flying to melbourne with etihad via adu dhabi

irishboyuk

has anyone done this route via abu dhabi with etihad before. i have heard mixed reviews about etihad and abu dhabi airport.

also i have a medical condition that requires me to take regular medication and i understand that in the UAE they are a bit funny about importing medication, however i will only be stopping for my connecting flight and wont be leaving the airport! does anyone have any experience of connecting at abu dhabi and what customs/security/immigration is like??

all help grealty appreciated

invisiblewill

From what I recall there's a metal detector/usual stuff after at the gate for the following flight. Don't think anyone got searched or bothered. Ask ethiad I reckon. Flight form Abu Dhabi to Sydney is a mind-numbing 14hours, so I guess to melbourne its 12 or something?

I watched The Dark Knight TWICE on that flight :rolleyes:

The Sweeper

London to Abu Dhabi is 6.5 hours. Abu Dhabi to Melbourne is 13.5 hours.

I thought Etihad were fine - did that very route less than a month ago. The food is okay, the planes are clean enough, the second 13.5 hour flight is really a killer. Seriously, flight socks and aspirin and a neck pillow all the way - things I'd normally not bother with on a long-haul flight of only 8 or 9 hours.

Connecting security at Abu Dhabi is quite relaxed - almost surprisingly so. When you disembark from your first flight you walk past a swine flu body temperature monitor. Then you're into duty free. The departure gates for connecting flights is on the other side of the duty free ground floor 'circle'. I actually don't think I even had to put my bag through a metal detector at any point.

They give you metal cutlery on the flight from London and plastic on the flight to Australia, for reasons of 'international security', which I have to admit I found quite amusing given the lack of a bag search at the airport!

Abu Dhabi airport is expensive. The upper floor is a food and drink area, while the ground floor is all shops - alcohol, cigarettes and top-end designer goods.

Mr Benevolent

I did it a few days ago, DUB-ABD-SYD.

Flight was fine, the noise cancelling headphones they give you are handy and the entertainment system is pretty good. Food was typical airline sh!t but then again even the first class stuff isn't great. Abu Dhabi airport is lovely and very easy to get through. ABD-SYD flight was a bitch, I couldn't sleep and the jetlag is still affecting me enough to go to bed at 2230 every night.

netwhizkid

Anyone see "Border Security - Nothing to Declare" on living about Australian customs, whatever you do don't take any food packaged or fresh, any type of plant or organic material (even wood) can get you in trouble. Be sure to declare anything you have, real good tv show too!

the dee

Only problem I had in Abu Dhabi airport was feeling awkward for being a female travelling alone. Absolutely nothing happened to me, just felt weird being the only female in a smoking room full of arab men. Oh, and I got a bit bored, was there for 4 hours!

gudbuzz

i did it last year thought it was fine, going through heathrow is a thousand times worse. why dont u phone the airline desk in dublin to clarify your position on your meds...

crimsonfire

I did it in Feb except I went Dublin-Abu Dhabi-Brisbane. It was long but I had sleeping tablets and three seats to myself so I slept like a baby. A lot of people are very dubious of Etihad but I must say I like them because I was loving it the whole way. I guess thats just because I love travelling by myself. Feels like staying at a slightly cramped hotel in the sky (although the legroom wasnt bad to be honest).

I'm sure they'll accomodate your medical needs. Abu Dhabi airport isnt that bad but I went before all that swine flu jazz so it might have become an issue.

aiecquest

I flew Melbourne Abu Dhabi Munich June, was fine...long layover at Abu Dhabi... free internet (new wing of airport), decently priced real coffee....

Suggest registering and checking in online, starts about 24 hours before so you can choose where to sit...makes a great difference on a crowded flight.

Manofthewest

My parents came to Oz on the Dublin - ABu Dhabi-Sydney route and they found it find, My mum also had alot of medication with her and she had no trouble. Usually if you are up front about it you should be fine. But maybe a letter from you doctor may put you at ease.

podgeandrodge

Was checking prices with Etihad - Dublin to Melbourne in January - and it was about 50 euro a ticket cheaper to book with Etihad through Ebookers rather than on the Etihad website. Is this normal? Any downside to booking with Ebookers rather than Etihad direct? thanks.

Zambia

How jet Lagged where you ?

And how long did it take you to clear checks customs etc?

universe777

District_9 wrote: »

How jet Lagged where you ?

And how long did it take you to clear checks customs etc?

Jet lag all depends on the person, but I was pretty wiped out.
Clearing customs took minutes, I had to use the toilets so was at the end of the people from my flight.
As long as you answer every question correctly on the customs form you'll go through quickly enough.

Unless you have booked it already? I would avoid flying with Etihad..
I found the seats to be incredibly cramped, I am 6ft 3 but managed quite well on a long American Airlines flight to Texas (11hrs).
I think on Etihad economy there isn't that much more room than a Ryanair seat.
Have a look into flying with Singapore Airlines or any airline that uses the A380 or other similar plane. I think Etihad only use it to Sydney. As far as I know it was a much smaller A340 I was on..

Zambia

Cheers , picking a lad up from the airport need to know how he will have handled the flight.

Personnally if its long haul I try and go the extra few quid for comfort

shamblertine

District_9 wrote: »

How jet Lagged where you ?

And how long did it take you to clear checks customs etc?

In terms of jetlag I was grand but then I sleep on the flight over.

It took me about 10 seconds to get through customs (I was one of the first off the plane)

Vorsprung

There's customs and quarantine when you get over, quarantine can take a while if they go through your bag, sometimes they just throw it through the scanner and that's it.

If you can afford the extra comfort, go for it. I'm happy enough if i can swing an emergency exit seat (i'm 6ft3!). Jet lag is pretty **** on the way out, not as bad at all coming home.

The Sweeper

Abu Dhabi to Melbourne - biggest problem is the flight is so frickin LONG. At least when you fly via Thailand the flights are sort of the same time in the air - e.g. London to Bangkok is not dissimilar to Bangkok to Melbourne... Abu Dhabi to Melbourne racks up nearly 13 hours in the air, and personally I found myself going a bit bats after nine hours, knowing I'd another four to go...

Space wise, cattle class is cattle class, it really is much of a muchness if you're 5ft 10" or shorter. As for a 'few quid extra' for long haul business or first class, I had to lol at that. It's not a few quid. It's three to five times the price!

Anyway - whoever you're flying with, START COLLECTING POINTS. Air miles points really are useful, especially if you chose to fly from the UK or Ireland with someone like Virgin or Qantas. Collect your points from those long-haul flights, collect your points for flying around Australia, and the next thing you know, you really WILL be able to upgrade on an international long-haul. I've done a lot of travelling in the last four or five years, always going for the cheapest flights, never collecting points - and it's only when you look back over it and realise what you could be getting now, gratis, if only you'd been organised...

Tigerandahalf

Flew with them..found the service very good..the stop over in abu dhabi is very short too..2 hrs...flew from Dublin...so you get the whole thing done quickly. Id recommend getting a sleeping pill..did the trick for me..had no jet lag whatsoever as I slept for 8 or 9 hrs of the flight..normally find it hard to sleep with noise of the plane.

universe777

Vorsprung wrote: »

If you can afford the extra comfort, go for it. I'm happy enough if i can swing an emergency exit seat (i'm 6ft3!).

How can you get an exit seat? In a travel agents when you're booking your ticket? At the check in desk?

I asked for one when booking it, they said you ask at the check in desk, I was first in line at check in, they were all gone...

Zambia

I collect Air miles on my safeway shopping.

Khan77

I checked in and selected my seat online when I went with Etihad (albeit Sydney) but you are not allowed to select exit rows as the flight attendants have to assess your suitability for opening the door i.e no infirm or physically incapable. I did get a bulkhead seat though (outboard row, not centre which had a lot more room). 6'4" and no problems apart from the length of the flight. Intend to go to NZ this Christmas and will go Hong Kong or Singapore this time. Jet lag wise the first two days weren't too bad the it hit very hard for a couple. Get outside and stay outside during the day is the best advice I think, sunlight helps you adjust your natural sleep cycle better than any pills

mairt86

Just wondering has anyone used the lounge in abu dhabi terminal 3.
Im stopped over there for 2 hours and just wondering is there a place where you can grab a shower or would i even have time....do you have to go through security or anything?
Iv heard of people paying in to use the lounge but not sure if it would be worth it.

mairt86

Just wondering has anyone used the lounge in abu dhabi terminal 3.
Im stopped over there for 2 hours and just wondering is there a place where you can grab a shower or would i even have time....do you have to go through security or anything?
Iv heard of people paying in to use the lounge but not sure if it would be worth it.

djPSB

I heard from someone who travelled with Etihad lately, that the onflight tv's have usb slots so you can load up your own films and tv series. Is this the norm??

Stinicker

mairt86 wrote: »

Just wondering has anyone used the lounge in abu dhabi terminal 3.
Im stopped over there for 2 hours and just wondering is there a place where you can grab a shower or would i even have time....do you have to go through security or anything?
Iv heard of people paying in to use the lounge but not sure if it would be worth it.

I flew with Etihad from Heathrow to Bangkok last year via Abu Dhabi and yes you will have to go through security. There is probably showers in the lounges but you'd have to pay extra for them I reckon. 2 hours is not a long time as there can be a long enough walk between the gates.

djPSB wrote:

I heard from someone who travelled with Etihad lately, that the onflight tv's have usb slots so you can load up your own films and tv series. Is this the norm??

They have USB slots but they are usually for recharging your phone, iPad etc. It does say on their website you can "play your own" so maybe you can, which is pretty cool if true! I take a netbook with me for this purpose and last time on Etihad some idiot reclined his seat almost breaking its screen as the seat in front reclined back wedging the netbook screen and and tray table tight!