight from Doha, I finally entered the home stretch of the marathon journey home. With an onward flight in Etihad First Class, I spent some time in the Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi. The lounge is certainly nice enough, and personally, I preferred the design to the polarizing Al Safwa First Lounge. But it lacks several amenities compared to other top-tier First lounges, such as Air France, Lufthansa, or SWISS.
Note: this is part of my trip report series covering my around-the-world trip to Taiwan in January, 2024. Click here for the trip report index and introductory post.
Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi
Location
In the central terminal area of the new Terminal 1, in the general direction of the C gates. Simply follow the signs for “Etihad Lounges”, below the directional sign for the C gates. The lounge entrance is closest to gate C29, so head that way if you lose your bearings.
I swore I took several photos of the entrance to the lounge, but apparently, I either didn’t, or deleted them. I’ll try my best here to describe how to get there as best I can. While the First and Business lounges share the same space, the First Class entrance is just past the Business one. So when you find the entrance to the Business lounge, keep walking, and you’ll reach the First entrance shortly. There, an attendant will verify your access, and direct you to take the elevator to the 6th floor. (Do not use the escalator, which takes you to the Business Class lounge.)
Once you get off on the 6th floor, the entrance to the First Class lounge is immediately on your right. Turn left if you want to explore the Business Class lounge instead.
Access
Etihad provides access to the First Class lounge to the following passengers:
- Etihad First Class passengers
- Etihad Guest Platinum members, plus one guest
Additionally, Etihad passengers can purchase First Class lounge access as an upgrade. I couldn’t readily find the current price, but this older post from OMAAT gives you an idea. At the time, the cost was AED 790/USD 215.
Both the Etihad First and Business Class lounges are open 24 hours daily.
Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi – Review
After stepping off the elevator, I headed to the right to enter the First Class section. And oddly, the lounge agent proceeded to largely ignore me as I walked past. I’ve heard that the agents downstairs call up to the First lounge to notify them of guests headed up. Perhaps that’s the case, and why nobody ever asked me for a boarding pass.
Anyway, at a little past 5 am, I found the lounge practically deserted. Compared to the mausoleum-like Al Safwa Lounge, I found the decor here a bit more “First Class” in appearance. The lounge looks and feels elegant, though not over-the-top blingy. (I’m looking at you, Emirates.) On the other hand, the dim lighting did make the lounge feel a bit stuffy. That improved after the sun came up, and let some natural light into the lounge.
A common walkway heads down the length of the lounge. At the entrance, there’s an assistance deck (unattended when I arrived), along with a few recliner-style and traditional lounge seats.
Beyond the partition is a longer section of recliners along the windows. During the day, you can enjoy views of the AUH ramp from these seats.
On the opposite side, meanwhile, is a rather oddly out of place couch.
If you head right after the partition, you’ll find a large room with traditional lounge seating. This is probably the largest section of the lounge, and includes a self-service food area. The selection isn’t exactly robust, with a few finger foods and fruits. There’s also a coffee machine, fresh juices, soft drinks, and bottled water. However, if you want to eat, I strongly suggest going with the a la carte option. More on that later.
Head further down the main corridor, and to the left is the sit-down dining area. Note that you don’t actually have to sit here if you want to order off the menu. You can ask a server to bring your order anywhere in the lounge. I found the dining area very nicely done. The white tablecloths in particular made the appearance quite inviting and elegant.
If I have one complaint, it’s the lack of larger dining tables. Nearly all accommodate only two people. Now granted, how many larger groups will have access to this lounge. But still, it’s nice to have the flexibility.
Immediately behind the dining area, meanwhile, is a small TV room. The setup seems kind of strange to me. The room is open to part of the dining room, so I’d expect noise to be an issue.
Continuing down the main corridor, there’s a rather elaborate water station, along with additional soft drinks, lemonade, and fresh fruit. No, the lounge isn’t dry; you just have to order alcoholic drinks from a server.
Finally, you reach the back of the lounge, with another large seating area. For lack of a better term, I’ll refer to this area as the relaxation area. It’s very quiet back here, far removed from the lounge entrance and dining area. This section is also outfitted with numerous couches and pods to stretch out in.
Notice the curtained-off sections next to the couches. These are 6 semi-private pods where you can get a little bit of privacy while resting. When I headed back here, I found all 6 unoccupied, so I grabbed one. I found the large chairs with ottomans quite comfy for a quick nap. After settling in, I ended up sleeping for a good two hours. In addition, each pod includes multiple power outlets and USB ports. Not that you need to these days, even when flying in coach, but it gives you the chance to grab a full charge while napping.
Meanwhile, there are a few seats overlooking the terminal along the railing. The only problem? It’s not exactly easy to see the terminal thanks to the window blinds.
After waking up from my nap, I flagged down a server to order some food. Given the high staff-to-guest ratio, it doesn’t take long to find someone. Maybe you can argue that service should be more proactive, which is fair. But at least there’s sufficient staffing that you receive service quickly when you ask.
Rather than go to the dining room, I asked him to bring my order to my pod. In yet another unforced error, I apparently forgot to take photos of the menu. If you want an idea of the choices, though, I don’t think it was much different than from OMAAT’s visit a few months before mine. I ordered the eggs benedict with smoked salmon, along with a cup of black tea.
Small, but a good presentation, and very delicious. Everything was nicely done, right down to the perfectly toasted muffin. I refrained from ordering more with the promise of a large meal onboard in a few hours. What I found a bit surprising was the lack of karak chai on the beverage menu. Now, I really wanted a strong cup of tea. My guess is they’ll make you one if you ask, but I didn’t think to do so.
Before leaving, I took a quick peek at the restrooms. Even the non-shower rooms are rather spacious, with a separate vanity stool. And of course, I found them 100% spotless.
The lounge offers free WiFi. While I found it perfectly serviceable for web surfing, it wasn’t stable enough to handle a FaceTime call. Periodically, it either booted me off the network, or gave me the dreaded “poor connection” and no video.
The Etihad First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi – Final Thoughts
So as far as the basics of the lounge, I think it’s quite solid. It’s quiet and restful, the food is very good, and I found service responsive and friendly. Some complain about the relative lack of amenities. For example, there’s no whiskey bar like at the Lufthansa First Class Terminal. And in the arms race with its arch-rivals from Doha and Dubai, it’s a little surprising Etihad didn’t go for something distinctive (if polarizing) like Qatar’s Al Safwa First Lounge. But at the end of the day, for a few hours’ stay, you get a calm, quiet seating area and good food and drink. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that.
