Between them, Etihad and Emirates are two of the world’s better-known airline brands. The Gulf carrier long-haul specialists based in the United Arab Emirates have become known for their big planes, deep pockets, and spacious premium cabins. But what about if, like most of us mere mortals, you were stuck further down the back of the bus? For that long-haul economy jaunt, which airline should you opt for – Dubai-based Emirates or Abu Dhabi’s Etihad?
Which airline has the best network?
The past couple of years saw both airlines trim their usual reach. However, destinations have been trickling back at a steady pace, and the Middle Eastern carriers have generally done their best to keep their departures board interesting. Etihad is currently flying to 67 destinations across North America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia (with a particularly strong presence on the Indian subcontinent), and Australia.
Emirates’ network is far superior for overall connectivity. The airline now flies to 158 destinations across 85 countries, with only a few departures still missing from the carrier’s pre-pandemic network. The carrier has a substantial presence across Africa and is also particularly strong in Europe, the Middle East, and India. It also operates to three destinations in South America (Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo), where Etihad has no presence.
Who has the best planes?
According to data from ch-aviation, Etihad has 103 planes in its fleet (although five are dedicated freighters), including ten of the crowd-pleasing A380s. However, none of Etihad’s superjumbos have flown any passenger services since the start of the pandemic. While Etihad CEO Tony Douglas refuses to rule out their return, it is looking more and more unlikely.
The remainder of Etihad’s long-haul fleet comprises Boeing 777s and 787 Dreamliners. Since beginning to fly in 2011, reviews have differed on the Dreamliner economy product, depending on the carrier. When traveling back in 2020, one of Simple Flying’s writers was “pleasantly surprised by the quality” of Etihad’s 787 economy product.
Etihad’s economy class layout on its 787s is 3-3-3, whereas it is 3-4-3 across its 777 fleet. Meanwhile, Etihad has recently begun taking deliveries of and deploying its A350-1000s which also have a 3-3-3 layout in economy.
Emirates has 262 aircraft, all either A380s or Boeing 777s (apart from that one executive jet version of the Airbus A319). Emirates has three 777 variants, but all offer 3-4-3 economy class cabins. It’s the same 3-4-3 layout across the Emirates A380s, but most economy class travelers tend to prefer the Airbus A380 because it is roomier. Unlike Etihad, Emirates is presently operating the majority (but not all) of its A380s.
The best ground experience?
Whether you fly through Abu Dhabi or Dubai, their respective airports are pretty good from a traveler’s perspective. An economy class ticket on either airline will not get you lounge access unless you hold elite frequent flyer status with that airline. However, both airports have decent pay-per-use lounges.
Your luggage allowances
Neither airline has a straightforward checked-in luggage policy for economy class travelers. Etihad’s luggage policy is determined by weight, rather than the number of bags. Where you are flying to is also a factor. But the free allowance will range from 23kg on the cheapest economy fare type right up to 35kg on a fully flexible economy class ticket.
Emirates’ economy class check-in allowance also depends on the fare bucket you are in. Economy class free checked-in bag allowances range from 20kg if you travel on an economy special fare to 35kg if you are traveling on an economy flex plus fare. Like with Etihad, you can check in as many bags as you like, provided the total weight doesn’t exceed your fare allowance.
It’s all about the seat
Whether you’re on a bigger A380 or a smaller Dreamliner, seat sizes won’t vary much. However, your perception of space will.
On Emirates A380s (there are three variants), economy class seat pitch will vary between 32″ and 34″. The seat width is generally 18″. The airline operates three variants of Boeing 777s with four different configurations. Across them, the economy class seat pitch will vary between 32″ and 34″. Seat width varies between 17″ and 18″.
It might be a little unfair to include premium economy as this is not really the same product category and is only offered by one of the two (although Etihad has just introduced something similar, but more on that in a bit). However, we still thought we might mention that Emirates recently installed premium economy seats have around 38″ of pitch for most rows, are 19.5″ wide and configured in a 2-4-2 arrangement. Thus far, Emirates have only launched them on a select few aircraft, but will keep adding it and is planning for between 20 and 30 planes by 2023.
Over at Etihad, depending on the aircraft type, economy class seat pitch will vary between 31″ and 33.5″. More standard is the seat width, usually 17.5″. But on Etihad’s Dreamliners, seat width is just over 17″, perhaps lending credence to some testimonies that Dreamliners are especially squeezy for economy class passengers.
However, while not a full premium economy offering per say, on the A350s and 787s, Etihad has now installed what it calls Economy Space in the first five rows (six if you include the up-front bulkhead) of the economy cabin. This seems to resemble KLM’s Economy Comfort option, and has up to five inches of extra legroom. It also has a characteristic one-sided fold to the headrest to keep travelers from falling asleep on the shoulder of their co-passengers.
Regardless of where you sit in Etihad’s economy class cabin, your seat will have a headrest, adjustable back support, and legroom. Each seat also has USB charging points, inflight entertainment screens (more on that later), and adjustable device holders. Flight attendants are also happy to provide complimentary blankets and pillows. At Emirates, it’s much the same deal.
Overall, there’s not much separating Etihad and Emirates when it comes to standard economy class seats. Perhaps Emirates has the edge because if you end up on the right 777, you might end up with 34″ of pitch and 18″ of width – not bad for an economy class seat.
What’s for dinner in economy class?
With meals onboard, everyone will have different preferences.
Emirates’ food menu is inspired by regional flavors and spices, with meals served on each flight that reflect the local culture. A flight to Australia or New Zealand, for example, might feature minted lamb sausages with mashed potatoes and vegetables. In contrast, chicken with caramelized plums or lamb Brochette with Arabic spices might be the main course on a Middle East flight.
Etihad has a different approach when it comes to meals and drinks onboard. While they offer the same range of specialized meals depending on passengers’ dietary requirements, Etihad actually offers way more food than you might need.
Not only would the average flight have two main meal services, but they also feature two small snack services and a larger snack for mid-flight. Plus, there is additional food at the rear of the plane (for passengers to self-serve) at any time. Lastly, drink service is conducted three times during meals (before, during, and after), ensuring that you have plenty to drink. This attention to detail is pretty great in our books.
Drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, are complimentary on both Emirates and Etihad.
Inflight entertainment and technology
Let’s take a look at the two different entertainment options onboard.
Emirates’ entertainment system, ice, has won countless Skytrax awards for its best-in-the-business features and has been voted the best around for 13 consecutive years. And for a good reason: With 4,000 ‘channels’ of movies, TV, music, and games, in addition to podcasts, radio shows, kids’ channels, and live sports and news, Emirates’ entertainment is truly top-notch. Emirates also has easy-to-reach power outlets in most economy seats. On the standard economy seat, Emirates screens are 13.3 inches.
Etihad has a very similar offering, with the latest movies and television shows on demand. However, they seem to be lacking the solid range that Emirates has on offer. But if you are flying and only watching the latest movies, does it really matter? Etihad screens are only 11.8 inches big and are slightly slanted.
In terms of WiFi, Emirates offers WiFi internet for the whole flight for US$9.99- $19.99, depending on the length of the flight. There are some cheaper options if you just want messaging services, and elite frequent flyers will also get a special WiFi deal on Emirates.
On Etihad, non-elite economy class passengers can pay to access WiFi, ranging from US$5.95 for 50MB to $29.95 for 300MB – which, frankly, is a lot of money for not much WiFi.
All up, two good inflight entertainment options, but it’s always hard to beat Emirates in the inflight entertainment stakes.
Who has the best economy class product? Emirates or Etihad?
At the end of the day, these things are subjective. Food may be important to one traveler but irrelevant to another. Someone will be obsessed about the WiFi allowance; someone else will search out the ½ inch of extra seat width.
Source: simpleflying.com