With an aim to take passenger experience to the next level, Etihad Airways has unveiled new seats for its Boeing 787 Dreamliners at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. The new seats will debut in the third quarter of this year when the carrier expects to take delivery of three Dreamliners.
Etihad has selected the Elements seat from Collins for its business class thus becoming the first airline worldwide to select these seats for its Dreamliner. The airline has also customised the seat by increasing the height of the suite from original. New seats have also been selected for the economy cabin, lighter in weight than current seats, providing more fuel efficiency for the aircraft.
“Etihad’s new 787 Dreamliner cabin interior showcases further enhancements to our award-winning and industry renowned cabins. Our new Business class takes the guest experience to new heights with the second evolution of the Business Studio which was launched on the Airbus A350-1000 last year,” commented Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways
The airline is also making some significant additions to its inflight entertainment system. The business class cabins will be fitted with new Rave Ultra 4K inflight entertainment screens. The new IFE screens feature Bluetooth connectivity with capability of pairing phones and tablets.
New 4K touchscreens will also be installed.
Etihad has selected new WiFi equipment from Viasat that uses Ka band technology to offer high speeds, capable of streaming in flight, and allows the airline to provide live television.
With a focus on Sustainability the airline has eliminated the use of single-use plastics for inflight dining in economy cabins.
“We remain fully committed to providing industry-leading experiences for our guests and we’re proud to showcase this here at the Arabian Travel Market. This year is about growth for Etihad – as well as enhancing our guest experience and adding aircraft to our fleet, we’ve announced new routes for our network, including Kolkata last month, Lisbon, Malaga and Mykonos this summer and Copenhagen and Dusseldorf in the fourth quarter,” Neves added.