After a marvellous 13 hour flight from Toronto on Etihad’s Business Class (Read my review here!), I arrived in Abu Dhabi in the middle of the night feeling pretty dazed and jet-lagged. De-boarding was quick and security was a breeze. The airport was not too crowded so the express security lanes were not open. The Abu Dhabi Airport felt quite outdated and drab. The ceilings were low and the atmosphere inside felt humid. I was not expecting this at all since similar Airports in the Middle East like Dubai tend to be overly flashy and opulent.
I quickly checked my luggage location using the Find My App to make sure it had made it to Abu Dhabi (I always leave an AirTag in my suitcase to track its location. (AirTags only work with iPhones but you can also use a Samsung SmartTag or a Tile). They are also useful to locate your luggage in case the airline loses them).
Once you are off the plane and past security, there are clear signs throughout Terminal 3 to Etihad’s Business Class Lounge. Follow the signs and you will find yourself at the entrance pictured above. Etihad passengers flying in Business Class are given complimentary access to this lounge. Simply present your boarding pass for scanning at the front desk. To the right of the front desk is a hallway that opens up to an expansive area with several seating sections and multiple buffets and bars/drink sections.
LOUNGE/SEATS
The lounge was spread out over a large area with a main hallway running in the middle.
The seating areas did not include any charging ports and were not close enough to the walls to plug in your electronics. I thought this was a huge oversight from their designers considering how important it is to recharge your electronics when travelling. Although this was somewhat rectified by Etihad’s airplane seats having multiple charging ports, it still meant you could not use your phone in the lounge once you ran out of battery. Not ideal during a long layover. There were also a lack of lounging or nap areas which would have been incredibly helpful during this late night layover! In comparison, Air France’s Business Class Lounge in Paris has nap areas with curtains so it was pretty disappointing to see no such facility here.
FOOD & DRINKS
There were several self-serve buffet areas. The main courses included curries and pasta with additional sides like snacks and salads. Desserts and pastries were also up for grabs. I can’t comment on the meals since I was pretty full from dining on the plane but the snacks I did try were delicious.
SHOWERS
The showers are located down the main hallway at the far right of the main entrance. I did not notice any signs so I asked someone for the location. There is a desk inside the lobby of the bathroom where you'll need to present your boarding pass to gain access. The lady there asked me where I was heading to because I could only use the showers if I had a boarding pass. Upon seeing that I was flying to Male she asked me if I was Maldivian.
The bathrooms were a bit small but regardless it's so refreshing to take a shower during a layover in between long flights and change into some clean clothes. The bathroom had no ventilation whatsoever so it became extremely hot and humid by the time I was done showering and it felt like a sauna inside. I rushed to blow dry my hair and get dressed but I was already starting to sweat in my clean clothes after my shower. I did not appreciate that they didn’t think of this when building their Flagship Lounge for Business Class passengers.
The sink and mirror in the bathroom with complimentary clean towels
The shower
All in all, it was a decent lounge to kill a few hours and freshen up before boarding my next flight to the Maldives. Keep in mind that there are no flight announcements so make sure to regularly check the screens throughout the lounge for up-to-date flight information. As our boarding time approached, we headed off to the Gate, excited to board our final flight for the Maldives. (Although technically we still have a seaplane to catch after arrival).
This post was originally published on August 24, 2023 and has been updated since.
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