As part of a journey from Kuwait to Brussels, I boarded Etihad's Boeing 787-9 between Abu Dhabi and Rome. This was the longest flight in my journey - one of three flights in total to get to my destination. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of product onboard this flight. Here is a review of my experience.

Getting to the aircraft

I got on this aircraft after transferring off of an Etihad A320 from Kuwait. The terminal was busy with morning and holiday passenger traffic but I managed to get enough time at the airport's two lounges. Reviews will come soon!

Unfortunately, this flight was boarded via bus and remote stand. In this particular situation, I didn't care as much as my SkyTeam-SkyPriority status wasn't recognized and I would not be able to board early (to get a clean/empty shot of the cabin).

Note: Priority boarding of an aircraft at a remote stand is a total joke as it only means you get to board the bus first. After boarding the bus, it's a total guess as to which side of the bus will open up to the aircraft.

Space and seating

Upon entering the Dreamliner, the economy cabin felt spacious and inviting. The decor is on the brighter side with a light brown color. The most interesting and unique aspect of the seating is the side headrest feature on every seat. this allows passengers to firmly rest their head sideways when trying to sleep.

As the aircraft is a 787, the economy cabin was in its most common configuration of 3-3-3. This tends to feel squished in terms of width. This flight was no exception. Thankfully, however, there was no one in the middle seat and I had plenty of elbow room. Down below for my legs, I was able to stretch out as much as I wanted. At almost six feet, there was no problem with legroom at all. Unknowingly, without an extra purchase, I had been placed in the "Economy Space" section - which offers extra legroom over regular Economy.

Inflight entertainment

The inflight entertainment definitely stood out above other Middle Eastern airlines I had recently flown. Not only is there a beautiful large screen for viewing movies and television, but there is also an easily-accessible, full-size, international electrical outlet in every seat.

Furthermore, rather than irritating the passenger in front of you with jabs to the screen, you can navigate the system via remote control - which has a touchscreen of its own. And there's even a little springloaded coat-hook.

As far as the entertainment content is concerned, I thought there was a lot to choose from. Everything ranging from new Hollywood blockbusters to the old classics was available. There was also a large selection of foreign film titles from all around the world.

One thing I didn't care for was the advertisements that interrupted the start of my films - and everyone else as well. This was to promote Etihad's new food-for-purchase menu in economy class. I had heard about this earlier and thought it was going to replace the inflight complimentary meal. However, I was relieved to hear it was an additional option and there was still a complimentary meal.

Food and beverage

The morning flight began with a simple snack and beverage service. The 'savory snack' consisted of mini breadstick/wheat crisps. I opted to drink from my water bottle instead of using a plastic cup for a beverage that would accompany the snack.

The main lunchtime meal was probably the highlight of the flight for me. I went with the chicken option and it didn't disappoint at all. In my opinion, the dish is beautifully presented and comes with sides of mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.

Accompanying the hot-main was butter, a bread roll, as well as a small wedge of soft cheese, and crackers. Dessert was a mango and passionfruit mousse. While nicely presented as a branded item - it lacked the texture expected of a mousse (light and airy)... as if the item had spent too much time sitting in storage. It was certainly more on the liquidy side.

Conclusion

Considering my itinerary consisted of a total of five flights (with one particularly long layover) for a return journey, I don't think the price I paid was amazing. However, if I were traveling from Abu Dhabi to Rome direct, I would be quite satisfied with this service.

The flight attendants were courteous and helpful and I thought their service was at a very respectable standard. The food looked and tasted amazing. The IFE offers a good amount of entertainment too. And on this particular day, the flight was on-time and we even arrived early. As far as economy class is concerned, I would recommend this service - especially over Etihad's older aircraft such as the Boeing 777.

One notable disappointment is the fact that there was no free minimum WiFi service like what is offered with Air France and Saudia. Many airlines now have a free messaging-only WiFi option that allows you to use messaging apps. This was not present with Etihad.

Have you flown on Etihad's 787 Dreamliners? Let us know if this was an accurate review by leaving a comment!