EgyptAir vs Etihad Airways?

[GoldDragonFly]

I need to book a flight for mid-December '09 and after having made several enquiries I found two flights that are affordable but both airlines I have never flown with.

The one is with EgyptAir via Cairo to London Heathrow and the other one is Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow. I have never been on a flight of either airline and did some research online before I book. There seems to be alot of complaints and bad reviews on EgyptAir, especially that they are using ancient aircraft on their routes and better one's for Etihad, however some people have space issues on-board, not happy with the food, etc.

Has anyone ever made use of either of these airlines before and if you did, what was your experience like?

[AirHanoverInternational]

Can't tell you much. As for space you may visit seatguru.com. I used that site when I was looking for the best seats on my last trip with Emirates. Any chance to use them?

Food: even on good airlines you may receive something you do not like. Tip (valid for EK B773 ): never book rows 30...35. Most times the second meal will be out and you mostly get the one you probably do not like

From my feelings I'd use Etihad.

[iranair777]

egypt air are using A320's and A330's into LHR iirc

[GoldDragonFly]

Have you been on Egyptair iranair777?

[iranair777]

no why would I? I'm from Iran :p

[GoldDragonFly]

Haha! Yes, I know...I just thought you might have been on an EgyptAir flight. I leaning towards Ethihad although today I got a very good flight on Qatar via Doha to London Heathrow too, which apparently is classified as one of the top 5 star airlines in the world - along the likes of Singapore Airlines - so I might go for that. Any thoughts on Qatar anyone?

[iranair777]

for gods sake, go with any, they all have good service anyway. Emirates would be my pick anyway cause I've flown with them and their service is great and as a plus you can book a flight on the A380

[pseudoswede]

I don't understand why people seek airline advice on a website like this.

[GoldDragonFly]

for gods sake, go with any, they all have good service anyway. Emirates would be my pick anyway cause I've flown with them and their service is great and as a plus you can book a flight on the A380

First of all, there is no need to get annoyed when I just asked a perfectly simple question out of curiousity. I have to point out that you do not need to respond to any post if you are feeling annoyed or irritated by it. Thanks for your input though, I do appreciate it!

I don't understand why people seek airline advice on a website like this.

The header of this forum is called 'General Chat' which is exactly what this is. I did not need any advice from anyone, I just asked out of curiousity as I have never been on any of these airlines. There is nothing to 'understand' by just asking a question and getting other people's opinions. Don't participate in a conversation on a forum if you don't 'understand' why it is there or if you are annoyed by such a post.

I do apologise if I have offended anyone.

[StephenM]

In general, please mind the tone of the thread. This is supposed to be a place where you can ask questions and get a response without undue criticism. While these forums may not offer the best information regarding what airlines to travel on, people are still free to discuss the topic if they wish.

[pseudoswede]

From another website...

When I did BEY-CAI-JNB on MS last year the entertainment on the overhead screens was adverts for MS - nothing else. The MS code is derived from the Arabic for Egypt, which is Misrab-al. Probably.

[CHR]

I went on an Egypt Air domestic flight a year or two ago and it was a pretty run down plane (carpet not really glued down in places, broken bits...etc.). That said, their international may be nicer, and I think they have been improving since joining Star Alliance.

I haven't been on Ethiad, but I think they have a pretty good reputation, and I expect you would get good service. As far as I know, they are one of the better airlines around.

[GoldDragonFly]

Mmmm, yeah I haven't really seen anything that is convincing enough to fly with EgyptAir - they sound a bit scary! (Even the reviews online are not that good). So I have decided to go with Qatar or Etihad....from what I can gather both are very good. Emirates, Virgin and British Airways has gone all completely mad with their fares which is extremely high and my favorite airline, Singapore Airlines (which I do not mind paying for), does not fly the route I need to go on....so all in all, I am excited to try Qatar or Etihad..even though I would've loved to fly with my all time favorite. They say a change is as good as a holiday, so will see what its like.

[CHR]

To be honest, I don't think it is such a big decision which airline you travel for long haul. In economy, seats are basically the same among all the airlines. The entertainment systems vary, but if I have my own screen, that is usually enough to keep me occupied for the duration of the flight (or you could always go with the old fashioned book...). Food can vary in quality, but as long as its edible, I again don't really mind the quality.
If you are willing to pay the extra for first or business, then the products (and prices) do begin to vary a bit, and you might want to check out the options, but otherwise, I think it is simply a toss up between cost and flight time (if the latter is a factor at all).

[iranair777]

for gods sake, go with any, they all have good service anyway. Emirates would be my pick anyway cause I've flown with them and their service is great and as a plus you can book a flight on the A380

First of all, there is no need to get annoyed when I just asked a perfectly simple question out of curiousity. I have to point out that you do not need to respond to any post if you are feeling annoyed or irritated by it. Thanks for your input though, I do appreciate it!

you havnt offended anyone, I was just a bit woozy cause one second your asking for two carriers then half way through the thread another carrier comes along.