About to fly Ethiad to Paris from Sydney via Abu Dhabi (T3).

About to fly Ethiad to Paris from Sydney via Abu Dhabi (T3). Have been told transit is not a good experience. Any comments would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi! I flew from Sydney to Frankfurt via Abu Dhabi last year, and could not fault the transit process! It was very quick, efficient and overall a great transit! The dedicated Etihad terminal is smaller than the larger Dubai and Singapore terminals, but this is a good thing, as transit is quick and more efficient! If you are flying Etihad Diamond First or Pearl Business Class, or if you are an Etihad Guest Gold Member, or a high tier Virgin Australia Velocity memberm you will have access to the Etihad lounges within the Etihad terminal building, however, from my experience, and what I have heard from others, the lounges can get quite busy and cramped! 

Also,  tip when flying Etihad from Sydney! Make sure you tell them that you want your bags checked all the way through to Paris, and most importantly, ask them to issue a boarding pass for the Abu Dhabi to Paris sector as well! They are able to do so, but from my experience, you usually need to request it specifically, otherwise they wont issue it. By having the boarding pass for your AUH-CDG sector issued, it will save time waiting in the usually lengthy queue for the Etihad transfer desk! Saves some stress, and more time to shop in the duty free section and enjoy the terminal's facilities! 

Hope that helped! Please ask if you have any further questions, as I am happy to answer them! 

Hi, I flew on Etihad late last year and found the Abu Dhabi terminal rather pleasant. It doesn't have the extensive facilities and variety such as Singapore or HK, but was still acceptable.

As per Brad's above comments, if you are flying Bus or First the lounge facilities are great, especially First, with great ala carte dining, nice spa (with complimentary treatments) and cigar lounge

Be aware that etihad calls the flight for boarding well ahead of the actual boarding time, and even though the walk from the lounge to the gate is approximately 5 minutes, on a few occasions you end up waiting to board. In fact, once I ended up walking back to the lounge and asked the staff to call me once the flight actually commenced boarding.

I've made the transit through Abu Dhabi a few times with varying experiences from the pleasant through to extremely frustrating. The main frustration comes when you need to transfer between terminals. Both are connected via an internal walkway, but at peak times congestion at the security check points can be overwhelming. Last time I went through Abu Dhabi, I was stuck in a crowd of hundreds (no exaggeration at all). With no staff present and very limited coverage from security personnel to direct the crowd, it was pretty hideous and took about 45 minutes to get through.

When you're on your flight and starting the approach into Abu Dhabi, the crew usually come around with a personalised connection card telling you which gate your next flight will depart from. Check with them if this means you will need to change terminals. If you do, head over quickly to try and beat the crowds as much as possible.

My main recommendation would be to make your way to the lounge as soon as you arrive in Abu Dhabi, I don't think the terminal itself has much else to offer to keep you occupied. Head to the lounge in the terminal where your next flight departs from--I went to the lounge once in the terminal where I'd arrived and was told to go to the other terminal instead.

When you get to the lounge, pop into the spa to see if they have any appointments available. You'll have a better chance of getting a great 15-minute massage if you get in early. They'll give you an appointment time which will leave you some time to sample to food and drink on offer.