- Before a luxurious business-class flight from Abu Dhabi to New York in Etihad's double-decker Airbus A380 , I had the chance to fly on one of Etihad's smaller planes, which connected to the flight home in Abu Dhabi, Etihad's hub.
- We flew in business class on one of Etihad's Airbus A320 narrow-body jets, a smaller plane better equipped to carry passengers from destinations within the region.
- It was a comfortable flight with tasty food more comfortable than domestic first class in the US but it simply didn't compare to the space, luxury, and relative privacy offered by the chic airline's famous jumbo jets.
- Read on to see what it's like on a regional business-class flight with Etihad, one of the famous Middle Eastern airlines that flies passengers all across the globe.
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David Slotnick/Business Insider
We got to the airport a little bit before check-in, so we waited for it to open. Once we got to the front of the line, we confirmed that we could check our bags through to New York, even though we had an overnight layover. Whew!
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Flying on one of the three famous Middle Eastern airlines Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways can be an incredibly luxurious experience.
The three airlines, which offer flights around the world connecting through Persian Gulf hubs, are known for massive planes with features like lie-flat seats that turn into beds, private first-class suites, and even onboard showers.
However, those are the planes that fly to bigger and more far-flung markets the Americas, London, Paris, and eastern Asia, for example.
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For closer destinations, although Emirates still uses larger jets, the other two airlines use smaller narrow-body jets better equipped for regional flying.
That means that if you take an Etihad flight from New York to somewhere in the Middle East or the Indian subcontinent, you'll probably end up with one flight on a jumbo jet, and one flight on a narrow-body.
That was exactly the experience my wife and I had when we flew home to New York from the Maldives, connecting through Abu Dhabi with Etihad. Although I knew we could expect an incredible experience on the longer flight, I was curious to see how the shorter one would measure up.
While that regional flight ended up being comfortable and enjoyable, there's no question that it doesn't even compare to the big flight home to New York.
Here's what it was like.
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SEE ALSO: After 15 hours in business class on the soon-to-be-extinct Airbus A380 with Etihad, I fully understand how both got their glitzy, luxurious reputation