Etihad keeps the best airline seat

A gastronomic journey with Etihad

By Izah Morales

MANILA, Philippines—With global travel demand nose-diving, Etihad Airways tries to find ways to entice people to fly. And serving gourmet food based on the passenger’s choice provides a unique gastronomic mid-air experience.

Dubbed as the “inspired service,” the Abu Dhabi airline offers a wide array of food from Filipino pan de sal to European and Arabian cuisines served anytime.

“What matters is the choice of the customer, when and where they want to have it,” Etihad Philippines country manager Juan Torres said.

Since its Manila-Abu Dhabi flight is scheduled at around 1:00 a.m., breakfast-type of menu is offered to passengers.

For economy class, Etihad Airways offers the following: grilled eggplant pan de sal sandwich, chicken salad pan de sal sandwich, porcini custard, mixed bella olives, tomato and onion quiche, vegetable ratatouille, grilled chicken cheese and mushroom omelet, and cornedbeef hash with garlic rice.

Business class passengers have different choices of bread from plain croissant, banana muffin, marble cake, Arabic breads, and loaf bread. There are also cheese selection, treacle waffles with caramelized banana, cereals, fine herbs omelet with tomato and watercress salad, chicken tocino with scrambled eggs, steamed rice and asparagus, scrambled eggs, beef sausage, grilled tomato and sautéed field mushrooms.

Desserts like pomegranate fruit jelly, ice cream, cream yoghurt with diced pineapple and blueberries, and fresh fruits are also served.

The inspired service philosophy was conceived two years ago and Etihad Airways began implementing it last year, Torres said.

“Inspired service means that customer is at the heart of the business,” he said.

Etihad Airways is a five-year old airline based in Abu Dhabi and has recorded six million passengers in 2008. It claims to be the first carrier in the Philippines to offer a fully-flat bed.