My First Class Flight Experience at Etihad Airways

Wazzup Pilipinas!


PART 1: How I Booked It

In May 2018 I fulfilled one of my wildest travel goals of flying in First Class. Not Premium Economy; not Business; but FIRST and for FREE. If you guessed that this was possible through credit cards and mileage programs, then you're absolutely right. After all, I'm not the first and won't be the last traveler in the world to do it. (Fortunately, this won't be the last time I fly First for free either.) But let me elaborate.

As far as I know, there are no local (Philippine) credit card that lets you earn miles with Etihad Guest, which is Etihad's frequent flyer program. On the other hand, nearly all local credit cards let you redeem points for Mabuhay Miles, the frequent flyer program of the country's flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL). Fortunately, I became aware of the many partnerships Etihad has with various airlines - including PAL. In 2016 I learned it was possible to redeem Mabuhay Miles for Etihad as well as All Nippon Airways flights! View it here. I also realized that soon enough, I could potentially have enough miles to book a First Class flight with Etihad. Since then, I became consciously mindful of airline partnerships and how many miles I've been earning to accomplish my goal. I feel the need to somehow thank PAL for making this possible because of their existing partnership with Etihad. (In case you were wondering, I've been converting credit card points to airline miles since 2009. Yes, it's been 10 years! I said it was possible; I never said it was easy. Nothing worth waiting for ever is!)

So this year, I finally earned enough miles from different sources, not just credit cards, to book a First Class flight. And it's not just any First Class cabin - it's consistently considered one of the world's best in its league: Etihad's First Apartment on their Airbus A380, which is the largest aircraft in the world. Etihad flies their A380 to New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Paris and London. I had enough miles to fly to either Paris or London, and since I just went to Paris recently and I have never been to the UK where the Royal Wedding was taking place soon, the choice was clear.

After going through the tedious process of getting a UK visa, one day in March 2018 I went to the Philippine Airlines UE-Recto office to finally cash out my miles. At first, the staff were completely clueless about my request. I don't blame them since I expect this rarely happens. After I explained how it was possible from their website and further verification on their end, they assisted me in my request. There was limited availability for award seats, and I ended up with May 15. Etihad flies three times daily to London, and I picked flight EY 17 that to me had the best schedule of departing at 1:55 PM from Abu Dhabi and arriving at 6:45 PM in Heathrow. I redeemed 84,000 miles in exchange for the "free" airfare and paid only PHP 10,000 (USD 200) in taxes and fees for what should have been a PHP 375,000 (USD 7,000 - yes, the price of a second-hand car) one-way flight. Not a bad deal right?? Shout-out to the PAL staff who were really helpful! (Soon after I also booked a flight to the UAE, Dubai to be exact, with Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong.)

PART 2: The First Class Experience - Even Before the Actual Flight

On May 15, 2018 my first First Class journey began with the Etihad Mercedes Benz picking me up at my hotel in Dubai, the Grand Hotel Excelsior Deira (formerly Sheraton Deira), where I received a call in my room from the concierge in the morning. I booked this service around 2 weeks before my flight by calling the local Etihad hotline, but do note that sadly as of today First and Business Class redemption tickets (those using miles) are no longer eligible for the complimentary limo pick up service from anywhere in the UAE. This was one of the reasons, apart from being in London in time for the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19, that I decided to use my miles when I did (before the free service was withdrawn or more cost-cutting measures were made.) I find it hard to believe that Etihad posts over a USD 1 billion loss year after year, even as they do cost cuts, while their biggest competitor Emirates is highly profitable. 

When I entered the First Class Check-In terminal, it looked more like a hotel lobby due to the absence of traditional check-in counters. A 'bellboy' helped me with my suitcase and escorted me to the check-in seats while there was a waiting lounge across from it. Apparently, standing up and queueing is for poor people. Haha! I took my seat and handed over my passport. The staff remarked that I was early. Indeed, I made sure I was to have enough time to fully utilize the First Class lounge facilities. Checking in was quick, but I learned that taking photos in this area is prohibited because apparently it is forbidden to take photos of the local women. Outside of the airport, I never seemed to have this problem on this trip to the UAE as well as previous ones. 

Immediately after this area was the First Class immigration and security and there was no one in line! As she was stamping my passport, the immigration lady who owns a Chanel handbag asked me: "Where is your job?" This is normally a question asked upon entering a country and not exiting it, so I think she was implying that it was odd that a Filipino like me could fly First Class (while an Emirati like her has/could not?) Yes, Filipinos are commonly customer service staff or laborers all over the world (because we are hardworking, hospitable and speak foreign languages really well - not just English!), but that doesn't mean we should be generalized and/or underestimated. :)

Right in front of security was the gateway to the uber exclusive Etihad First Class Lounge and Spa. The first floor was merely an entrance/boarding pass verfication to the lounge that was located on the second level. In my opinion, the lounge prior to your Business or First Class flight makes up a third or sometimes even half of your entire Business Class or First Class experience. After all, you do spend between 1-3 hours in here.After going up the elevator, fresh orchids and ceiling ornaments welcome you into the lounge. A small snacks area can be found on the left side that serves different kinds of dates and Arabic coffee. As I looked around, one of the staff offered to assist serving me. All the dates seem to taste the same though. There was a general reception area, and another one for the lounge itself. The spa area also had one of its own.

I went inside all the rooms except for the cigar lounge, prayer rooms and smoking lounge because I had no business being there. Guests of The Residence, a level of First Class that is one notch above all other 'regular' First Class products that only Etihad and no other airline offers, have a private room to themselves the same way they have their own room and bathroom inside the aircraft.

There is a hallway that leads to the washrooms at the end of the hall with the spa entrance on the right. The first thing I did after doing a little exploring was to have the complimentary 15-minute spa treatment at the Six Senses Spa with several choices of massages and facials. Below is a photo of the massage room and while the 'seat' may not look comfortable, it most certainly was and did its purpose. The masseur was Filipino, as were two of the receptionists. 

After a recharging massage session, I made my way to the huge lounge area where I was greeted by one of the wait staff with the menu and he asked me what I wanted to drink. One of the rooms was called Relax and Recline, which allowed you to do exactly those. There were about eight recliners and LCD screens with captivating images. I wasn't in the mood to nap since I just woke up a few hours ago, so I spent my time exploring some more. On one corner of the lounge was the TV Room which had a couple of international news channels airing. The lounge itself, or at least the parts close to the windows, had plenty of natural light. 

There was a fully-stocked self-service beverage fridge, espresso corner and some fruits. I don't seem to recall seeing any of these when I visited the Etihad Business Class lounge six months prior; I only recall there being a bar and bartender too. 

There were actually two bars in the First Class lounge. The smaller one (photo above) was near the kitchen. The lounge had a huge dining area, which took up most of the space, although there were hardly any people inside the lounge. In fact, I think there were more staff than guests at that time that morning. Unlike the Business Class lounge of Etihad (or most airlines and airports for that matter), the setting wasn't buffet-style but rather fine dining, which is the norm in most if not all airlines' First Class lounges. Everything on the menu was cooked to order.

During breakfast time, each table came with a trio of fruit jam on a plate. I realized I hadn't actually eaten any meal yet all day since I got picked up, probably due to the excitement. So, I began to order starting from breakfast. I learned that the course meals in the Etihad First Class lounge I read about in previous blog posts were no longer offered for months now. Anyway, first I had the hot chocolate and the Eggs Benedict, which looked as good as it tasted. Each slice of egg, yolk, cheese, spinach, ham and bread practically melted in my mouth! (You can view photos of the menus from the lounge and flight I uploaded on Google drive.)

Another savory item I had for breakfast was the Stuffed Paneer Cheese with lentils and mint yoghurt. It reminded of thin slices of Halloumi cheese, which similarly should be consumed as soon as it's served because it starts to turn stale as it turns cold. Lastly, I'm so glad I was tempted into ordering the Pancakes with apple ragout on the menu, because it looked equally pretty as its texture was fluffy.

After consuming all that food, I was stuffed. I went back to exploring the rest of the lounge. I hung around next at the bigger bar, which was right beside the windows with a view of the airport runways, and its design was so chic and Instagrammable.

I decided to pass the time by charging and being on my phone in the Relax and Recline room with some drinks which came served with mixed nuts. Soon enough it was lunchtime, which meant the menu had changed. I decided to try one final, light meal before leaving the lounge and boarding my flight, where I would be having even more food whenever I wanted. I ordered the Cream of Pea Soup. It had a striking light green color which both complemented and contrasted with the faint pink hue of my "rose petals" drink. Then I picked the Grilled Beef Tenderloin over the Salmon Fillet (because I assume there would be salmon on the flight like they always do), cooked medium well, and it was was very tender - but the hand-cut fries tasted remarkable on their own! - even without the honey mustard-Worcestershire sauce it paired perfectly with. 

Even though it was my first time flying First Class, I had really high expectations of the service and food but they were all exceeded. The one concern I did have was the layout of the lounge. The one washroom was located on one end of the lounge which took some time to walk to if you were staying near the Relax and Recline room (the other end).

I'll continue the story on Part 2 of my Etihad Airways flight experience so watch out for the remaining but more exciting story ...soon!

Contributed by Kevin Tsai of the TravelGuyShops

Qi Palawan: Redefining the Idea of Sustainability

Wazzup Pilipinas!

“It’s way beyond market positioning. It’s what anyone should do.”

—Bettina Rodarte and Ismael Delgado, Founders/owners of Qi Palawan, on reducing carbon footprint 

In a place as glorious as Palawan, it’s just quite imperative that establishments within the area conserve the beauty that houses one of the world’s most stunning pristine beaches and virgin rainforests. Located at the unexploited part of northeastern Palawan, Qi Palawan has become part of this undertaking to preserve the environment and its natural resources by seeking the help of the Zero Carbon Resorts (ZCR) project.

A boutique kite-dive-yoga resort, Qi Palawan currently has eight rooms, two large two-story villas, and six freestanding cottages. Located in San Fernando—a 55-minute drive from the town of El Nido, Philippines—Qi Palawan has opened their resort to tourists and travelers since 2014. The owners Ms. Bettina Rodarte and Mr. Ismael Delgado, though, have long since been members of the ZCR project in 2012, two years prior to their launching of their first and, currently, only branch.

Being the first and only establishment in the immediate area, Qi Palawan
is located 55 minutes from El Nido at the northeastern coast.

Beach view from Qi Palawan with hammocks hanging from the trees

Mr. Delgado and Ms. Rodarte’s reasons for joining ZCR have been highly diversified. Some of which are for economic reasons due to their resort’s predetermined initial budget, while some reasons are as it should be, environmental. The marketing aspect, or their market positioning as an eco-friendly resort, is something with which they are not quite preoccupied. For them, they were just doing what anyone should do. “For us, it was natural,” the owner said.

Villas at Qi Palawan with spacious and eco-friendly interior designs

Going Green Right Off the Bat

Sustainability has always been at the core of Qi Palawan’s ethos. However, going green for Qi Palawan both served as the challenge and the objective when it comes to the resort’s financial facet. In other words, it is both a roadblock and an entryway to making both ends meet. Investing in eco-friendly facilities and adopting green approaches can be very costly at the onset. But doable—and rewarding. In spite of everything, they believed, energy conservation should make economic sense in the long run.

Since the early stage of their operation was not the time for costly investment yet, in support of Qi Palawan’s movement toward a greener operation, they chose to adopt what cost less to implement. For one, based on recommendations during ZCR’s Architecture Training, Qi Palawan adjusted their infrastructure’s roofs to a positioning designed to provide more shading to the building and allow the rainwater to flow easily, protecting the cogon roof from degradation. A high-ceiling design was also adopted to allow for hot air to rise. Still in its objective to operate within its limited capital investment, the resort also built its staff houses based on geometries that allow natural airflow, which in turn promote cooling with less energy consumption, thus providing comfortable living spaces for them.

The initial phase was apparently not the time for solar panels—until their business opened and their financial standing improved. It was then that they knew it was time to reassess things.

nfrastructures have been designed to provide natural airflow to reduce energy consumption for cooling.

Reassessing the Use of Solar Energy

When the resort revisited their cashflow and saw adequate progress, they started reconsidering the concept of solar energy. That was when they reached out again to ZCR for recommendations on installations, making touch points with appropriate solar panel suppliers, and so on. Implementation was hard, but the resort knew it would be worth it.

Finally, solar installations were completed on September 25 this year 2017, and Qi Palawanhas been declared as a 100% solar-powered resort on the following day. Utilizing 40 kWh of solar panels with 128 kWh of batteries—which are sufficient in providing for the resort’s overall energy consumption even during peak occupancy periods—Qi Palawan became the first full-service, air-conditioned resort in the Philippines to use only solar power for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Qi Palawan’s solar panels can sufficiently provide for 24/7 electricity in the resort facilities.

This helps the resort to not only save more than Php33,000.00 a month or Php400,000.00 a year from more than 11,000 L of fuel that two 15-kVA and one 7.5-kVA generators used to consume, but also reduce carbon emission by exactly 29,650.23 kg of CO2. Now, the resort uses only a 25-kVA generator when needed. It is estimated that Qi Palawan’s conversion to solar is the equivalent of planting 996 carbon offset trees each year, helping preserve the currently untouched exquisiteness of northeastern Palawan.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Despite having their solar energy project materialized, Qi Palawan never dismisses the positive effects that simple but impactful measures can contribute to their sustainability efforts. This is why the resort strictly implements 3Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle.

he use of shampoo and soap dispensers and of eco-bags when resort staff transport things that guests need

To promote local products in the area, bamboo straws are locally made by Qi Palawan’s immediate community.

One of the key practices is to reduce the use of plastic, contamination of chemicals, and consumption of fuel. To do so, the resort management and staff do not serve food and drinks using any form of plastic, such as bottles, cups, plates, straws, and bags, to their guests.

Qi Palawan uses bamboo straws in all their drinks.

They have practically eliminated the use of plastic bags and, instead, promoted the use of locally sourced amenities. They encourage the use of crates and coolers and have implemented a 100% ban on single-use packaging.

Reusable belongings are available in Qi Palawan

Environment-friendly essentials are being promoted.

Since Palawan is a diving spot, the resort offers “reef-safe sunscreen” to their guests during their island hopping and dive trips. They also use natural, biodegradable cleaning supplies and detergent. These practices help prevent chemical contamination in the sea, and even on land.

Bamboo is not only good for creating furniture. Growing bamboo within
the vicinity helps in ventilation and does not require pesticides.

To reduce fuel consumption, the resort has been designed with fuel efficiency and sustainability in mind using bamboo—a fast-growing tree that does not require pesticides—and 100% local materials and labor.

Reuse and recycle go hand in hand within Qi Palawan’s premises. All kitchen wastes go through an anaerobic compost to become soil for the resort’s organic garden. A rainwater catchment system is deployed, and the harvested water is used for the garden, helping save clean water. Recycling of water from air conditioning also contributes to this effort. Old towels, kites, and other lost-and-found materials are being repurposed or donated.

Pail and PVC pipe is for catching the drip from the ACs and can get three or four pails per AC per day for watering decorative plants in the garden

The observation of 100% trash segregation and recycling enables the restaurant to use recycled paper sheets for the restaurant’s office administrative and management purposes, just as recyclable drink containers (except for single-use plastics) are being utilized for service.

Sustainability Is a Constant Undertaking

Infrastructure geometries that allow natural cooling, solar panels that reduce a great deal of carbon footprint, and 3R best practices that help conserve natural resources and prevent hazardous pollution—so, what’s next for Qi Palawan? There’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.

For the resort management, a true commitment to sustainability or zero carbon takes a constant struggle. The next big change for them is the implementation of a specialized tented window that reduces heating and provides privacy. This was also one of the recommendations from ZCR, which during the time of discussion, was still too costly for the resort to implement due to shipping expenses and import taxes. But the management is keeping the project concept in the pipeline, just as much as they constantly think of ways to improve their sustainability efforts.

Pieces of furniture found in the resort are crafted by local carpenters

Likewise, Qi Palawan extends the concept of sustainability to the economic aspect of doing business; that is, to implement the “buy local” idea. This includes the use of amenities and selling of goods that are made in the Philippines, specifically by the locals within the area. That said, the resort uses furniture made by local carpenters and employs locals and trains them as managers, cooks, kite instructors, and dive masters. They even serve vegetables homegrown by the immediate neighborhood, who get paid with prices equivalent to that offered by merchandisers in the far-off town market. This cancels out two round trips, or 160 kilometers, which locals who grow vegetables would have taken if they were to sell their goods in the market.

Constantly, Qi Palawan believes that sustainability is way beyond market positioning. It’s about the establishment. It’s about its people and their livelihood. It’s about economic sustainability. Most of all, sustainability is about everyone’s responsibility to the environment—and making contributions that can result in positive change. And Qi Palawantogether with the Zero Carbon Resorts project want to be certain that they remain part of these efforts, constantly.

(Photo credits: http://qipalawan.com)