mloew From Germany, joined Oct 2011, 24 posts, RR: 0 Posted (11 months 3 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 8879 times:
!مرحبا بكم في تقرير رحلتي
Welcome to my TR!
This report covers my recent Etihad flights from MUC to AUH and back and some impressions from fantastic Dubai.
Booking
As I discovered some open days in late May, I searched around for some interesting flights/cities mainly in Europe, but nearly all flights seemed to be far too expensive. So I already dropped the plans to fly somewhere, when I discovered EY's round-trip offers from MUC to AUH for 399€, both red-eye and operated by A330-200s, giving me 3 full days there. I have flown the A332 once on WY last year (btw one of the best flights I had), but EY would be a new airline for me. Additionally, EY offers a complimentary bus service (limos for C/F) from AUH to Al Ain, Dubai Marina and Dubai Sheik Zayed Road (it has the 3-letters-code XNB). Perfect for me! So I asked my mother if she wanted to spend some days in Dubai and she agreed. Finally, I got the flights for some 380€ on ebookers.de and the Radisson Blu Downtown for a bargain of 128€/2 nights + breakfast. As I've been to the UAE (Fujairah) last year (that WY-trip), I knew that this would be the last month with acceptable temperatures in Dubai.
We arrived some 2hrs prior to departure at MUC's T1C where all Gulf carriers (expect QR, which code-shares with LH) depart. I spotted an EY OLCI-counter, but when we arrived there, we found no queue for it :confused:
Apparently, the 3 normal and the OLCI counters had only one for all. Weird. And having all the age 50plus-'I'm a very frequent traveller'-Germans proudly showing their Jumeirah-Hotels tag, we don't wanted to disturb them and kindly lined up behind them. After some 15mins waiting (the Jumeirah guests tuned out to be one group of 10 travellers with tons of extra-large bags who had one booking and blocked the whole queue when they arrived at their counter and only realized after some time that there are other passengers who want to check in at the other 3 counters , but finally, we made it to the kind lady at the check in-desk. But then she sad 'Oh, good that you've done OLCI as my boarding-pass printer doesn't work.' That much about my BP-collection .
Not much wait at the security check (well done, German efficiency!) and we're into air side. Tonight, there are basically only our EY and the EK flight in the C-section, but nevertheless it was full of people and after some pictures we grabbed seats in the connection area between C and B.
The EK 773...
...and our 332
I already knew that our ride would be A6-EYL, which was delivered in 2007 to EY.
Some time before boarding, a call was made and we heard our names. I was a bit nervous as this couldn't mean anything good, but I was relieved when they just checked our passports again. {Relieved}... But some minutes later, they called us again ...but this time we were just sent back.
Sunday, 27th May 2012
Munich (MUC) - Abu Dhabi (AUH)
Etihad Airways EY 4
Flight times: 23:20 - 07:20 (+1)
Flight duration: 6:00h
Distance: 4,585km/2,849miles/2,476nm
Coral Economy Class
Seat 30A
Boarding started some minutes late, and just as the call was made, everyone jumped up and lined up. No boarding after row numbers, so we simple followed the others and soon we were onboard. The FAs kindly greeted everyone and we made our way to row 30. This a/c had the newest interior and IFE and the seats were quite comfy. I personally like EY's beige-grey seats.
EY's ebox-IFE
Blankets and headset
SunExpress 738...
...being replaced by a BA 319
Passing a Condor retro 320 on our ways to runway 08R
TUIfly "Glücksbringair" (=lucky charm) 738 has just arrived
In the meanwhile, mood lighting is switched on in orange...
...and then in blue
Ready for takeoff
LH Technik
Turning on 08R
And gently lifting off after a powerful takeoff
T2
Soon after departure the FAs distributed menu cards. Unlikely to WY last year, EY served a snack for 'dinner' and a full breakfast, but IMO a full dinner is more appropriate as I was not in the mood for breakfast at 4am.
The menu was followed by a stylish amenity kit
And here it is, a spicy (but tasty) pizza wrap
I ordered PH's favourite, but they did neither have Schweppes nor gave the full can. But anyway it tasted quite ok.
East European city
After the snack, I quickly fell asleep and woke up only when the lights were turned on for the breakfast service.
I decided to try the Schupf noodles (the FAs announced them simply as 'sweet noodles'). As already said, I wasn't really in the mood of breakfast and tried to eat as much as my stomach allowed (I managed all the fruits and noodles). The fruits were really fresh and tasty, the Schupf noodles were ok.
After breakfast, I tried to sleep a last bit, but I wasn't really able to and decided to take a closer look at EY's ebox. It offered a wide range of movies, music, games, TV series and of course an state-of-the-art airshow. I decided for 'In Time' and watched it until the IFE was switched off for arrival (unless EY still allows you to use the airshow and front-camera {Thumbsup} ).
The new day is dawning
Winglet
On approach
First sights of Abu Dhabi
On our final approach, we had some fantastic views of the Ferrari world and the Yas Island F1 Marina Race Circuit. You can watch the video here.
Stylish ATC-tower in the dust
Cargo line-up
And closer
Landing was very smooth (well done EY pilots + A330!) and only a short taxi was needed to our bus gate. Deboarding took a while (one German lady said 'it is absolutely unfair that these decadent people from the First class - although we had only J - can deboard first' ) but finally we were led onto the tarmac to our busses. I was a bit cautious with taking photos, so I took the first one from the plane door and the second one from the safety of the bus.
Next to (my first) A330F
EY logo double
Cabin shot
The mighty RR-Trent700
After a short bus ride, we arrived at AUH's T1. Immigration was done in no time (seems like the officers in AUH don't like to talk) and we proceeded to the bus to Dubai. Not much to say about the bus ride itself, it took about 1.5hrs, our 'FA' (or bus attendant or however you want to call him) wasn't very friendly, but he gave everyone a chilled bottle of water.
Traffic jam
First sights of Dubai Marina
Hmm, haven't I seen them (or one of them) anywhere else? {Scratchchin}
And of course no Dubai without a Burj Khalifa...
After a short wait at our hotel Radisson Blu Dubai Downtown we were given a room in the 17th floor with 'Burj-view'. Sounds promising...
...and the view was really nice (but who the hell decided to build this in front of BK???)
Our lovely room
As it was still very hot outside, we decided to take the Metro to the Mall of the Emirates in order to visit famous Ski Dubai.
Best of Dubai: Skyscrapers & Rolls-Royce
Another landmark out of the Metro
And finally we arrived at Dubai's 2nd biggest mall, the Mall of the Emirates (MoE). It offers exclusive shops, various restaurants and of course world-famous Ski Dubai. It features a snow-covered area of 22,500m² and 5 slopes, with the longest run 400m in length and world's first indoor black run. The day temperature is -1°C.
Very stylish design
Sights from home
You just have to erase the 2nd one from the left...
What else to expect?
Next we decided to visit Dubai Marina, the newly developed area in the far south of Dubai. Both The Walk @JBR (Jumeirah Beach Residence) and the Marina Promenade are excellent for relaxing next to some Dhows and yachts or outdoor shopping.
Marina Promenade
The Walk @JBR
For the next day, we had booked tickets for At The Top, the visitor platform of Burj Khalifa, located in the 124th floor. But first, we explored world's 2nd biggest Mall, The Dubai Mall. It is even more upscale than the MoE and features the Dubai Aquarium, which has the largest acrylic panel in the world.
Burj Khalifa
Bridge to Souk Al Bahar (another Mall)
Above the aquarium
Fish, anyone?
Anything that is not here?
Who is taller?
Not the right job for me
Do you need some gold?
Finally, it was time to head to At The Top.
The view up there is really stunning, but often the visibility is not really good so don't expect too much if you also want to go there.
Our hotel (the left one)
It's going even further up??
The towers of Sheik Zayed Road, with the Rose Rotana (PlaneHunter stayed there last year), the highest hotel tower on the planet.
Metro
The world
We spent almost one hour there until we went down to earth again.
Looks beautiful in the setting sun
The next day was already our last day, so we cleared our room and went to EY's city-check in. And thankfully, this time we got 'real' boarding passes.
mloew From Germany, joined Oct 2011, 24 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (11 months 3 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 8513 times:
ET 77L
Sunset at the Creek
This really does not look like hyper-modern Dubai...
#
EK 332
As our bus was only to depart at 10:30pm, we could enjoy the last evening at Dubai Fountain, world's tallest water fountain, situated beside Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. It performs every 30mins from 6pm to Arabian and Western songs.
One last shot of the tallest building in the world
The bus arrived at ~10pm at the backside of Chelsea Tower (who had the idea to give it this name??? ). Today, our 'FA' was much more friendlier, and just on time, we departed heading towards AUH.
The bus
As our bag was already checked in, we could proceed to the security control and were through in no time.
The check-in area
The airport has gone and the shopping mall arrived
Ah, that's better
LH A333 to FRA and our plane
T3 looks really modern, though I don't like their holding pens. But they offer you unlimited Internet, while MUC only allows you 30mins for free.
Our a/c turned out to be A6-EYP, an A330-243, delivered in 2007 to EY.
As we were allowed to go inti the holding pen, an elderly Asian man arrived andlined up behind us. I took a glimpse at his BP, and indeed, he was flyinng to Kul and not to MUC (our gates have been swapped). AS I wanted to save him all the queuing for nothing, I started a funny conversation with him:
Me: Sorry, Sir, this gate is for the Munich-flight, not Kuala Lumpur.
Him: Yes, yes Kuala Lumpur, yes.
Me: No, it is not for Kuala Lumpur, there was a gate change.
Him: No, no, gate 28, Kuala Lumpur.
Me: No, Sir, a gate change, your gate has been changed.
him: Oh, ah, hm.
And he turned around and walked away. No thank you or anything...
Thursday, 31st May 2012
Munich (MUC / EDDM), Germany AND OLD: Munich - Riem (MUC / EDDM) (closed), Germany">MUC) - Abu Dhabi (AUH)
Etihad Airways EY 4
Flight times: 02:15 - 06:40
Flight duration: 6:30H
Distance: 4,585km/2,849miles/2,476nm
Coral Economy Class
Seat 38K
We were pushed back ontime an taxied to RWY31L. The load was about 80-90%.
BA 777 to LHR
EY's new partner
Love this camera!
Maximus Air An124
Again. which runway was it?
Take off was again powerful and soon we lifted off into Abu Dhabi's night sky.
I thought I could see the Ferrari world again, but we made a slight turn to the right and it wasn't visible. Bugger!
What is this? Ah, oil rigs, what else.
Soon after departure, the friendly FAs handed out menu cards and a snck bag. It contained a bottle of water, (very sweet) juice, biscuits, a sandwich and a refreshing towel. Everything was tasty (and no, I did not eat the refreshing towel) and I quite liked this snack bag!
I managed to sleep and when I woke up, the FAs were in full swing to serve the breakfast. Perfect timing!
For breakfast, they had omlette, lamb sausage and french toast. I went for the latter and got the follwing:
It was already dawning outside, so I watched the rest of In Time and enjoyed the views.
But on our approach (the FAs announced our final approach somewhere over Salzburg - isn't this a bit early?) we hit thick clouds and it seemed like a rainy day in MUC.
Getting worse...
...and worse
Nonetheless, our captain announced a fairly good day in MUC and was right:
Conclusion
Etihad Airways offered a great experience: Clean a/c, on-time flights, a good IFE, tasty meals and friendly FAs. I would not hesitate to try them again!
flightsimboy From Canada, joined Sep 2005, 849 posts, RR: 4 Reply 2, posted (11 months 3 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 7962 times:
Always nice to see a report on EY!!
Quoting mloew (Thread starter): Not much wait at the security check (well done, German efficiency!)
Quoting mloew (Thread starter): Some time before boarding, a call was made and we heard our names. I was a bit nervous as this couldn't mean anything good, but I was relieved when they just checked our passports again. {Relieved}... But some minutes later, they called us again ...but this time we were just sent back.
Something the security missed on during your security check with them lol
Those are Virgin Australia FA's in the photo, probably from an ad promoting their tie-up with them
Quoting mloew (Thread starter): The menu was followed by a stylish amenity kit
Even though the contents have not changed, I am glad to see the bag itself is new and stylish
Quoting mloew (Thread starter): one German lady said 'it is absolutely unfair that these decadent people from the First class - although we had only J - can deboard first'
Well they have paid for the privilege and it is their right
Quoting mloew (Thread starter): I was a bit cautious with taking photos, so I took the first one from the plane door and the second one from the safety of the bus.
It is a good thing you did, or if you were caught they would have told you off very nicely!!
Quoting mloew (Thread starter): our 'FA' (or bus attendant or however you want to call him) wasn't very friendly, but he gave everyone a chilled bottle of water.
He's just there to get you to Dubai, not provided continued EY service on the ground lol
I think you need to see it as they have things the rest of the world does not, including the world's only 7 star hotel. A bit too over the top but I guess that is Dubai.
Quoting mloew (Reply 1): This really does not look like hyper-modern Dubai...
This is the traditional Dubai that has existed for years. Did you not take a ride to the opposite side?
Quoting mloew (Reply 1): world's tallest water fountain, situated beside Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall. It performs every 30mins from 6pm to Arabian and Western songs.
That is quite the spectacle is it not!
Quoting mloew (Reply 1): T3 looks really modern, though I don't like their holding pens.
What is wrong with their holding pens? They have the most gorgeous views of the tarmac and if was during the day you would have definitely loved it more
Quoting mloew (Reply 1): The bus arrived at ~10pm at the backside of Chelsea Tower (who had the idea to give it this name??? )
What's wrong with the name?
Quoting mloew (Reply 1): No thank you or anything...
Firstly he was an old man who was confused. Secondly did you be nice to him just to receive a compliment at the end?
Quoting mloew (Reply 1): snck bag. It contained a bottle of water, (very sweet) juice, biscuits, a sandwich and a refreshing towel. Everything was tasty
Looks like these snack bags are really starting to be the norm on not only the red eye short haul sectors, but the any of the red eye out of Abu Dhabi, until of course the proper meal is served prior to landing.
Quoting mloew (Thread starter): As already said, I wasn't really in the mood of breakfast and tried to eat as much as my stomach allowed (I managed all the fruits and noodles). The fruits were really fresh and tasty, the Schupf noodles were ok.
Quoting mloew (Reply 1): For breakfast, they had omlette, lamb sausage and french toast
That meal served on the inbound sector looks really horrible. Glad they had the other option on the way out.
adityashankar From Canada, joined Jun 2007, 41 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (11 months 3 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 7932 times:
Great Report!! Since I lived in DXB for 10 years, some of the pics brought back nice memories. I have flown EK countless times and I'm curious to try the EY product....they look pretty gud!!!
B738FlyUIA From Switzerland, joined Dec 2009, 473 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (11 months 3 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 6598 times:
HI mloew
Thanks of the great TR and super to read about EY. There are really not very many around and honestly not interesting to read from the Gulf region only from EK!!
Quoting mloew (Thread starter): I managed to sleep and when I woke up, the FAs were in full swing to serve the breakfast. Perfect timing! For breakfast, they had omlette, lamb sausage and french toast. I went for the latter and got the follwing:
- Look's really very tasty and a little better then our your MUC-AUH flight!
Quoting mloew (Thread starter): Etihad Airways offered a great experience: Clean a/c, on-time flights, a good IFE, tasty meals and friendly FAs. I would not hesitate to try them again!
- From your photos I can say that looks really great on EY!! I guess that the price was very good also as I checked form DUS-AUH-DUS for a very good price!! Downtown AUH is simply stunning and your quality photos are wonderful
TR will follow; ZRH-DME SVO-HKT, HKT-SIN, SIN-KUL, KUL-HKT, HKT-SVO & DME-ZRH on LX, UN and AirAsia
mloew From Germany, joined Oct 2011, 24 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (11 months 3 weeks 13 hours ago) and read 6223 times:
Thank you for reading and the much appreciated comments!
Hi flightsimboy!
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 2): Well they have paid for the privilege and it is their right
You're absolutely right!
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 2): Did you not take a ride to the opposite side?
I don't know why, but I didn't.
Quoting flightsimboy (Reply 2): What is wrong with their holding pens? They have the most gorgeous views of the tarmac and if was during the day you would have definitely loved it more
Ok, maybe if it was day I would like them more but I prefer it to move around free at an airport and that you can go to every gate no matter if you are departing from that gate or not (mostly to see some rare planes close-up ).
flightsimboy From Canada, joined Sep 2005, 849 posts, RR: 4 Reply 7, posted (11 months 3 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 5692 times:
Quoting lychemsa (Reply 6): How long is the bus ride into Dubai from Abu Dhabi airport? Is it easy to find taxis from the bus terminal?
It is 1.5 hours, though the website says 1 hour 20 minutes and is a complimentary service provided by Etihad for it's passengers. I used it myself so I'll take the liberty to answer this one .
MSS658 From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2212 posts, RR: 14 Reply 8, posted (11 months 2 weeks 2 days 8 hours ago) and read 4426 times:
Hi
Interesting read, thanks for sharing.
Quite amuzing how many airlines serve the Montys snack service.
Had this on my Air Canada CDG-YYZ back in February as well.
kurt From United States of America, joined Oct 2001, 413 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (11 months 2 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 4118 times:
Nice report; I would love to go back to Dubai. So much to see there! Service looks pretty good, but those short redeye flights are a bitch on the body.
adamspotter From Netherlands, joined Feb 2011, 782 posts, RR: 2 Reply 11, posted (11 months 1 week 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 3524 times:
Hi Mloew,
Nice report once again, thanks for sharing. EYs service looks pretty good, hate those red-eye flights though. Dubai is a city that is high in my "want-to-visit" list and after seeing your pictures of Dubai it makes we want to visit even faster, great pictures!
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From Germany, joined Oct 2011, 24 posts, 
, but finally, we made it to the kind lady at the check in-desk. But then she sad 'Oh, good that you've done OLCI as my boarding-pass printer doesn't work.' That much about my BP-collection 
. 
...but this time we were just sent back.
You can watch the video 
From Canada, joined Sep 2005, 849 posts, 
From Switzerland, joined Dec 2009, 473 posts, 
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From United States of America, joined Oct 2009, 904 posts, 
From Belgium, joined Oct 2010, 2212 posts, 
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