Priority boarding worked as intended. Once onboard I noticed the first 5 rows of economy were essentially still vacant and a few opportunistic few (including my seat mate) moved forward. Some tried to move up to the first row but we're kicked out by the flight attendants.
As boarding finished I got a dedicated greeting for being a VA Gold (much to the dismay of those around me) which was a lot more than what VA offered on my previous HKG flight! It went along the lines of "On behalf of
Virgin Australia and
Etihad we thank you for flying with us today." From there I was asked for my first meal option from a card with pictures.
Once in the air after the first round of drinks went by, my meal was individually brought to me. This was well before the meal cart appeared. Meal was on the small side I thought but after eating a bit in the lounge it was enough for me. Wouldn't want to have not eaten beforehand though. 2nd round of drinks went on offer and then a third containing just tea, coffee or juice.
I noticed a few people around me cough up and buy some mid-flight snacks. I do not like all this cost cutting at
Etihad especially with such small meal sizes but it might be a short-term boost financially for them. A pre-arrival snack wrap was offered just over an hour before touchdown.
Surprised to get a real gate with a jetbridge at AUH so arrival was a breeze even though priority baggage didn't work.
I got a good look at the new mid-field terminal at AUH as we taxied in - all the internal lights were on but no external ramp lights. Couldn't see any obvious signs of construction so I'd assume it's getting close (but one could say the same for Berlin Brandenburg Airport so that doesn't mean much).