Etihad change of planes from Abu Dhabi to Manchester

[squeeze72]

So Melbourne lost the a380 and went to depending on when flying, either the 77w or B787.

I'm looking at Business flights in June and see now that the AUH to MAN now has an option of 77w which has been my least favourite plane with Etihad (although great crew to make up for it most times) or a 332.
Could I have some input on any experience of this plane?

Trying to use up my airmiles whilst they are still flying....

Many thanks

 

[HeavyElectricity]

My notes from last year on the AUH-MAN leg - I was going to write a mini trip report, but I'm still writing the one from the previous year!

Flight: EY15
Aircraft: 777-300ER (A6-ETI)
Seat: 10A (J)
Departed: AUH 17/09/2017 02:32 (2mins late) GST
Arrived: MAN 17/09/2017 06:58 (27mins early) BST
Duration: 7h 26m

This was my fourth of five flights in ~48 hours (SYD-BNE, BNE-PER, PER-AUH, AUH-MAN, MAN-SOU) - don't ask! - had to make some changes to bookings and it backed on to the separate Sydney trip I had - plus flight cancellations out of SYD due to weather, general bad timing/planning/availability of award flights, plus train cancellations between Manchester and Southampton. So I was grouchy by this flight!

Walked straight past first class lounge entrance, and had to back track a long way. Welcomed to lounge. Offered complementary shave/massage and shower. Tempted but there wasn't much time. Hendricks G&T from the bar. Not offered food, but didn't really feel like any.

Strange to see Virgin Australia boarding line queue signs still dotted about the airport!

Departure lounge a compete crowded mess. Secondary screening. No discernible lines. Eventually called thorough to a separate seating area for premium boarding.


Managed to get ~3 hours of sleep. Cabin a lot more bearable in terms of heat than previous PER-AUH 787 flight. Service on this one was better too. However, a dated looking product (but even then, it's still direct aisle access, so better than other 'old' products).



Non-noise cancelling headphones on this product/aircraft.

Good to be able to stream some TV channels. Watched BBC World News.

Breakfast was yoghurt, chocolate muffin thing, omelette with sausages/hash brown, and coffee. Okay, but nothing great.



Easy disembarking and immigration (no queues!). Luggage took a very very long time to get going however.

 

[squeeze72]

Thanks for the response Sludge321 however, I've flown on that plane many times (great pics!)

I was enquiring about the 332 if anyone has flown on that flight and how it compares.

 

[HeavyElectricity]

I was enquiring about the 332 if anyone has flown on that flight and how it compares.

Ahh, whoops, I misunderstood! Sorry!

 

[Denali]

Think I flew the 332 a couple of days ago (EDI-AUH)

I dislike the foot wells as they are open on one side and I prefer fully enclosed. Day flight no amenity pack provided but got them for night flight. Food was good both ways. I noticed Piper champagne offered but I dont drink booze so didnt pay attention.

The seats are tired, OK for 8hr day flight but the night flight was a bit uncomfortable (foot wells annoy me) but for a long haul/14hrs, I would be looking to change flight to re route from Syd to a A380 if possible.

Edit: I actually enjoyed no lounge because on the 380 yesterday, I noticed a lot of people up and down from the lounge for the first few hours, which annoyed me.