Bangkok Part 2

Over Egypt

I had a lovely seven-hour nap and we have just crossed the Red Sea, two hours out from Abu Dhabi.  I’m following the flight on a moving map and just realized that Israel is not marked. They have the Sinai Peninsula marked but no Israel.  It’s like Abdul said to the Map Maker,  “Hey I got an idea, if we don’t show it on the map maybe it will go away!”

Anyway the flight has been just fine. Especially since the Puligny-Montrachet flowed freely and the Saint Julien was a perfect foil for the cheese course.  I only had the meze, which were lovely, having had the tuna in the lounge.  Aside from the food and drink, all of which is top shelf, there are two things that stand out on this carrier, as opposed to the last long flight I had in business on United. The first is the interior of the plane. These are both almost identical 777 aircraft, they both have 40 business class seats with about the same amount of pitch and width. The difference is that United has eight across (2-4-2) in a crazy herringbone pattern with some seats facing forward and other backward so that you have zero privacy since you are always looking at the person in front of you.  Etihad has only four across staggered seating so that everyone has access to an aisle, no dreaded middle seats, which shouldn’t exist in business anyway.  The seating is one-two-one which gives everyone lots of space and privacy.  The pillows are huge and comfortable and the duvet is attractive and functional.

The other big difference is in the personnel who work for the airline.  They are all extremely well trained, polite and seeming happy in their work. They are constantly moving about the cabin to see if you need anything, the toilets are cleaned after every use, and the smiles are wide and for real.  I’m not picking on United, I understand that most of the US legacy carriers are about the same, but when you can fly a foreign carrier for less money and get more service and comfort, I’m all for it.

Our flight landed a bit early and after the normal transit procedures, I was in the lounge waiting for the next flight while Skyping with Cindy. I must say I was none too thrilled to be back in the Middle East! I had almost forgotten the many things I am not fond of, but my stay was short and the connecting flight was as pleasant as the first and in no time I was in Bangkok.