Etihad’s latest amenity kits head in the right direction

There is a temptation in aviation to look at amenity kits purely through the lens of the product inside them. Which skincare brand? Which pouch supplier? Which fragrance? Which sleep mist? Yet increasingly, the most interesting airlines are beginning to understand that these smaller touchpoints matter for a far bigger reason. They are not simply giveaways. They are part of the wider ecosystem of the brand.

That is what makes Etihad Airways’ new Destination Collection amenity kits feel like a step in the right direction. On the surface, the update is relatively straightforward. The airline has introduced a new range of Business Class kits featuring destination-inspired illustrations tied to cities across the Etihad network, alongside a new skincare partnership with Laneige. But underneath that sits something more interesting: Etihad slowly beginning to place its own brand, rather than somebody else’s, back at the centre of the experience.

For years, Etihad’s Giorgio Armani partnership helped position the airline within a luxury framework. But these new kits noticeably remove the Giorgio Armani branding prominence that previously dominated the experience. Whether this signals the relationship quietly winding down remains to be seen, but creatively, it arguably allows Etihad itself to breathe again.

Across the last year, the airline has been developing a softer illustrative language that is beginning to appear across multiple touchpoints. Its First Class finjan coffee cups introduced destination-inspired artwork and collectable visual storytelling into the onboard experience, and now these Business Class kits continue that same thinking. Suddenly, Etihad feels less reliant on external luxury branding and more interested in building its own visual world.

This new amenity kit collection reflects everything Etihad stands for: thoughtful design, a strong sense of place, and an elevated guest experience. Celebrating destinations across our network and partnering with LANEIGE to enhance inflight wellbeing, we’re going beyond to create an experience that feels personal, curated, and beautifully considered for our Business guests. Each kit a collectable keepsake inspired by the places we connect and meaningful even after your journey ends.

Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer Etihad Airways

More importantly, it hints at an airline beginning to understand the value of collectability. In an era where premium aviation products increasingly risk blending into one another, the emotional value of something passengers want to keep, photograph, compare or collect becomes surprisingly powerful. These are small objects, but they become memory anchors. A beautifully illustrated coffee cup from Abu Dhabi. A Seoul-themed amenity kit picked up on a flight to Korea. Small moments of ownership that extend the airline beyond the seat itself.

That said, there are still areas where the execution could become even sharper. The kits feature GPS coordinates linked to destinations, a thoughtful detail in principle, but one that feels slightly disconnected from aviation’s own heritage. Traditionally, aeronautical and nautical industries use coordinates expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds rather than simplified digital map coordinates. It is a tiny detail, admittedly, but one that could have added another subtle layer of authenticity and romance to the storytelling.

Similarly, some of the coordinates appear more symbolic than literal. Abu Dhabi, for example, seems pinned closer to the centre of the city rather than to the exact location represented in the artwork itself. Again, a small observation, but in luxury branding, the smallest details are often the difference between good and truly exceptional.

Yet those criticisms almost reinforce the broader point: Etihad finally feels like it is building something cohesive enough for these details to matter.

This also connects to a much wider conversation happening across premium aviation right now. Airlines can no longer rely solely on flat beds, doors and bigger screens to differentiate themselves. Those have become baseline expectations. Increasingly, differentiation will come from how coherently an airline connects all the touchpoints around the product. The storytelling. The rituals. The objects. The visual language. The emotional cues passengers encounter from lounge to landing.

And this is where Etihad has an opportunity. Rather than treating these illustrations as disposable graphics hidden inside amenity kits, the airline could elevate them into a broader artistic ecosystem. Imagine these pieces framed and displayed within the Business Class Lounge in Abu Dhabi. Imagine the finjan artwork, amenity kit illustrations and wider destination storytelling all sharing one cohesive illustrative language. Suddenly, the passenger journey begins to feel connected. Considered. Intentional.

It is a reminder that branding in aviation is no longer simply about logos and colours. The future belongs to airlines capable of creating worlds passengers emotionally want to step into. These new kits may seem like a relatively small update. But creatively, they hint at a much bigger shift taking place underneath.

About the kits

At the heart of the collection is the Abu Dhabi Edition (#1), a tribute to Etihad’s home and strong Emirati heritage. Featuring the Zayed National Museum, the design reflects the city’s spirit of ambition and progress that continues to inspire the airline’s journey. Other cities include Krabi (#2), Mumbai (#3), Lisbon (#4) Addis Ababa (#5), Calgary (#6), Atlanta (#7). Each flight will be loaded with a mixed selection of colours and destinations, ensuring guests encounter a different design each time they fly, encouraging collectability and making every journey feel unique.

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