An update to the above...
I flew last week FCO-AUH-MEL, and was again able to try out the First Class Lounge at Abu Dhabi. We flew on EY84 in business (on points, as VA PAX), which left Rome at 2145, arriving 40 minutes early at 0600 local time at Abu Dhabi. We arrived at a different gate, which saw our path from the gate to the lounges take us first past the Business Lounge entrance, and then to the First Lounge entrance. (We must have come the other way through the terminal on our first visit.) We saw the spa between the Business and First entrances, and it was obviously not open, and the lounge staff confirmed it was still not operating.
On this occasion, there were a few people in the lounge: perhaps 8 or so. There were no showers available — I think there were perhaps 3 showers available in the men's ablutions, and I presume the same in the women's — so the staff took us down one level to showers in the Business Lounge, one level directly below us. It seemed they were used as overflow (no pun intended), and although not quite as spacious as the first, they were very nice indeed.
There was a different menu for breakfast, so we ordered and had a nice breakfast. Something I noticed a few times with Etihad service (depending on the staff) and was a feature here is that the staff weren't very proactive and didn't offer anything or ask about refills or additional items. Nothing
wrong with the service, but it's one of those things that take it from a good experience to a great one.
Coffee turned out to be just from the coffee machine in the general waiting area, which seemed surprising. I would have thought that there'd be real brewed coffee available.
As we were waiting for our breakfast, the Etihad app on our phones buzzed us advising we should make our way to the gate to board our next flight. At just after 0700! For a flight not scheduled to depart until 0950, with boarding scheduled to commence at 0900! I spoke with the lounge staff at the desk, and they were unaware of it, and just put it down to "pre-boarding". They also seemed to have no real awareness of what flights were departing, or when we should leave. One suggested we should make our way to the gate at 0800; another, at 0830. After discussion with a third, they decided that 0840 would be okay, given it was about a 15 min walk to the gate. (As it turned out, we left at 0850; it was only about a 10 min walk, and boarding was called around 0910.) The general impression I got was the lounge staff didn't really have much involvement with operations, and were really just focused on hospitality. There were monitors in the lounge with departure and arrivals info, but no lounge-specific announcement. There were announcements in the general lounge foyer on our level (and perhaps the business lounge), which we could hear in the First Lounge, but no real focus on making sure passengers in the First Lounge were aware of when they should go.
I had a bit more of a look around, and the snacks available were smoothies, muesli, pastries, and little cakes, along with coffee from the coffee machine, a selection of tea, fruit juice and water, and soft drinks in the fridge.
At the far end of the lounge, after the dining area and past the ablutions, was a chill-out zone, with "pods" surrounded by translucent fabric, and each containing recliners, chairs, and tables.
I was able to confirm there really were no obvious charge or power points in the lounge, which I reckon is surprising.
WiFi was fast, although I could not make a FaceTime call to Australia, even on a VPN. (A video call on Signal went through with no trouble, so bandwidth obviously wasn't the problem! I guess that Etihad blocks FaceTime, even if the UAE might no longer do so?)
Overall, it was perfectly fine. It seemed to me that main attraction is the exclusivity, and also the comparative quietness compared to the general airport. My general impression was that it was all a bit laissez-faire for who should be the airline's most important passengers. Perhaps the expectation is that such folks prefer to be left undisturbed, rather than interrupted when they're chilling? I know this sounds a bit ungrateful, and I'm very pleased to have had the opportunity to try out the First Lounge, as I'd never be in the position to purchase a first-class international fare, but I was a bit underwhelmed by it to be honest. Based on the gushing
PR piece in Executive Traveller, I was expecting something...more. I certainly wouldn't knock it back if I had the opportunity to experience it again, but I wouldn't be heartbroken if I transit through Abu Dhabi in the future and don't get to visit the First Lounge.
