Etihad Business Class gave me one of those journeys where the strongest parts were exactly the things that matter most on a long-haul flight: space, privacy, food, service and sleep.

In March 2026, I travelled from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Phuket via Abu Dhabi in Etihad Airways Business Class, paying around £2,000 in cash for the itinerary.

The seat felt genuinely spacious and comfortable, the crew were brilliant, and one of the most memorable details was the cabin itself: we were seated in a small section with only eight Business Class seats, separated from the rest of the aircraft by bulkheads and curtains.

That made the whole experience feel quieter, calmer and far more intimate than a large open business-class cabin.

The food was another major positive. Across both the Paris to Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi to Phuket sectors, the catering was delicious and consistently felt like part of the premium experience rather than something simply served because it had to be.

I also slept extremely well in the lie-flat bed — which is becoming something of a running theme when I find a good business-class seat.

The experience wasn’t completely flawless. The restricted footwell is still a frustration, the partner lounge in Phuket was poor, and Etihad’s connection timings can leave you choosing between a very long journey or barely enough time to enjoy the superb lounge in Abu Dhabi.

But at the £2,000 I paid? I’d book it again without hesitation.

The short version

Etihad’s Business Class seat was spacious, comfortable and private enough that I never felt boxed into a standard airline seat.

The small eight-seat section made the cabin feel particularly exclusive, while the crew were attentive, polished and gave me absolutely nothing to complain about.

The food across both flights was delicious, the lie-flat bed worked brilliantly for me, and I slept extremely well.

The main compromises were familiar ones: the footwell still felt more restricted than the rest of the seat suggested, and the ground experience was inconsistent. Abu Dhabi’s enormous multi-level lounge was superb, while the partner lounge in Phuket on the return was tiny and in serious need of improvement.

At £2,000 for the itinerary, though, the overall experience represented excellent value to me.

A Business Class Cabin That Felt Almost Private

One of the things I liked most wasn’t simply the seat — it was where the seat was located.

We were in our own small section of the Business Class cabin with only eight seats. Bulkheads and curtains separated the area from the rest of the cabin, which completely changed the atmosphere.

Instead of feeling as though I was sitting in one of dozens of premium seats, it felt far more like a small private cabin.

There was less visual traffic, less sense of people constantly moving around you, and a much calmer overall environment.

It’s one of those details that’s difficult to appreciate from a seat map, but once you’re onboard it adds considerably to the premium feeling of the flight.

The Seat: Spacious, Comfortable and Easy to Settle Into

The seat itself was lovely.

The first impression was simply how spacious it felt. There was plenty of room around me, the seat was comfortable for lounging, and the overall design made it easy to settle in for a long journey.

That sense of space matters more to me than flashy finishes. On a long-haul flight, I want enough room to change position, relax, eat comfortably and eventually sleep without constantly feeling like I’m negotiating with the seat.

Etihad delivered that very well.

My recurring criticism of modern Business Class applies here too, though: the footwell.

The main seat can feel huge, but once you stretch out or convert it into bed mode, your feet still end up directed into a more restricted space than the rest of the suite suggests.

It’s not enough to ruin the seat, but it remains one of those design compromises I wish airlines would solve more consistently.

Dining: One of the Strongest Parts of the Trip

The food was delicious across both sectors of the journey.

This wasn’t a case of one standout dish carrying an otherwise average meal service. I ate across the Paris to Abu Dhabi flight and again from Abu Dhabi to Phuket, and the catering consistently felt polished, generous and genuinely enjoyable.

The presentation helped, of course, but the important part is that the food itself delivered. The meals felt substantial enough for a long-haul journey, there was good variety, and I never felt as though I was simply eating ‘good airline food’.

For me, this was food I would have been happy to be served somewhere on the ground.

What I liked most was the consistency. These dishes were spread across both flights rather than one single meal service, and I came away impressed with the catering overall.

When you’re paying around £2,000 for a premium-cabin itinerary, the food shouldn’t feel like an afterthought. Here, it didn’t.

Service: Exactly What I Want in Business Class

The service was brilliant.

I genuinely don’t have a complaint about the crew. They were attentive, polished and on point throughout the journey.

There is a difference between service that feels luxurious and service that feels intrusive. Etihad got the balance right for me.

I felt looked after without feeling as though someone was constantly hovering, and whenever I needed something the crew were there.

On a ticket that costs thousands of pounds, that level of consistency matters.

Sleeping: Another Business Class Bed That Actually Worked

I slept very well.

There seems to be a running theme in these reviews: give me enough space, a genuinely flat bed and a cabin that feels calm, and I’m usually happy.

Etihad’s seat worked extremely well once it was converted for sleeping.

The privacy of the smaller cabin helped, and the overall comfort meant I was able to properly switch off rather than spending hours trying to find a position that worked.

The footwell remains the one compromise, but it didn’t stop me getting a very good sleep.

The Abu Dhabi Lounge: One of the Highlights

The lounge experience in Abu Dhabi was superb.

The scale alone was impressive. The lounge was spread across three floors and felt enormous, giving it a completely different atmosphere from the cramped premium lounges you sometimes find at busy airports.

There was room to move around, find a quieter area and actually enjoy the connection rather than simply sitting in another crowded waiting room.

The problem is that Etihad’s flight timings can make this benefit surprisingly difficult to use.

Unless you’re willing to accept an itinerary of 22 hours or more, your connection in Abu Dhabi can be relatively short.

That creates an annoying trade-off: choose the sensible overall journey time and you may barely have enough time to enjoy one of the best parts of the Etihad ground experience.

The Phuket Lounge: The Weak Point

The lounge situation in Thailand was the complete opposite.

On the return journey, there was no dedicated Etihad lounge in Phuket, so we were directed to a partner lounge.

It was tiny, and compared with the standard Etihad had set in Abu Dhabi, it was a major step down.

This is the part of the overall premium experience that definitely needs improvement.

I don’t expect every outstation lounge to match a flagship hub facility spread across three floors, but when you’re flying Business Class there still needs to be a minimum level of space and comfort.

The Phuket option didn’t come close to the Abu Dhabi experience.

The Connection-Time Problem

There’s another practical issue worth knowing before you book: connection time.

Abu Dhabi is a major part of the Etihad experience, and the lounge is good enough that you actually want some time there.

But the itineraries don’t always make that easy.

A shorter connection keeps the total journey reasonable but can leave you rushing through one of the best parts of flying Etihad.

Choose a much longer connection and suddenly your total travel time can push beyond 22 hours.Personally, I’d still rather avoid turning an already long journey into an endurance event just to spend extra time in a lounge. But it’s worth checking the connection carefully when comparing Etihad itineraries, because a little extra time in Abu Dhabi would materially improve the experience.

What I Liked

The space and comfort of the seat were major positives.

The eight-seat mini-cabin made the journey feel far more private than I expected, and the separation created by the bulkheads and curtains gave the cabin an intimate atmosphere.

The crew were excellent, the catering was delicious across both flights, the bed allowed me to sleep properly, and the Abu Dhabi lounge felt like a genuine premium facility rather than simply somewhere to wait for a flight.

Most importantly, the entire journey felt easy — and on a long-haul itinerary, that is exactly what I’m paying Business Class to achieve.

What I Didn’t Like

The footwell is the familiar weak point.

The seat itself feels spacious, but the sleeping space narrows more than I would ideally like around your feet.

The partner lounge in Phuket was also poor and felt completely out of step with the quality of the onboard experience and the flagship lounge in Abu Dhabi.

Finally, the connection timings can be awkward. A short connection means you may not get much time to enjoy the Abu Dhabi lounge, while the alternatives can turn the journey into 22 hours or more.

None of those problems would stop me booking Etihad again. They’re simply the areas where the experience could be better.

Would I Pay £2,000 Again?

100%.

That’s probably the easiest value decision I’ve had to make in one of these reviews.

For around £2,000, I got a spacious Business Class seat, a genuinely comfortable lie-flat bed, excellent service, delicious food across two flights, a small and private-feeling cabin, and access to an impressive flagship lounge in Abu Dhabi.

There are certainly cheaper ways to get from Europe to Thailand.

But this is exactly where Jet Lag & Champagne’s question becomes useful.

Was the upgrade worth what I actually paid?

For me, yes.

The journey was substantially more comfortable, I arrived having slept properly, and the overall experience felt premium in the areas that mattered most.

I wouldn’t hesitate to pay around the same price again.

The Jet Lag & Champagne Verdict

★★★★★ — WORTH THE UPGRADE AT £2,000

Seat: Spacious, comfortable and excellent overall.

Privacy: The eight-seat section made a real difference.

Service: Brilliant. No complaints.

Sleep: Excellent — I slept extremely well.

Abu Dhabi lounge: Superb, if your connection gives you time to enjoy it.

Phuket lounge: The clear weak point and in need of improvement.

Value at £2,000: I’d pay it again without hesitation.

Worth the upgrade — absolutely, at the price I paid.

About this review

About this review: I travelled with Etihad Airways in Business Class from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Phuket via Abu Dhabi in March 2026. This trip was not provided or sponsored by Etihad Airways. I paid approximately £2,000 in cash for the itinerary. All opinions in this review are based on my own experience.

Affiliate disclosure: Jet Lag & Champagne may contain affiliate links. If you make a booking or purchase through one of these links, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. This does not influence my reviews or verdicts.