Etihad Airways to drop first class cabins on Melbourne route

Dubai

Etihad Airways said it will be dropping its first class cabins on flights from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi as it plans to deploy a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with a two-class configuration on the route.

The Abu Dhabi-based carrier said the Boeing 787s to be deployed on the route to Melbourne will replace the current Boeing 777, which has a three-class configuration, and that the move will take effect from October 1.

Etihad currently has two daily flights to Melbourne, one of which is already operated by a Boeing 787.

“This means both daily services to Melbourne will be operated by the 787 Dreamliner, which boasts the latest technological innovations, offering Etihad’s acclaimed Business Class and Economy Class cabins including 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats,” a spokesperson told Gulf News.

The decision to drop first class products from the route to the Australian city comes nearly a month after Etihad said it will stop all flights from Abu Dhabi to Perth also effective October 1. The carrier said at the time the cancellation is “one of several adjustments that we are making to our network in 2018 in order to improve system profitability.”

Etihad is currently undergoing a strategic review of its operations after it reported $1.87 billion in losses in 2016.

But beyond Etihad’s operations, demand for first class seats globally has been on the decline especially as an economic slowdown in the past few years led to lower consumer and corporate spending.

Moving from a three-class configuration to a two-class one also allows airlines to increase capacity on a route by adding cheaper seats in other cabin classes.