Etihad Airways discontinued first class travel to New York in spring. The airline has since extended the suspension of service a few more times and has now extended it even further. This seems to me like a permanent change.It shouldn't be surprising, considering that Etihad has grounded and likely retired its entire A380 fleet, has plans to retire its entire 777 fleet, has only five Boeing 787-9s with First Class, which raises many questions about Etihads future viability.Etihad removes first class on JFK flightsEtihad Airways now has a scheduled two-cabin Boeing 787-9 between Abu Dhabi and New York (JFK), through January 31, 2022. This change was first implemented on March 27, 2021 and has been extended for several months. This means that Etihad will only offer economy and business class flights to New York.Etihad flew three cabin Boeing 787-9s on the route from the outbreak of the pandemic to March 2021. First class was provided. Etihad then began operating a 2-cabin 787 on this route. It was initially through July 1. Then it was through August 31. Then it was through October 30. Now it is through January 31. It has operated a few times a three-cabin aircraft for short periods depending on aircraft availability. However, it has not been consistent.Since we are only talking about one flight, why would I mention the suspension of first class?This trend is interesting to me, and it's a good indicator of Etihads overall product offering.I know that many people redeem Etihad miles for Etihad First Class. Etihad is terrible about not informing customers when they are downgraded. I feel it makes sense to highlight this information for anyone who has booked tickets.Etihads 787 first classTo compare the capacities of both configurations:The plane with three cabins has eight first-class seats. The plane with two cabins has no first-class seats.Both the three-cabin and 2-cabin planes have 28 business class seating.The three-cabin plane can carry 195 economy-class seats while the two-cabin plane can hold 271 economy-class seatsEtihads Boeing 787-9You can see that the two-cabin plane is equipped with 68 extra seats. It also has 76 economy seats and eight first class seats.Perhaps the most striking thing about this is the fact that Etihad continues to fly a three-cabin Boeing 787-9 to Washington Dulles during this period. This makes one wonder if there is more demand for Washington first-class, more New York economy, or if this is about capital to capital prestige. It seems that all three are true in the case Etihad.Etihads 787 business classEtihads JFK route is certain to have fallenAlthough the pandemic clearly had an adverse impact on the airline industry it is still amazing to see how much capacity has been lost between Abu Dhabi, New York and even before the coronavirus.Etihad used two daily A380s to fly between Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, and New York.Etihad has reduced the New York route to just one A380 per day as of October 2018.Soon after the pandemic began, Etihad grounded all its A380 aircraft and started flying a three-cabin, 787-9 from New York.The airline is expanding its capacity with a two-cabin 787-9. However, it is also eliminating first class.It seems that Etihad does not plan to fly the A380 again. The Boeing 787-9 may be the best option for the New York route. Etihad plans to eventually take delivery of A350s, but we don't know yet how they will be configured or what routes they'll be used on.The Etihad A380 is what I miss most!Bottom lineEtihad has been flying a Boeing 787 with two cabins to New York for almost a year. This means that the airline doesn't offer first class. Given that Etihad only five 787-9s have first class and are tied up between Washington and London, I wouldn't be surprised to see the plane swap continue for a longer period.I would expect Etihad to make a permanent change unless it acquires new planes with First Class (which we have no reason for believing is happening), pulls 787s from London (which seems unlikely), pulls 787s from Washington (which also seems unlikely for many reasons), etc.Is it surprising that Etihad has removed first class from the New York route?
