From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

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sn26567
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From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

Post by sn26567 »

This second part relates to the return trip. For part 1 (outbound legs), please see viewtopic.php?f=4&t=54267

I had no way to download and print the boarding passes before the inbound flights. But since my seats had been pre-booked, I didn't worry.

On Monday, 25 August, my driver brought me very early at the airport after a visit of the city of Colombo: no less than three and a half hours in advance. There was already a security check at the entrance of the airport, but I could have smuggled a battery of Buk missiles without anyone noticing. Than a second check to access the check-in counters (5 of which were for Etihad), with a queue, not very long but moving slowly.
Colombo - Bandanaraike International Airport - Departure board: look for EY 265 to Abu Dhabi
Colombo - Bandanaraike International Airport - Departure board: look for EY 265 to Abu Dhabi
All the Middle-East airlines are there, usually with single-aisle aircraft. Emirates, which doesn't have smaller planes, uses a B777 but makes an intermediate stop at Male (Maldives) to fill it.

Half an hour later, I was checked in in my pre-assigned seats. Then passport and emigration control that allowed me into the air-side with a lot of time to spend.
On the airside: special comfortable seats for the clergy
On the airside: special comfortable seats for the clergy
Also at the airport, a statue of Buddha
Also at the airport, a statue of Buddha
Entrance of Gate 08, before security check
Entrance of Gate 08, before security check
At gate 08 a final body and baggage check (“please remove your shoes, belt, watch, etc.”) that failed to detect and remove my two full bottles of water. Boarding started timely at 21:30, theoretically by row numbers, but in practice everyone moved whenever he wanted.
Etihad Airbus A320 A6-EII waiting at Gate 08
Etihad Airbus A320 A6-EII waiting at Gate 08
Time for boarding
Time for boarding
CMB-AUH Monday, 25 August 2014
Flight Etihad Airways EY265 (codeshared SriLankan)
Aircraft: Airbus A320-200 A6-EII
STD 21:55, actual 21:55 from gate 08 (GMT+5.30)
STA 00:50+1, actual 00:58 at remote parking position (GMT+4).
Total time: scheduled 4 hr 25 minutes, actual 4 hr 28 min.
Seat 18A (Economy class window, after the wings)


The load factor was close to 100%. Leg room was just sufficient.

Take-off from runway 22. After 50 minutes a three-course meal was served, with a choice between three main courses. Alcoholic drinks were available. I thus selected the chicken biryani cooked with saffron rice and garnished with cashew nuts and raisins as my main course.
Dinner menu
Dinner menu
The dinner: three courses with bread and butter, a glass of white wine, a glass of water
The dinner: three courses with bread and butter, a glass of white wine, a glass of water
The itinerary flown entirely at FL340 took us over the southern tip of India, north of Kochi and close to Calicut, and then over the Arabian Sea to the Sultanate of Oman and Abu Dhabi.

Landing on 13R at 00:38 before a long taxi took us to a remote parking position at 00:58, barely three minutes late. Another long bus ride took us to the terminal at 01:20.

The airport of Abu Dhabi

At the terminal, I had theoretically 1 hour 40 minutes to change gates. But flight EY057 to BRU was already announced with a 20 minutes delay. The departure gate was 29, just next to the gate on the outbound flight to Colombo. But first, there was a new security check which failed again to find my water bottles, and the luxury shops which were all manned despite the nightly hours.

Boarding (to the buses) started timely, notwithstanding the announced delay, but with a long queue before the gate agent.

AUH-BRU Tuesday, 26 August 2014
Flight Etihad Airways EY057 (codeshared with a number of airlines among which SN and UL)
Aircraft: Airbus A330-200 A6-EYE (with Manchester City Football Club livery)
STD 02:30, actual 03:52 from gate 29 Terminal 3 (GMT+4)
STA 07:40, actual 09:05 at gate B10 (GMT+2).
Total time: scheduled 7 hr 10 minutes, actual 7 hr 13 min.
Seat 38A (Economy class window, after the wings)


When I boarded a bus, several buses had already left. A nice surprise when the bus arrived at today's aeroplane: it was the logojet in the Manchester Ciry Football Club colours.
Flight EY 057 from Abu Dhabi to Brussels: Airbus A330-200 A6-EYE "Manchester City Football Club"
Flight EY 057 from Abu Dhabi to Brussels: Airbus A330-200 A6-EYE "Manchester City Football Club"
IMG_7507.JPG
Once on board, the wait was not over yet. Late connecting passengers kept arriving. From the boards in the airport, it appeared that most flights were late that night. The captain finally explained that we had to wait for a few more passengers from the Seychelles, and indeed, at 03:25 a dozen more passengers boarded the plane. Meanwhile the stewardesses had delivered a glass of water to all the waiting passengers.

The load factor was around 96-98%. Take-off at 04:10 from 13L after another long taxi (all the distances in AUH seem enormous).

After reaching the cruising altitude (first FL380 then FL400, it was a little late to serve a full meal, so the stewardesses served an “express snack” consisting of a cheese sandwich, a small cake, an orange juice and water. And then time for a rest.

I didn’t like at all the way the seats are reclining: despite a 32” seat pitch, when the lady in front of me reclined her seat, my IFE was at 15 cm of my head and it was impossible to use the tray. The only solution was to recline my own seat, and even so I felt cramped.

The itinerary: United Arab Emirates, Iran around Iraq again, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, Frankfurt, Brussels.
Sunrise aver Iran
Sunrise aver Iran
Air-to-air spotting over Iran. Difficult to get a sharp picture with heavy windows...
Air-to-air spotting over Iran. Difficult to get a sharp picture with heavy windows...
A full meal (breakfast) was served a little more than one hour before landing. Same large choice between three main dishes. I selected the omelette with chicken sausage (no pork of course), roast potatoes and tomato.
Breakfast menu
Breakfast menu
Hot breakfast
Hot breakfast
Landing on usual Rwy 25L before reaching gate B10 about one and a half hour late. Baggage was delivered approximately half an hour later.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, my feeling about Etihad could have been better: delays in both directions, legroom could be improved. Meals were nice (to make forget the cramped feeling?). For a five-star airline, there is room for improvement.
André
ex Sabena #26567

SN539
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Re: From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

Post by SN539 »

Thanks André for this report. I'm flying with Etihad next week. BRU-AUH-PEK on the way out and KTM-AUH-BRU on return. I never flown with EY, so I'm very curious ...

Kapitein
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Re: From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

Post by Kapitein »

Landing on 13R at 19:58 before a long taxi took us to a remote parking position at 00:58
You really had to taxi 1 hour? Is AUH such a bigg airport then?

Stij
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Re: From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

Post by Stij »

Hi Andre,

could it be the pictures of the menu's were switched when uploading?>

Cheers,

Stij

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sn26567
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Re: From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

Post by sn26567 »

Kapitein wrote:
Landing on 13R at 19:58 before a long taxi took us to a remote parking position at 00:58
You really had to taxi 1 hour? Is AUH such a big airport then?
Oops, I mixed up my notes. Landing was actually at 00:38.
Stij wrote:Could it be the pictures of the menu's were switched when uploading?
Indeed!

Both errors corrected now. Thanks for your bird's eye observations.
André
ex Sabena #26567

Stij
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Re: From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

Post by Stij »

sn26567 wrote:Thanks for your bird's eye observations.
We aim for perfection on this forum! ;-)

Cheers,

Stij

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tolipanebas
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Re: From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

Post by tolipanebas »

Thank you for the very interesting trip report, André.

You sure made its reading interesting: posting many pictures and some funny observations, rather than elaborating about the great comfort of an ordinary Recaro economy seat which they have previously been bashing, or ranting about the fact the sun shines too brightly above the clouds. ;)

regi
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Re: From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

Post by regi »

leg room :roll:
as expected.

Thank you for the pictures and the effort to launch it.

Since you posted that you succeeded 2 times to bring in 2 water bottles full of ...water... you are probably now on a list of Public Enemies . My goodness, so openly reporting about security breaches. That is asking for some water boarding 8-)

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Comet
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Re: From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

Post by Comet »

Good report and photos, the meal selection sounded good.
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

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sn26567
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Re: From Brussels to Sri Lanka with Etihad (part 2: return)

Post by sn26567 »

Comet wrote:Good report and photos, the meal selection sounded good.
The meals choice of was indeed satisfactory. OK, it is still airline food, but of decent quality. Pity that the wine is served in red plastic glasses, because the wines were worth a better container.
André
ex Sabena #26567

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