Etihad Now Selling Unbundled Business Class With Fewer Perks

Business class is exponentially more expensive than economy class. Part of that is because of its amenities. You can expect a better seat, better food, and dedicated service. But a larger part of that has to do with the perks, including airport lounge access, complimentary seat selection, and extra luggage allowance.

However, Etihad clearly thinks there’s some room for a middle ground because the airline has launched a “Value” business-class ticket lacking several benefits — offered at a marginally lower price.

Let’s take a look at the details, what you can expect with Etihad’s new business fare, and whether it’s worth the savings.

Etihad’s Value Business Class Product

Business class typically comes as a full-service ticket. After all, you’re typically shelling out 3 to 10 times more money than you would for an economy fare, so you’d better hope that you’re getting what you’ve paid for. However, airlines such as Qatar Airways and Air France-KLM have already rolled out Business Lite, which lacks many of the amenities to which you’re usually entitled in exchange for a cheaper ticket.

Now Etihad has done the same. Its full-service “Comfort” ticket includes the following:

• 2 checked bags up to 70 pounds
• Upgrade eligiblility
• Priority access
• Changes allowed (for a fee)
• Refunds allowed (for a fee)
• Seat selection
• Lounge access
• Etihad chauffeur
• Full miles earned

If you’d like to save a few bucks, the “Value” ticket is on sale and includes the following:

• 2 checked bags up to 70 pounds
• Upgrade eligiblility
• Priority access
• Changes allowed (for a fee)
• Reduced mileage earning

As you can see, you’re missing out on lounge access, you don’t get free seat selection, your ticket is nonrefundable, you don’t have access to the chauffeur, and you won’t earn full reward miles.

While your onboard experience will be the same, there are quite a few differences between the 2 fare types.

Is It Worth It?

Now, you may not be the kind of traveler who values airport lounge access, and if you’re not flying from Abu Dhabi’s airport (AUH), the chauffeur is moot. So in reality, let’s say you’re just paying for seat selection and earning fewer miles. How much cheaper is the Value ticket compared to the Comfort ticket?

We checked a round-trip flight from New York (JFK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH). In exchange for losing all those amenities, you can save a full $74 (or $148 roundtrip).

For reference, we value Etihad Guest miles at 1.4 cents each. In this example, you’re earning just 7,000 award miles on a Value ticket versus 14,000 on a Comfort ticket. That means you’re losing out on $98 worth of miles.

Also, seat selection ranges from $80 to $100 each way.

Final Thoughts

If you’re really tight on cash and need to save a few bucks on your business-class ticket, Etihad has a new option for you. Its Value fare includes fewer amenities — and likely costs more in the long run, unless you accept a random seat assignment — but, hey, someone will probably buy it.