For the past month, Etihad uploaded teaser images and videos on its social media account. This created a lot of speculations and hopes about whether the airline will reactivate its A380s or join Star Alliance.
Well, the answer to this was “Oh, Really?” or “This marketing failed so much!” These are the comments I am seeing among the frequent flyers.
Disappointingly, it was not either the Airbus A380 or the Star Alliance. The airline held an event in Abu Dhabi tonight revealing its collaboration with Giorgio Armani to roll out a brand new business class amenity called ARMANI / Casa.
Etihad Airways Armani/Casa Beyond Business Class Amenities
Etihad Airways, in partnership with Armani/Casa, has announced a new collaboration to deliver an unparalleled premium travel experience, setting an elevated new benchmark for the aviation industry.
The Etihad and Armani/Casa collaboration introduce ‘The Constellation Collection,’ inspired by the stars. Offering a ‘beyond Business’ experience for Etihad’s guests, the range is embellished with a unique geometric pattern that subtly adorns the collection.
The new collection features ceramics, glassware, cutlery and serving ware, as well as upgraded bedding for enhanced premium experiences.
As you can see above, there has been an improvement in business class experience in terms of premium dining with new tableware designs from the current ones. The airline explains the new dining collection as follows:
“The dining service features refined silhouettes with elevated contemporary finishes, mixed materials and embossed patterns. The use of multiple textures represents the cultural diversity of the UAE. The colour palette reflects the surroundings of Abu Dhabi; dark green inspired by the region’s date palm trees, aquamarine representing the beauty of the mangroves and slate to symbolise the modernity of the iconic Abu Dhabi skyline.”
Etihad Airways Upgraded Bedding Experience
What was eye-catching with the new amenity was the bedding. Etihad improved its bedding product at this event since the airline did not offer a mattress pad in business class regardless of the flight time.
Etihad was a little behind but finally offer proper bedding in business class as Qatar Airways and Emirates were already offering these a long time ago.
When Will The New Amenities Be Offered
As of December, the new amenities will be fully offered on all Etihad flights. Though the exact details about the launch date will be announced soon.
My Take On These New Amenities
CEO of Etihad, Tony Douglas expressed how everyone at the company enjoyed seeing all sorts of speculation over the past couple of weeks about what was being announced.
But to be honest, I feel less interest in this new partnership. As others mention this is one of the huge marketing failures. Maybe we all had very high hopes for something that might not happen for the time being.
Plus it is not even Wednesday in local time except for the far east. I had a dilemma about whether to write this post at 1 AM in Korea or get some more sleep.😁
Summary
After all the hopes and speculations, it is a little disappointing that Etihad’s teasers were not about the return of the Airbus A380s or the airline joining Star Alliance.
Etihad revealed its collaboration with Giorgio Armani to launch a “Beyond Business Class” collection called ”Armani/Casa.”
With the collaboration, brand-new tableware and glassware will be featured for a business class experience. On top of that, the airline improved its bedding product, finally offering a mattress pad for business class.
