You Can Now Use Etihad Guest Miles To Book Flights on Maldivian

If you’ve been to the Maldives or have seen social media content about the tropical islands, you’ve likely encountered a typical sight in the archipelago: the distinctive Twin Otter seaplanes flown by Maldivian. Now, there’s a new way to fly on the airline.

You can now use Etihad Guest miles to fly with Maldivian, adding another interesting choice to Etihad’s roster of partners. That’s a welcome addition, since the Maldives are one of the most sought-after destinations for points travelers, and the turboprops flown by Maldivian are a vital link for the islands, sprawled over a vast expanse of the Indian Ocean.

Etihad Guest Now Has 28 Airline Partners

With this new addition, reported by Loyalty Lobby, the Abu Dhabi-based airline now has a whopping 28 airline partners that you can book with Etihad Guest miles.

That list includes American Airlines, Air Canada, and JetBlue, and while Maldivian is the smallest of Etihad’s partners, it can be a useful one. Its network includes several islands in the Maldives, served from the capital and international gateway airport, Male (MLE).

The airline’s De Havilland Twin Otter turboprops, 15-seat airplanes made in Canada and known for their rugged versatility, also connect many of the islands to one another. You’ll very likely find yourself on one if you land in Male for a stay at an island resort. If you pay cash for your vacation, the cost of the seaplane transfer from Male to the island is generally part of the price.

If you use points for your stay, though, you’ll have to pay for the seaplane flight yourself, and that’s where the Etihad partnership can come in handy. Cash rates for Maldivian seaplane flights can be high, so having the option to pay points is great.

However, at the time of this writing, we don’t know what the cost in Etihad miles of seaplane flights on Maldivian will be, since the partnership isn’t live on the Etihad site yet.

We do know that Etihad miles will be usable to book not just Maldivian’s seaplane flights but also its regional connections to airports in Asia and Australia, operated by larger, land-based aircraft.

How To Earn Etihad Miles

Etihad Guest miles can be earned by flying with Etihad Airways or its airline partners, but you don’t need to be a frequent flyer to rack up a lot of those miles. In fact, you don’t need to fly Etihad or its partners at all.

That’s because you can transfer points to Etihad Guest from American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

All of those points transfer at a 1:1 ratio, except for points from a Citi no-annual-fee card, which transfer at a 1:0.7 ratio.

You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Etihad at a rate of 3:1, and for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer, you’ll receive a bonus of 5,000 Etihad miles.

Other options for earning points include hotel partner stays, rental car bookings, and purchasing through the Etihad Guest Reward Shop.

Final Thoughts

Gulf-based Etihad Airways, which connects several points in the U.S. to Abu Dhabi and beyond, just added another airline partner that you can book using Etihad Guest miles. It’s Maldivian, the airline of the island nation in the Indian Ocean. That matters to travelers because a seaplane connection on Maldivian is often needed to reach the gorgeous island resorts of the Maldives — and those internal flights can be pricey.

With Etihad miles, there is now an option to use points for those flights, and even better news? You can transfer points to Etihad from several major credit card points programs.