While Etihad is famous for The Apartments, we shouldn’t forget the excellent business class product it also offers.
Business class is a great way to experience Etihad’s amazing service. You’ll get a lie-flat seat with direct aisle access, gourmet food, and terrific service.
Let’s take a closer look at what makes Etihad one of the world’s best airlines, and learn how to book this fantastic business class product using miles.
A Look Inside Etihad Business Class
One of the most important aspects of business class is a comfortable lie-flat seat. Etihad business class definitely comes through on that front, but it takes it a step further.
All business class seats on its wide-body aircraft provide direct aisle access.
Relax in your lie-flat business class seat with Etihad. Image Credit: Greg Stone
You might be wondering why this is so important. A lie-flat seat is great so you can sleep more comfortably on those long-haul flights. However, without direct aisle access, there are some possible downsides: either the person sitting next to you will have to climb over you, or you will have to climb over them if one of you is sleeping. Not exactly convenient if one of you wants to take a short walk or use the restroom!
With Etihad’s on-demand dining, you’ll also be able to choose whatever you want from the menu and when you want to have your meal. If you’re hungry at the beginning of the flight, go ahead and order. If you’d prefer to get settled or take nap first, the flight attendants will be happy to serve you a bit later.
Of course, the fun doesn’t just start on the plane — it starts long before that!
Once at the airport, you’ll have lounge access where you can enjoy Etihad’s excellent catering and your choice of beer, wine, or liquor. When flying business class, you’ll want to get to the airport early so you have the chance to relax in the lounge for a bit.
If you aren’t departing from Etihad’s hub in Abu Dhabi, you’ll still have access to its partner lounges at airports around the world.
How To Book Etihad Business Class
Okay, enough about what you’ll get on this amazing flight. Let’s talk about how you can book this experience with your miles and points.
Etihad Guest
On Etihad’s website, you can estimate how many miles would be required to fly in business class. Image Credit: Etihad Airways
If you’re looking for the easiest possible way to book this flight, look no further than Etihad’s own frequent flyer program, Etihad Guest. It is the most straightforward award program to use if you want to book Etihad award flights completely online.
Follow these steps to book your flight:
- Go to Etihad.
- Select your route, travel dates, and class of service.
- You will be prompted to log in.
- Select your desired flight.
- You want to find Guest Business award space (otherwise you will be overpaying).
- Review the mileage cost and the taxes/fees.
- Complete your business class booking.
Earning Etihad Guest Miles
Etihad Guest has transfer partnerships with American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Marriott Bonvoy.
You can transfer points from Amex, Citi, or Capital One at a 1:1 ratio, as well as Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio. You’ll get a bonus of 5,000 Etihad Guest miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
Transfers from Amex and Citi are almost instant, while Capital One and Marriott Bonvoy take 36 hours and 3 business days, respectively.
Hot Tip: Check out our Transfer Partner Calculator. It’s an easy way to determine how many points you’ll need for your next flight award!
Don’t forget to check out some of the other great options for redeeming your Etihad Guest miles!
Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)
Business Owner? Check out our article on the best Amex business cards that earn Membership Rewards points.
Asiana Airlines Mileage Club
You can fly to the Middle East on Etihad Airways using Asiana miles for some great prices! Image Credit: Asiana Airlines
Asiana Airlines’ Asiana Club provides an exceptionally cheap way to book Etihad business class.
For a one-way ticket from the U.S. to Abu Dhabi, you are going to be paying 60,000 miles (150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) in business class or 120,000 miles (300,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, which gets you 125,000 Asiana miles) round-trip.
Unfortunately, Asiana Airlines only has 1 way to earn miles: transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Asiana
If you have plenty of Marriott Bonvoy points, follow these steps to book your Etihad Business class flights:
- Go to Etihad Guest’s website.
- Select your route, travel dates, and business class.
- Log in using your e-mail and password (you may receive a one-time password when attempting to log in, so check your e-mail and enter the OTP to finish logging in).
- Find your desired flight.
- You need to find Guest Business award space to redeem Asiana miles.
- Review the mileage cost and the taxes/fees.
- Call Asiana Club at 800-227-4262 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PST Monday to Friday and ask to hold the award reservation before transferring your Marriott Bonvoy points.
- If the representative is not willing to do so, hang up and call again; you should be able to reach a representative that can hold it for you.
- Transfer the points and call Asiana Club to confirm your booking and pay for taxes and fees using a credit card.
Earning Asiana Club Miles
Asiana Airlines is transfer partners with 1 currency: Marriott Bonvoy.
Marriott Bonvoy transfers to Asiana at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 Asiana miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Asiana at once.
It takes approximately 4 business days for Marriott Bonvoy points to transfer to Asiana.
Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards
Bottom Line: Asiana Club often offers the best redemption prices; unfortunately, these miles are difficult to earn with just 1 transfer partner. Still, it might be worth it to transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to book an Etihad business class flight.
American Airlines AAdvantage
American AAdvantage miles are one of the most popular ways to book flights on Etihad Airways. Image Credit: American Airlines
American Airlines’ AAdvantage program is one of the go-to programs to use for booking Etihad business class. AAdvantage miles are also pretty easy to acquire.
Unlike the Etihad Guest program, American requires you to book Etihad flights over the phone.
If you follow the steps below, this should still be an easy booking process for you.
- Visit Etihad’s website.
- Select your route, travel dates, and class of service.
- Find Guest Business award space.
- To book with American miles, you must find Guest Business availability on Etihad’s site.
- Note the flight number, date, and time.
- Call American Airlines’ Australian call center at +61-2-91011948 with Skype or Google Voice.
- Ask them to search for Etihad business class award space (you might have to provide the flight number).
- Once they find the space, ask them to put the award on hold (holds last 5 days).
- Call the U.S.-based American Airlines call center at 800-882-8880 to complete your booking.
American AAdvantage offers many options for award flights, so be sure to look around for ideas.
Earning American Airlines Miles
American Airlines AAdvantage has 2 transfer partners: Marriott Bonvoy and Bilt Rewards.
Marriott Bonvoy transfers to AAdvantage at a 3:1 ratio within 2 days with a bonus of 5,000 AAdvantage miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at once. Bilt Rewards transfers at a 1:1 ratio.
The other way you can easily earn American Airlines miles is through Citi’s or Barclays’ array of co-branded cards.
Hot Tip: Don’t forget to request an award hold for 5 days when redeeming American Airlines miles! This buys you a bit more time if you’re still finalizing your travel plans.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Image Credit: Air Canada
Thanks to the neat partnership between Etihad and Air Canada, you can now use your Aeroplan points to fly Etihad business class!
Air Canada also does not pass on carrier-imposed surcharges on any Etihad bookings, making using your Aeroplan points an attractive option.
Aeroplan also allows you to redeem an extra 5,000 points to add a stopover to your booking, which also requires a phone call to book.
Here’s what you need to know to make a booking:
- Visit Etihad’s website.
- Select your route, travel dates, and class of service.
- Find Guest First award space.
- Note the flight number, date, and time.
- Once you’ve confirmed “Guest” award availability, call Air Canada at 866-689-8080 to book your award if you are also adding a stopover (otherwise, skip to step 6).
- Go to the Air Canada website and log into your Aeroplan account.
- On the homepage, choose Points in the search box.
- Fill in the search box with the information from step 4.
- Perform the search, redeem your Aeroplan points, and pay for the taxes and fees using a credit card.
Earning Air Canada Aeroplan Points
Air Canada Aeroplan has transfer partnerships with Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.
Amex, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, and Chase all transfer almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio.
Marriott Bonvoy transfers in around 5 business days at a 3:1 ratio. There’s also a transfer bonus of 5,000 Aeroplan points when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to Aeroplan.
Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)
Business Owner? Check out our article on the best Chase business cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points.
Bottom Line: To book Etihad business class award flights using Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Air Canada Aeroplan gives you the best shot!
Great Etihad Business Class Redemptions
Try flying business class on Etihad’s Airbus A380. Image Credit: Greg Stone
American Airlines often has better redemption rates than Etihad Guest.
But depending on the transferable points you have, Etihad Guest can be a great option for booking business class, as well.
The best frequent flyer program will also depend on what exact route you’re flying, which is why we’ve built this table that walks you through how much each of the 4 frequent flyer programs charge for some of the most popular Etihad flights:
| Route (One-Way) |
Etihad Miles Cost |
Aeroplan Points Cost |
Asiana Miles Cost |
American Airlines Miles Cost |
| Chicago (ORD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) |
100,000 miles + ~$331-$371 |
85,000 points + ~$50 |
60,000 miles + ~$331-$371 |
70,000 miles + ~$62 |
| Johannesburg (JNB) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) |
66,250 miles + ~$185-$223 |
45,000 points + ~$50 |
60,000 miles + ~$185-$223 |
55,000 miles + ~$62 |
| London (LHR) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) |
62,500 miles + ~$234-$517 |
45,000 points + ~$64-$346 |
30,000 miles + ~$185-$452 |
42,500 miles + ~$62-$346 |
| New York (JFK) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) |
100,000 miles + ~$331-$371 |
85,000 points + ~$50 |
60,000 miles + ~$331-$371 |
70,000 miles + ~$62 |
| Paris (CDG) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) |
62,500 miles + ~$185 |
45,000 points + ~$50 |
30,000 miles + ~$185 |
42,500 miles + ~$62 |
| Seoul (ICN) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) |
72,500 miles + ~$175-$183 |
60,000 points + ~$50 |
60,000 + miles + ~$175-$183 |
40,000 miles + ~$62 |
| Sydney (SYD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) |
100,000 miles + ~$68-$356 |
100,000 points + ~$50 |
82,500 miles + ~$68-$356 |
80,000 miles + ~$62 |
| Tokyo (NRT) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) |
86,250 miles + ~$185 |
80,000 points + ~$50 |
60,000 + miles + ~$185 |
40,000 miles + ~$62 |
| Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) |
120,000 miles + ~$331-$371 |
85,000 points + ~$50 |
60,000 miles + ~$331-$371 |
70,000 miles + ~$62 |
| Zurich (ZRH) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) |
62,500 miles + ~$185 |
45,000 points + ~$50 |
30,000 miles + ~$185 |
42,500 miles + ~$62 |
Here are some impressive redemptions you can book to try Etihad business class:
- Abu Dhabi (AUH) – London-Heathrow (LHR) one-way in Etihad business class for 30,000 Asiana miles + ~$185 in taxes and fees
- Chicago (ORD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad business class for 85,000 Aeroplan points + ~$50 in taxes and fees
- Johannesburg (JNB) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad business class for 45,000 Aeroplan points + ~$50 in taxes and fees
- New York City (JFK) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad business class for 100,000 Etihad Guest miles + ~$50 in taxes and fees
- Paris (CDG) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad business class for 30,000 Asiana miles + ~$185 in taxes and fees
- Seoul-Incheon (ICN) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad business class for 40,000 American Airlines miles + ~$62 in taxes and fees
- Sydney (SYD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad business class for 100,000 Aeroplan points + ~$50 in taxes and fees
- Tokyo-Narita (NRT) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad business class for 40,000 American Airlines miles + ~$62 in taxes and fees
- Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad business class for 60,000 Asiana miles + ~$371 in taxes and fees
- Zurich (ZRH) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad business class for 30,000 Asiana miles + ~$185 in taxes and fees
How To Earn Enough Miles for Etihad Business Class
Etihad business class inventory is very easy to find. Although the edge goes to those booking far in advance, it’s generally pretty easy to find availability close to departure.
Overall, Asiana and American offer the lowest mileage costs for flights between the U.S. and Abu Dhabi, which is probably what most travelers are interested in.
If you happen to be flying between Europe and the Middle East, it’s a fantastic deal to redeem Asiana miles.
For flights between Africa and the Middle East, we recommend redeeming Aeroplan points.
Lastly, for flights between Asia and the Middle East, it’s the best deal to redeem American miles.
If you have transferable points, the best programs are Air Canada Aeroplan and Etihad Guest.
If you have a bunch of Marriott Bonvoy points, you can transfer your points to Asiana Club or American Airlines AAdvantage.
Here are the transferable currencies you can use for Etihad business class:
- Amex Membership Rewards points transfer almost instantly to Air Canada Aeroplan and Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio.
- Bilt Rewards points transfer almost instantly to American Airlines AAdvantage at a 1:1 ratio.
- Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer almost instantly to Air Canada Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio.
- Citi ThankYou Points transfer almost instantly to Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio.
- Capital One miles transfer in around 36 hours to Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio and Air Canada Aeroplan almost instantly at a 1:1 ratio.
- Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Asiana Club (4 days), American Airlines AAdvantage (2 days), Air Canada Aeroplan (5 days), and Etihad Guest (3 days) at a 3:1 ratio with a bonus of 5,000 miles whenever you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points all at once.
Miles Plus Cash
If you’re short on miles and points or value them more than 0.9 cents per point, you’ll be pleased to hear that you can purchase Etihad Guest miles for 0.9 cents per point, up to 25% of your award ticket.
This is a phenomenal deal, as most anybody would consider its points more valuable than 0.9 cents per point!
This is called Miles Plus Cash. Once you’re ready to book your flight, simply use the slider to customize your exact points and miles cost.
Even if you do have enough points to transfer to Etihad Guest, it might be wise to simply purchase 25% of the award cost at 0.9 cents per point to preserve your points and miles.
Opportunities to purchase miles at less than 1 cent per point are very rare, and this is one of them.
Give this lots of consideration before you book your Etihad Guest redemptions.
When Should You Search for Award Space?
Start looking for business class award space as soon as you know the routes you want to fly and what days you are free to fly them.
Award space can open up more than 300 days prior to departure, or come available in the last couple of weeks before departure.
For this reason, it’s best to check Etihad’s site regularly if you don’t see space during your first search.
What Do You Get With Etihad Business Class?
We already went over some of the great aspects of Etihad business class, but let’s go a little deeper.
Etihad Premium Lounge
When flying out of cities around the world, you can enjoy terrific lounge access. Image Credit: Etihad
In Abu Dhabi (AUH), you will have access to the Etihad Premium Lounge, which includes an international buffet so that you can enjoy a nice meal while you wait for your business class flight.
Etihad also provides a first and business class lounge at 9 other airports: Dublin (DUB), London (LHR), Los Angeles (LAX), Manchester (MAN), Melbourne (MEL), New York (JFK), Paris (CDG), Sydney (SYD), and Washington, D.C. (IAD).
If you’re using another airport, Etihad has partnered with business class lounges all over the world to make your trip more enjoyable.
Business Class Catering
From the meals in the business class lounge to the meals you’ll enjoy on your flight, you will always be well-fed when flying business class.
Like Etihad first class, business class also provides an on-demand dining service. Just check out the menu, decide what you want to eat, and let your flight attendant know what you’d like and when you’d like to have it.
Hot Tip: Check out our detailed and picture-rich reviews of Etihad business class aboard an A380 and a 787-9.
Final Thoughts
Etihad always earns high praise, and its business class experience is one of the reasons why. If you’re looking for an awesome business class product, Etihad provides just that.
There are several ways to earn the necessary points to book this ticket, making the experience accessible to just about anyone. The next time you’re flying through the Middle East, give Etihad a look. You won’t regret it!
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card, click here.
