We haven’t flown with these companies yet, and if we heard a lot of good things about Etihad, and from people we can trust, then Air Berlin for us was something like “ dark horse" It seems like we knew something about it, and it didn’t seem bad, but we had a very vague idea of what it really was like. The only thing we were sure of was that these were Germans, and the Germans were order and discipline.
Well, in this article we will briefly talk about flying with Etihad airlines and our reviews about it. And also about how the long connection in Abu Dhabi went, and how we entertained ourselves and occupied ourselves at this airport for 19 hours.
Reviews about flights and aircraft
The salons are spacious and comfortable, the distances between the seats are slightly increased, you can stretch your legs without any problems. The seats themselves are very comfortable and recline well. 
The service is high quality. The food is quite tasty and quite filling. We expected it to be a little worse. From drinks - as usual: water, tea, coffee, many juices, alcohol (wine, whiskey, vodka, liqueurs, etc.). And the service kit looked like this: a nice handbag - a cosmetic bag with a zipper, which contained napkins, earplugs, a high-quality eye pad, a toothbrush and toothpaste. In the airplane toilet there was a cream and a moisturizing spray for the face. The aircraft's video collection contained as many as 11 films in Russian. We liked flying with Etihad, even very much, and in our rating of airlines they came very close to Emirates.
Long layover in Abu Dhabi
There are fewer shops, a smaller area, but you can take a walk if you want. 
Of course, you could go out into the city by applying for a visa in advance (don’t forget to book a hotel to get it). But we didn’t do this, although we initially planned to take a walk around Abu Dhabi. We had a blast in Indonesia...
And upon arrival, we first went to the Etihad counter (you should look for it in the round hall on the second floor) to find out what free services are available to us at this connection. 
It turned out that there were only coupons for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Having received them, we went to breakfast, although before that we had already tasted a wonderful breakfast on board the Etihad. We thought the food was better than Emirates. But let's return to the airport. You can buy coupons in two places - in a cafe or pizzeria 
and at McDonald's. They are also located on the second floor of the round hall. The cafe had only a croissant and coffee for breakfast. But McDonald's fed, if not healthy, then very satisfying - potatoes, chicken, hamburger and coffee 
We already had lunch and dinner in a cafe. The food there was good throughout the day and evening. The pizzeria menu looked like this
The national air carriers of the United Arab Emirates are known throughout the world thanks to their modern fleet of aircraft and to the highest level service. One of them is Etihad Airways, whose port is the capital of the country, Abu Dhabi. Flights depart daily through it to Asia, Africa, and North America, therefore the transit area at Abu Dhabi Airport is perfectly adapted for such passenger traffic.
There are also quite a few Russian tourists flying through the UAE. In this regard, the question often arises whether it is necessary to obtain a transit visa.
For tourists who plan to leave the transit zone during a stopover to see the city, it is necessary to put an arrival visa in their passport. This visa is issued free of charge. If the tourist remains at the airport, he has the right to visa-free transit.
It also happens that a person flies with different airlines that do not belong to the same alliance; in this case, he will have to leave the transit area to pick up his luggage and check in for a new flight, then a visa on arrival is also needed.
Time limit for visa-free transit
The duration of such transit is 24 hours. If there is more time between flights or you just want to stay for a day or two in this amazing country, you need to apply for a visa upon arrival. This visa gives the right to stay in the UAE for up to 30 days.
Of course, the lack of a visa imposes certain restrictions. You will not be able to leave the transit zone and go into the city, even just to spend the night in a hotel.
If the connection is long, waiting 12-14 hours can be tiresome even at such a convenient and modern airport as Abu Dhabi. It is especially worthwhile to take care of obtaining visas upon arrival for those traveling with small children.
Registration procedure
You can apply for a visa on arrival at the airport completely free of charge. Externally, it looks like a stamp in a passport with the date of arrival on it.
Documents required for obtaining a transit visa
To obtain a visa for transit purposes, you will need the following documents:
- A foreign passport, the validity of which cannot be less than 6 months after returning from the trip.
As for previous visas or marks for visiting Israel, unlike other countries in the Middle East, no obstacles will be put in your way. UAE migration authorities understand that people may visit Israel for a variety of purposes and allow entry to foreigners who have been there.
Visa for a child
If a child is traveling with one of the parents or accompanied by third parties, a notarized consent to travel will be required.
Cost of visa on arrival
Visa on arrival for visiting Abu Dhabi and the entire UAE for up to 30 days is issued FREE OF CHARGE.
Existing restrictions
The maximum period of stay in the country with a free visa on arrival is no more than 30 days. This visa can only be extended once. The renewal cost is $169.
In addition, UAE immigration legislation allows restrictions on visa-free transit. It may be denied to unaccompanied minors, as well as girls under 30 years of age who are traveling alone.
Arrival at the transit zone
Upon arrival at the transit area of Abu Dhabi Airport, passengers enter Terminal 3, built specifically for Etihad. The short queue at the airline counter passes quickly; here you will need to present your air tickets. If you wait more than 8 hours for your flight, you will be given free meal vouchers. You can also ask for a blanket to relax in the waiting room.
After this, you need to go through a metal detector and you will be taken directly to the third terminal.
To use the issued food coupons, you need to walk a little along the corridor to the round hall and go up the escalator, where you will find a food zone where you can refresh yourself. For information about places where you can use coupons, as well as all other details, check in advance at the airline counter.
Perhaps one of the most important moments of a transit trip is the opportunity to get at least a little sleep and take a shower. We tried to provide for this here too.
To relax, you need to go down to the first floor and walk to the boarding gate. There are regular waiting areas as well as reclining chairs. Gates are here large number, so you can always find free seats. There are toilets with showers nearby, where you can freshen up before going to bed.
Another important point– ability to charge tablets, smartphones and laptops. There are plenty of outlets for this, and no adapters are required.
Some travelers are wary of strong air conditioners. However, the temperature at the airport is quite comfortable. In addition, at night the speakerphone is turned off and soft lighting is used.
In addition, Abu Dhabi Airport has a well-equipped medical center operating around the clock, a business center for business people, numerous restaurants and bars, a post office, currency exchange offices, bank branches, offices where you can rent a car, ATMs and even your own mosque.
Most travelers pay tribute to both the UAE authorities and airline representatives: at Abu Dhabi airport they are trying to do everything possible to ensure maximum passenger comfort. Few countries can boast of this. After relaxing and having some pleasant shopping in the local duty-free shops (the range and prices of which will certainly not disappoint), you will continue your journey to your destination country.
Once I was flying from Russia to Southeast Asia on an Etihad plane with a transfer at Abu Dhabi airport. It is the only one in the capital of the UAE, that is, it is both its air gateway and the “face of the country”, and also the base for this airline. It’s rare that I get there so successfully, so the overnight transfer was not in vain; I studied the airport’s features in detail.
Before transplanting, it is useful to print out the diagram. The airport has three terminals, and the second one is slightly away from the first and third.
Passenger service is good, and it is quite comfortable to spend the night there. If you want to sleep, there are living rooms with sofas, an air hotel and sleeping capsules. And if you don’t want to, you can spend the night on the Internet, wifi is fine, there are plenty of sockets. And it’s not a problem to lay out a sleeping bag.
As you would expect, at the airport, even at night, there is a lot of trade in expensive goods such as cosmetics and clothes, and there is also a “Food village” on the second floor. Selection of establishments catering solid. The most commonplace ones are Burger King and McDonald's, but there is also a premium bakery, an Irish diner, an Italian coffee shop, a French cafe, and an Iranian restaurant.
Judging by the appearance, everything there is tasty, but a little expensive, so it’s better to wait until you land and go to a normal cafe.
And a few more features international airport Abu Dhabi:
- Smoking areas are available in all terminals.
- There are toilets and changing rooms, toilets for the disabled and showers.
- A 24-hour clinic is located in Terminal 1.
We were flying Etihad economy, and after disembarking from the plane on the eve of the upcoming 9-hour connection, we went to the AK counter with a question about a free hotel or lounge for the duration of the connection.
The answer was received that there were no places in the hotel or lounge, only food coupons... Well, at least food. Upon presentation of the tickets, we received the following green coupons for breakfast:
Having received our tickets, we moved to the waiting room. There are two types of benches in the waiting rooms - with regular chairs and "dental" ones. The latter are only in the main hall on the second floor around the central column (see first photo). It is completely impossible to sleep in ordinary chairs. We were lucky and found free "dental" ones.
By the way, from the experience of the previous connection, which took place at the same airport, we remembered that the building was very cold. People are wrapping themselves in jackets, the air conditioners are heating up. Therefore, blankets were prudently taken from the plane, with which it was at least somehow tolerable. Dental chairs and blankets:
If you are a very experienced tourist and are not lazy to carry foam and a rug with you, you can get even more comfortable. On the territory of the accident, near the central column (in the main photo), a niche was discovered where you can sleep and charge batteries. As you can see, someone is using it successfully:
Next is the essence of the travel hack - after sleeping for a couple of hours on the “dental” chairs and coming to our senses, we decided to cash in food stamps. Having contacted Briccocafe - one of two cafes (the second is McDonald's) that accept these coupons, we realized that with Breakfast coupons you can only wipe yourself off (that is, get a croissant and a cup of tea):
Somehow poor for a 9-hour docking of such an important AK as the Etihad, we thought. Maybe some kind of error?
We decided to go to the Etihad counter again, but in a different room. And lo and behold, there we received new food stamps. No ticket numbers were recorded at the counter - they simply issued new breakfast coupons and that’s it. Two breakfast coupons for one person - it’s already a bit of a travel hack, but still, it’s still not a lot.
While receiving coupons, we noticed that a group of Muslims who looked like guest workers were given coupons of a different color - they had the word “dinner” written on them.
By a happy coincidence, we had this Muslim skull cap in our hand luggage. Pashka bought it in Crimea many years ago and often wears it in hot climates. Pashka in a skullcap:
God is one and we are outside of any denominations, so we put a cap on Pashka and send him for the third time to the Etihad counter (we haven’t seen him there yet). Inshala - the Arab administrator tells him and when asked to issue food coupons Issues 3 Dinner coupons without any questions asked. At the same time, he marks the numbers of the presented tickets (when issuing coupons for breakfast, nothing was marked anywhere):
For dinner tickets you can get pizza, salad and tea in the cafe, which is clearly richer than a pathetic croissant for breakfast. Let's go and get trays of nausea:
Thus, we received 2 breakfast coupons and one dinner coupon per person. Coupons and lifesaver:
Dinner plus a couple of drinks of tea and coffee with a croissant or getting ice cream at McDonald's is quite tolerable for a 9-hour connection. Such a sudden “religious” travelhack.
Transit through Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, is at risk when flying with Etihad Airways, for which Abu Dhabi airport is the base. Hundreds of flights land and take off here every day. Personally, I flew in transit through Abu Dhabi by Etihad from Moscow to Bangkok. To be precise, the flight looked like this: Moscow - Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi - Bangkok. The connection between flights usually ranges from 50 minutes to several hours, but it happens that you have to wait for the departure of the second segment for 6-10 hours, or even almost a day. In this case, my post will be useful, because from it you will learn what to do at Abu Dhabi airport and whether it is worth going to the city.
How I flew from Moscow to Abu Dhabi is described in a separate article -. In the same post, I’ll tell you about transit through Abu Dhabi and the intricacies of being at its airport, especially if you need to wait a long time for your next flight. In my case it was about 14 hours. Fortunately, I was not traveling alone, but with a group of five people, so we entertained each other.
Almost all passengers on Etihad flights at Abu Dhabi Airport first go to Terminal 3. It was specially built for the airline. And the stand of this carrier is the first goal upon arrival here. It’s not difficult to find - you get to the terminal from the airfield if a bus took you from the plane to the building and walk along the main corridor. Along the way, you will come across a toilet and a drinking water fountain next to it. We also thought about smokers: the smoking room is located to the left of the Etihad Airways counter (about 50 meters away).
We arrived in Abu Dhabi at about nine in the evening, walked the above route and, despite the evening time, found a queue of 50 passengers at the airline counter. While you are standing there, you can quench your thirst for free with water or juice, which is displayed at the counter. When it’s our turn, we show our air tickets and if the wait until the next flight is more than eight hours, you will be given coupons for food. In our case, everyone received two coupons - for dinner and breakfast. You can also ask for a blanket to cover yourself while relaxing in one of the waiting rooms. By the way, you can also take a blanket directly from the plane.
Important! Information for passengers flying to Bangkok with Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi. You can find information on the Internet that the carrier provides a free room at the airport hotel. This is not true: towards Bangkok there are no free hotels for a long time and no one will provide it to you, even if the waiting time is 24 hours. Such a service was once provided and even exists now, but for other areas: less widespread and more expensive.
But I also want to say thank you to the Etihad for the blanket with free food vouchers. Having received everything you need, you need to pass the counter, turn left and go down. There is an inspection point here and metal detectors are installed. After passing them, you will directly enter the Terminal 3 area with its numerous duty free shops.
Food court and seating area at Abu Dhabi Airport
After dinner, my friends and I went to look for a place to “stay for the night.” To do this, you need to go down to the first floor and walk along right side round hall to the passage. It leads to the gates - near each there are dozens of waiting places and several reclining chairs that resemble sun loungers. Right after the corridor there were a lot of people near the gates, so we moved on. We got to gate 31, where there were practically no passengers. Here we found six free reclining chairs at once, which were installed near the window - it overlooked the take-off field.
A big plus of our location was that there is a shower next to gate 31 (!). It is marked with a special icon and is easy to find. We pass a small duty free shop, find stairs down on the right, go down and immediately We find a prayer room and toilets equipped with showers. Refresh yourself after the flight and get ready for bed at the same time - just what you need! True, I didn’t have a towel with me; I had to buy it at the nearest duty-free for 23 dirhams (about 230 rubles). But what a thrill you feel after taking a shower! And long hours of waiting until the next flight are not scary.
Night at the airport: inconvenient, but where to go
After all hygiene procedures, our company in full force She sat down on reclining chairs, covered herself with blankets and dozed off. Of course, it is difficult to sleep in such a bed, but it is quite possible to relax. Fortunately, the waiting rooms are illuminated at night with a soft, unobtrusive light and no announcements are made over the speakerphone.
In the morning we took a shower again, brushed our teeth and went to breakfast - to the round hall and up the escalator. Breakfast turned out to be richer - scrambled eggs, fried bacon, mushrooms and sausages. Plus coffee. After breakfast there were still about three hours left before departure. We spent them walking around duty free. For the last hour we sat at the gate where boarding was supposed to begin.
She was delayed for about an hour due to a dust storm and by the end Abu Dhabi airport was starting to get a little annoying. Still, 15 hours at the airport is not the easiest time to spend. The thought crept into my head that even for the sake of cheap tickets I would never fly this way again. But to be honest, it disappeared within a few days. Knowing what and how it works at the airport, and also traveling in a group, you can survive all this. The flight from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok was the same as from Moscow to Abu Dhabi, except that it lasted an hour longer. And the same friendly flight attendants, delicious food and entertainment system for every passenger.
To summarize: briefly about Abu Dhabi Airport
To consolidate the information, I will present the main points of your stay at Abu Dhabi airport, described above or not noted in the text, in the abstract.
- Upon arrival at Abu Dhabi airport, we first find the Etihad Airways counter: we find out about coupons, ask for blankets, and find out other necessary information.
- The food court is located on the second floor; with coupons you can not eat at all points.
- Empirically, we calculated that one coupon is equal to the cost of food for about 20 dirhams.
- Finding sitting and reclining places at the airport is not difficult: there are a huge number of waiting rooms near the gates.
- You can charge your smartphones, tablets or laptops using any free outlet that catches your eye. Although they are not similar to Russian ones at Abu Dhabi airport, no adapters are required.
- During a long wait, a shower will be an excellent way to relieve fatigue and put yourself in order. It is located in several places. I found it near gate 31.
- There are many dutiks in the third terminal of Abu Dhabi Airport, but the prices leave much to be desired. I do not recommend purchasing equipment, perfumes and jewelry here. But you can stock up on alcoholic drinks.
- There is free Wi-Fi throughout the third terminal. Access point - ADAC Free Wireless. On the welcome page, click Accept and that’s it.
- There are reviews on the Internet that the air conditioners at the airport are not childish and it takes a few minutes to freeze here. My experience and the experience of my friends suggests the opposite: the air conditioners work here, of course, but the temperature is quite comfortable. Even after a shower, the halls are not cold, at most fresh.
In general, Abu Dhabi airport, and to be precise the third terminal, left me with a positive impression. Everything is done for people and even a long wait does not give rise to thoughts of suicide. :)
From Abu Dhabi airport to the city: how to get there, do you need a visa?
Many tourists who have purchased air tickets with long connections (10 hours or more) want to spend time usefully and decide to go see Abu Dhabi or even book a hotel in the city to relax between flights. Especially after February 1, 2017, when the United United Arab Emirates introduced free visa-free entry into the country for Russians. Previously, it was necessary to buy a transit visa lasting 96 hours, which cost a lot of money. So if you are flying in transit through Abu Dhabi and decide to leave the airport, you can do so without hindrance. The main condition: a passport that is valid for the next 6 months.
How to get from Abu Dhabi airport to the city
There are two main options
- Public transport.
- Taxi/transfer.
You can travel from Abu Dhabi Airport to the city by bus around the clock. There are several routes to the city (the fare is the same for all, in 2017 it is 4 Arab dirhams). For more information about each route, see the airport website (in English).
Please note that free shuttles operate between Abu Dhabi Airport terminals and operate every 15 minutes.
Transfer from Abu Dhabi Airport
Transfer from Abu Dhabi to the city can be booked in advance online. For example, through (see price there). The advantage is that the price is final and will not increase, while local taxi drivers can easily be deceived by taking a roundabout route so that the final amount comes out higher.
There, on the service website, you can order or, conversely,