The best seats in Pearl Business Class, Etihad Airbus A330-200

Travelling in business class from Brisbane to Abu Dhabi via Singapore with Virgin Australia's partner Etihad? The latest in our ongoing series of Best Seats guides brings you seat recommendations that can net you a few extra inches of bed length on board. 

Etihad has just under 20 of the A330-200 in its fleet, mainly used for medium-range flights to secondary European cities -- and on the Abu Dhabi-Singapore-Brisbane hop, which will go daily in February.

You'll find Etihad's impressive Pearl Business Class on board, with 22 seats fully flat seats -- all of which have direct aisle access -- in the popular staggered seating layout that means nobody has to clamber over anybody else to get to the aisle.

Note that this seating pattern means that middle pairs and window seats have a few inches more length in bed mode than their aisle compatriots.

The best seats on the plane

7A 7K: These window seats are furthest away from sources of noise and disturbance like the galley kitchens and lavatories. They're also the longer version of the seats if you're taller.

9A 9K 5A 5K: The other four window seats in the cabin are a good bet if you can't get the ones in row 5.

7E 7F: While the middle pairs are a little close to each other if you don't know the person you're travelling with really well, the extra length is a bonus, as with all middle seats.

The worst seats on the plane

5K: right next to the lavatory, this is one of the noisiest spots on the plane. Avoid it if you can.

10E 10F: many passengers dislike these seats because they're all on their lonesome at the back of the cabin, right in front of the space where economy passengers congregate to use the lavatories immediately behind.

Elsewhere in our Best Seats series: 

• Business Class on United's 747
• Club World (Business Class) on British Airways' 747
• Business Class on Singapore Airlines' A380
• Business Class on Emirates' 777-300ER
• Premium Economy on Qantas' A380.

John Walton

Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.