Best Ways To Book Etihad First Class Using Points [2023]

When Etihad released The Apartments, it took first class flying to the next level. Considered by many to be the best first class experience in the world, The Apartments defined luxury flying. Sadly, the Etihad A380s that exclusively offered The Apartments have been grounded due to lack of demand, and it seems increasingly likely that these will be retired permanently.

But not to worry! Even on Etihad flights without The Apartments, you’ll still have a great first class suite and stellar first class lounge access.

Etihad first class is one flight experience you won’t want to miss!

Table of contents

A Look Inside Etihad First Class
How To Book Etihad First Class
Great Etihad First Class Redemptions
How To Earn Enough Miles for Etihad First Class
When Should You Search for Award Space?
What Makes Etihad First Class a Great Redemption
- First Class Lounge
- First Class Dining
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

A Look Inside Etihad First Class
How To Book Etihad First Class
Great Etihad First Class Redemptions
How To Earn Enough Miles for Etihad First Class
When Should You Search for Award Space?
What Makes Etihad First Class a Great Redemption
- First Class Lounge
- First Class Dining
Final Thoughts

A Look Inside Etihad First Class

When you fly in an Etihad first class suite, you’re going to have an amazing journey starting from the moment you set foot in the airport.

You can fly in the first class suite exclusively on the 787 (also known as the Dreamliner).

The first class product is a spacious suite with motorized doors, lie-flat leather seats, an ottoman, an oversized inflight monitor, and a personal minibar.

Etihad first class suites — Enjoy a luxury experience in an Etihad first class suite. Image Credit: Etihad

Before boarding your flight, you can savor a luxury lounge experience with white tablecloth dining services, a full cocktail bar, and showers.

Etihad Airways First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi Signature Bar — Enjoy a drink or a bite to eat at the bar in the Etihad First Class Lounge. Image Credit: Greg Stone

Whenever you fly first class, you’ll also have the opportunity to visit the highly-rated Etihad First Class Lounge when flying out of Etihad’s home airport in Abu Dhabi.

Additionally, you’ll have access to its premium lounges when departing from the U.S. and other cities around the world. Last but not least, Abu Dhabi also has a welcome lounge for you to enjoy upon arrival.

How To Book Etihad First Class

We’ve only just begun to look at why the Etihad first class experience is one of the most sought-after flights in the world.

Before we dig in some more, let’s talk about how you can book this awesome flight!

Etihad Guest

Etihad miles calculator — One of the easiest ways to fly Etihad first class is online on its website. Image Credit: Etihad

Etihad’s own loyalty program, Etihad Guest, is the most straightforward way to book Etihad award tickets, and it is one of 2 ways you can book this flight online.

To complete a booking online, follow these simple steps:

Go to Etihad’s website.
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 First award space (otherwise you will be overpaying!).
Review the mileage cost and the taxes/fees.
Complete your first class booking.

Earning Etihad Guest Miles

Etihad Guest is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

You can transfer Amex and Citi points, as well as Capital One miles at a 1:1 ratio. Amex and Citi are both almost instant, while Capital One takes around 36 hours.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio to Etihad Guest with a bonus of 5,000 Etihad miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at once. Marriott Bonvoy takes 3 business days to transfer to Etihad.

Hot Tip: Check out our Transfer Partner Calculator to quickly determine the required number of points for your award!

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

Business Owner? Check out our article on the best Amex business cards that earn Membership Rewards points.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Thanks to the partnership between Etihad and Air Canada, you can now use your Aeroplan points to fly Etihad first class!

Better yet, the rates are quite reasonable and Etihad does not pass on carrier-imposed surcharges on Aeroplan bookings.

Here is the one-way award chart between North America and Atlantic zones for partner airlines:

Distance (Miles)	Economy	Business	First
0 to 4,000	35,000	60,000	90,000
4,001 to 6,000	40,000	70,000	100,000
6,001 to 8,000	55,000	85,000	120,ooo
8,001+	70,000	100,000	130,000

Another characteristic of Aeroplan is that you can pay an additional 5,000 points to add a stopover!

Just bear in mind that adding a stopover requires a call to Air Canada to book, as well as the consideration that the new flight distance is the sum of each segment’s flight distance.

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 First award availability, visit Air Canada’s website.
Log into your Aeroplan account.
On the redirected page after logging in, toggle the slider that says Points.
Enter the flight details from step 4.
Reconfirm that the flight is available on Aeroplan’s website.
Complete the booking by redeeming your Aeroplan points and using a credit card for taxes and fees.
- You can also call Aeroplan at 866-689-8080 to book your award if you are adding a stopover.

Earning Air Canada Aeroplan Points

Air Canada Aeroplan is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Chase, Amex, and Capital One transfer at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio in around 5 business days. Also, there’s a transfer bonus of 5,000 Aeroplan points when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at a time to Aeroplan.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

Business Owner? Check out our article on the best Chase business cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points.

Asiana Airlines Asiana Club

Although using Asiana miles is not quite as straightforward as Etihad Guest, putting in the extra effort to call Asiana Club can definitely be worth it because it is the cheapest way to fly Etihad first class.

So if you want to save your precious points and have a bunch of Asiana miles or Marriott Bonvoy points, this is a great way to do so.

Here is Asiana’s one-way award chart:

Route	Economy	Business	First
North America to the Middle East	40,000	60,000	80,000

Overall, it will cost you 160,000 miles round-trip or 80,000 miles one-way plus taxes and fees to travel from the U.S. to the Middle East in first class.

If you have plenty of Marriott Bonvoy points or Asiana miles, follow these steps to book your Etihad first class flights:

Navigate to Etihad Guest.
Choose the route, first class, and your travel dates.
Log into Etihad Guest. You may be prompted to enter a one-time password that is sent to your e-mail for verification purposes.
Select the flight you want to take or click around the weekly calendar to look for availability around your best travel dates.
- You want to find Guest First award space (otherwise you will be overpaying).
Confirm the mileage cost and the taxes/fees.
- When Guest First award space is not available, you will see a ridiculous miles cost (900,000 to 1,000,000), which means this flight is unavailable for first class award redemptions.
Call Asiana Club at 800-227-4262, which is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PST Monday to Friday, and ask to hold the award reservation for up to 72 hours before transferring your Marriott Bonvoy points.
- Sometimes, the agent won’t be willing to hold your flights. If that happens, politely hang up and call again and you should be able to get a representative to hold your flights.
Transfer your Marriott Bonvoy points to Asiana Club.
Confirm and reserve the tickets by calling Asiana Club back. Pay any applicable taxes and fees using a credit card.

Earning Asiana Club Miles

Asiana miles, unfortunately, are difficult to earn. That’s because it has just 1 transfer partner: Marriott Bonvoy.

Transfers happen at a 3:1 ratio, and you’ll get a bonus of 5,000 Asiana miles if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at 1 time to Asiana Club. Transfers take around 4 business days to process.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

American Airlines AAdvantage

The American Airlines AAdvantage program is a favorite for many who are looking to enjoy superb redemption value on Etihad first class award tickets.

Here is the award chart for one-way awards:

Route	Economy	Business	First
Contiguous 48 U.S. states to the Middle East	40,000	70,000	115,000

Unlike the Etihad Guest and Air Canada Aeroplan programs, American requires you to book Etihad flights over the phone.

Here’s what you need to know:

Visit Etihad’s website.
Select your route, travel dates, and class of service.
Find Guest First award space.
- To book with AAdvantage miles, you must find Guest First availability on Etihad’s site.
Note the flight number, date, and time.
Call American Airlines’ Australian call center (+61-2-91011948) with Skype or Google Voice.
Ask them to search for first class award space on Etihad (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.

You have many different options for redeeming AAdvantage miles, so don’t think using Etihad is your only choice!

Earning American AAdvantage Miles

American Airlines AAdvantage has 2 transfer partners: Marriott Bonvoy and Bilt Rewards.

Bilt transfers almost instantly to American at a 1:1 ratio.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers to American at a 3:1 ratio. These transfers take around 2 business days to complete.

Also, you can earn American AAdvantage miles directly from the series of co-branded credit cards offered by Citi and Barclays.

Great Etihad First Class Redemptions

Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 First Class Middle Seats — Try first class aboard an Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9. Image Credit: Greg Stone

Generally, American AAdvantage will have better redemption rates than Etihad Guest. However, there are more ways to earn Etihad Guest miles, so that could be a good option for you as well. Other options include Air Canada Aeroplan and Asiana Club, both of which have their pros and cons.

One other important factor to consider is the fuel surcharges, which can significantly increase the taxes and fees on an award ticket.

Etihad and Asiana will require you to pay these surcharges while American and Air Canada will not, so your out-of-pocket costs will be lower.

Here are the total costs for a one-way Etihad first class booking on a handful of its routes with each frequent flyer program:

Route (One-Way)	Etihad Miles Cost	Air Canada Aeroplan Points Cost	Asiana Club Miles Cost	American AAdvantage Miles Cost
Casablanca (CMN) – Abu Dhabi (AUH)	96,500 miles + ~$185 to $223	65,000 points + ~$50	40,000 miles + ~$185 to $223	80,000 miles + ~$62
Geneva (GVA) – Abu Dhabi (AUH)	85,000 miles + ~$185	65,000 points + ~$50	40,000 miles + ~$185	62,500 miles + ~$62
London (LHR) – Abu Dhabi (AUH)	87,750 miles + ~$234 to $517	65,000 points + ~$64 to $346	40,000 miles + ~$185 to $452	62,500 miles + ~$62 to $346
New York (JFK) – Abu Dhabi (AUH)	136,250 miles + ~$331 to $371	120,000 points + ~$50	80,000 miles + ~$331 to $371	115,000 miles + ~$62
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH)	136,250 miles + ~$331 to $371	120,000 points + ~$50	80,000 miles + ~$331 to $371	115,000 miles + ~$62
Zurich (ZRH) – Abu Dhabi (AUH)	85,000 miles + ~$185	65,000 points + ~$50	40,000 miles + ~$185	62,500 miles + ~$62

Here are some incredible Etihad first class redemptions you can make:

Abu Dhabi (AUH) – London (LHR) one-way in Etihad first class for 65,000 Aeroplan points + ~$64 in taxes and fees
Casablanca (CMN) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad first class for 65,000 Aeroplan points +~$50 in taxes and fees
Geneva (GVA) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad first class for 62,500 American AAdvantage miles +~$62 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad first class for 80,000 Asiana miles +~$371 in taxes and fees
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad first class for 80,000 Asiana miles +~$371 in taxes and fees
Zurich (ZRH) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) one-way in Etihad first class for 85,000 Etihad Guest miles +~$62 in taxes and fees

How To Earn Enough Miles for Etihad First Class

As long as you find a route that is actually equipped with Etihad first class seats and is reasonably flexible, you should have a good shot at booking Etihad first class.

Before doing so, however, you need to amass enough points to book these flights!

Asiana Club offers the lowest points cost, but you’ll have a hard time earning enough miles unless you have a bunch of Marriott Bonvoy points. Also, all fuel surcharges are passed on.

American Airlines AAdvantage has a bunch of co-branded cards that earn miles directly, but besides that, you need to rely on transferring points from Marriott Bonvoy or Bilt Rewards to AAdvantage.

Aeroplan and Etihad Guest are probably the most realistic frequent flyer programs to use, thanks to transfer partnerships from major programs including American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

To summarize, these are the transferable currencies that can be used for Etihad first class bookings:

Amex Membership Rewards transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan and Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
Bilt Rewards transfer to American AAdvantage at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
Capital One miles transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly and Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio in around 36 hours.
Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
Citi ThankYou Points transfer to Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan (5 days), American Airlines AAdvantage (2 days), Asiana Club (4 days), and Etihad Guest (3 days), at a 3:1 ratio.

Unfortunately, there’s no current way to book Etihad first class using Brex Rewards points.

Miles Plus Cash

One last method to consider can actually reduce the number of Etihad Guest miles required for award redemptions.

When you’ve found award space on Etihad Guest and are ready to confirm your reservation, you can actually utilize the Miles Plus Cash option that allows you to use a sliding scale to customize your points and cash payments.

This effectively allows you to purchase points to use fewer Etihad Guest miles/top off your mileage balance for only 0.9 cents per point!

You can do this for up to 25% of the ticket price, which is an absolute no-brainer.

This is a phenomenal value, and it should be considered heavily when making award redemptions using Etihad Guest miles.

When Should You Search for Award Space?

Etihad does not consistently release first class award space at a specific time.

The sooner you have your travel dates narrowed down, the more luck you’ll have booking.

While you might not find award space immediately, check back regularly.

What Makes Etihad First Class a Great Redemption

Let’s talk a bit more about what you get during the Etihad first class experience.

First Class Lounge

Etihad First Class Apartment - Sydney Lounge — The Etihad First and Business Class Lounge at Sydney Airport. Image Credit: Alex Miller

In Abu Dhabi, you will have access to the exclusive Etihad First Class Lounge which includes a fully-staffed bar with a wide selection of wine and spirits. You can also order food from the bar menu or head to the dining room for a sit-down meal.

If that weren’t enough, you can also utilize the Six Senses Spa and Style & Shave. As a first class passenger, you will have your choice of a complimentary massage, facial, wet shave, nail, or blow-dry service.

You can also enjoy a nice cigar at the cigar lounge. If you’re a cigar lover, grab a beer or your favorite whiskey, sit back, relax, and enjoy a smoke. The lounge even has a gym!

Etihad 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). It also partners with other lounges at airports across the globe.

First Class Dining

Etihad First Class Apartment - Dining Appetizer Duck — Enjoy a fine-dining experience at 30,000 feet. Image Credit: Alex Miller

From fine dining in the Etihad First Class Lounge to your inflight meals, you won’t be disappointed with any of the food during your first class experience.

Your first class flight includes on-demand dining so you can choose what to eat and when you want to have it. Though the first class inflight chefs were eliminated as a result of COVID-19, the dining experience in first class is definitely built around your enjoyment!

Hot Tip: Unfortunately, Etihad cut its chauffeur service for all award flights, including those booked with its own miles.

Final Thoughts

It’s no wonder Etihad first class is a highly sought-after ticket! Etihad is truly one of the best first class products in the sky.

It’s truly a luxurious experience all the way through.

Take advantage of fine dining, amazing service, and your own cozy space. You’ll have more fun flying than ever before!

Now, go find Etihad award space and book your next adventure!

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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 Bevy™ American Express^® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, click here.

Featured Image Credit: Etihad

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to book Etihad first class?

The easiest way to book Etihad award flights is through either the Etihad Guest program or Air Canada Aeroplan. These are the only programs that allow you to book online.

However, you may be able to use fewer miles through the American Airlines AAdvantage or Asiana Club programs.

What credit cards can help me earn miles to fly Etihad first class?

If you earn Amex Membership Rewards points, Capital One miles, or Citi ThankYou Points, you can transfer them to Air Canada Aeroplan or Etihad Guest.

If you have Chase Ultimate Rewards points, you can transfer them to Air Canada Aeroplan.

If you have Marriott Bonvoy points, you can transfer them to American AAdvantage or Asiana Club.

If you have Bilt Rewards points, you can transfer them to American AAdvantage.

Lastly, American Airlines has a collection of co-branded credit cards issued by both Citi and Barclays that earn miles directly.

What do I get when flying Etihad first class?

When you fly Etihad First Class, you’ll enjoy one of the most lavish first class suites in the sky with plenty of privacy and luxury amenities.

Before your flight, you can relax with a drink or a cigar at the first class lounge. Don’t forget to get a shave, haircut, or massage!

Is Etihad Residence still available?

Unfortunately, the Etihad A380 aircraft that offer The Residence and First Class Apartments are currently grounded. It’s unclear when or if these aircraft will be reinstated again, though they are likely to be retired for good.

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About Spencer Howard

Always a fan of flying, it was only natural that Spencer was drawn to finding a way to improve the travel experience. Like many, he started this journey searching for cheap flights to take him around the world. This was fun for a while, but Spencer was intrigued by the idea of flying in business and first class! Throwing himself into what became an extensive research project, Spencer spent 3-4 hours per night learning everything he could about frequent flyer miles over the course of several months (he thinks this is normal).

Disclaimer: Any comments listed below are not from the bank advertiser, nor have they been reviewed or approved by them. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments.

36 comments

TM June 12, 2018

How far in advance do you need to book etihad 1st class?

Reply
- Michael McHugh June 12, 2018
  
  Hi TM
  
  I would look close-in (JFK to get the award inventory to from JFK>AUH to show up.
  
  Reply
Nash D December 28, 2018

I was wondering if it’s possible to add a lap infant to an Asiana airlines award ticket for travel on Etihad First? I just had a ton of trouble trying to do this through Asiana miles, and Etihad refused to add our son to the ticket as it was not issued by them. Wouldn’t they have the same problem with a ticket issued by Asiana too? Or is their problem only with Asiana-issued award tickets? Any ideas?

Reply
- Christine Krzyszton December 31, 2018
  
  Hello Nash. Although you are traveling on an Etihad-operated flight, Asiana is the carrier that issued the award ticket so they would be the airline to add the infant and reissue the ticket, if necessary. Your best bet is to contact Asiana. Expect to pay 10% of adult mileage cost plus taxes/fees.
  
  Reply
Jackson January 11, 2019

Hi, Do you know how the routing works for connecting flights?
Like say if I wanted to go from SYD –> AUH –> MLE. Would that be considered 100k AA miles? Or would I have to break it up to 2 segments? Thanks!

Reply
- Stephen Au January 11, 2019
  
  Hey Jackson,
  
  As long as you are not making a stopover, it will be priced at 100,000 AA miles. If you want to stop over in Abu Dhabi, you will need to pay for two separate segments, which is 100,000 + 40,000 for a total of 140,000 AA miles.
  
  Reply
  - Jackson January 12, 2019
    
    Awesome, Thanks!
    
    Do you know if there has been any success calling the American line +1-(800)-882-8880 ?
    
    Reply
    - Stephen Au January 15, 2019
      
      Hey Jackson,
      
      That’s the AAdvantage hotline. I find it convenient to call them, feed in some automated information about routes, number of passengers, etc. Thanks for reading!
      
      Reply
MillionMilerMan March 4, 2019

It seems the trick of calling the AA Australian Call Center is dead. They were apparently the only call center that regularly showed EY F (from AUH to the US) availability when the US, UK and other AA Call Centers showed no availability. I’ve been trying to contact the AA Australian Call Center for 3 days at all times of the day. Every time, I get forwarded to the Call Center in the Caribbean (usually Trinidad)–and they do not show availability. This morning I was told by an agent in the Caribbean that they now get 100% of the calls to the Australian Call Center. So, anyone that finds a new trick for unlocking EY F via AA, do let us know.

Reply
- James Larounis March 5, 2019
  
  Hi Jeff – I was able to call just the other evening and had no issues getting through to the Australian call center. It is my understanding that the Australian call center is still up and running and fully functional.
  
  Reply
  - maxraxstax June 18, 2019
    
    It didn’t work with Australia. I called New Zealand instead and they had no issue, found availability and were able to book. Worked great. It seems some Aus agents can’t see it anymore, but all NZ can.
    
    Reply
    - Gene July 12, 2019
      
      maxraxstax – what is the New Zealand call center number? Thanks!
      
      Reply
      - Gene July 17, 2019
        
        DP:
        
        Called the New Zealand call center via Skype at +64 09-308-4014 and they were able to easily and quickly find the availability and put it on hold for me. Booking the flight now!
      - Stephen Au July 17, 2019
        
        Great! I myself held an Etihad First Class flight yesterday via the NZ call center on Skype (WeChat Out). Thanks for reading!
Rion March 29, 2019

I heard booking etihad Apartment JFK to AUH with AA miles is no longer available. NO?

Reply
- Alex Miller March 30, 2019
  
  Hey Rion – that’s incorrect, you can still use AA miles for EY Apartment. Finding availability is very tough from JFK > AUH, but the other way around is a lot easier!
  
  Reply
Juan April 12, 2019

I’m planning on visiting the following cities in the the middle east and Africa (Amman, Tel Aviv, El Cairo) and I want to fly back to NY on Etihad’s apartment AUH-JFK with a final destination being Miami.
I would like to know how could I book with miles the route, starting on either of the three cities, then AUH-JFK, miami. I know it’s ambitious but I want to know if it’s possible with miles. Or what could be the closest to my wish. I appreciate the help.

Reply
- Stephen Au April 17, 2019
  
  Hey Juan, of course it’s possible. It just depends on what miles and points you have!
  
  If you book using AA miles, you’ll be able to book Etihad apartments. Availability is very tough, but it’s possible.
  
  If flying out of Tel Aviv, look to Star Alliance carriers such as Air Canada Aeroplan or Avianca LifeMiles.
  
  Keep searching and you’ll be able to find something that works!
  
  Reply
Tania April 14, 2019

Once you have booked a F flight (via AA Advantage) how do you choose your seat – the Ethiad website appears to only give you an option to choose economy seats

Reply
- Stephen Au April 17, 2019
  
  Tania,
  
  You’ll need your Etihad Guest record locator or confirmation number. You can either refer to your ticket receipt or look at your AA reservation to get it.
  
  After that, you can either go to Etihad website or call them to choose seats. Keep in mind sometimes they’ll block seats off so you can’t select them in advance. Thanks for reading.
  
  Reply
Richard Winters May 15, 2019

I have not been able to find this out ANYWHERE. Is it possible to book two first class flights? If not, and one person gets first class and the other gets business or something can they join up and experience some of this together? I have no idea how this is so hard to find. Of course, many of us travel with spouses! And for a trip like this where we want to fly first class we want to be able to do so together! Any thoughts?

Reply
- Stephen Au May 16, 2019
  
  Richard,
  
  It’s possible, but as is the case with any top of the line first class product, you’ll have to be tremendously flexible and willing to sit down for hours to look for flights that cost $30,000+ otherwise.. Just keep looking!
  
  Reply
Christopher Ardalan January 16, 2020

Is it possible to use Asiana mileage to fly from Seoul to Jfk flying Etihad for 80000 miles? It allows flying the apartment to Abu Dhabi and then again to jfk. And if so will it allow a stop over in Abu Dhabi?

Reply
- Jarrod West January 17, 2020
  
  Hi Christopher,
  
  Yes, it is possible to book that ticket for 80k Asiana miles and you would have a stopover in Abu Dhabi.
  
  Thanks for reading!
  
  Reply
MMA January 17, 2020

I keep asking how to find availability as you stated when there isn’t a Guest First seat showing on EY with only the regular massive price does Asiana use a different inventory finding availability or availability is any open seat for them?

Reply
- Stephen Au January 22, 2020
  
  MMA,
  
  You need to find Guest First seat availability. Etihad also has been restricting much of their inventory to Etihad Guest members.
  
  Reply
Nithin Chakravarthy May 17, 2020

There are many routes where 1st class is not offered. Is there a way to fly business+first on EY using AA miles?

Reply
- Stephen Au May 19, 2020
  
  Hi Nithin,
  
  You can book mixed cabin awards, but you’ll pay the first class award price. For example, if you fly from JFK-AUH-JNB in Etihad First Class Apartments and then in Etihad business class, you’ll pay the first class price from the U.S. to Africa, which is 120,000 AA miles.
  
  Reply
Ian Weaver May 22, 2021

Has anyone pointed out to you that the Air Canada Award Chart that you have published in this article was replaced on November 8, 2020?

Reply
- Jarrod West May 28, 2021
  
  Hi Ian,
  
  Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I just updated that!
  
  Reply
TheBigEasy June 15, 2021

Sadly it appears the EY has retired the A380 post pandemic.

Reply
txtraveler December 3, 2021

Can you add some graphics of what it looks like when “Guest” availability is shown on the Etihad website? They changed their interface recently and I’m not sure if I’m not seeing because there aren’t any award seats available or because I’m not looking in the right place.

Reply
- Stephen Au December 28, 2021
  
  Hi txtraveler,
  
  Unfortunately, the online search engine’s autofill/autocomplete fields for airport codes is not functioning properly as of now. We recommend using Aeroplan to check for availability.
  
  Reply
Chris August 25, 2022

Thanks for the article. One specific question I haven’t been able to find the answer to online:

Can you book EY business class using Aeroplan, and then be able to upgrade to first through EY?

Thanks!

Reply
- Jarrod West September 6, 2022
  
  Hi Chris,
  
  Unfortunately not. If you book through one airline program, you cannot then upgrade via another program.
  
  Reply
FoxtrotMikeLima March 14, 2023

Any idea on how to book etihad award seats specifically using AA miles given that the new changes have completely eradicated the award spaces AA usually has access to.

Reply

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Best Ways To Book Etihad First Class Using Points [Step-by-Step]

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