16 Best Ways to Redeem Etihad Guest Miles for Max Value [2022]

- UPDATED: July 6, 2022 |

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Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is famous for its lavish planes and luxurious experiences such as the First Class Apartments.

Hailing from the United Arab Emirates, Etihad serves 68 countries around the world, including U.S. cities like Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Even if you don’t fly Etihad often, you can earn Etihad Guest miles by utilizing credit cards and a variety of other strategies.

Table of contents

The Best Ways to Boost Your Etihad Guest Miles
The 16 Best Ways to Use Your Etihad Guest Miles
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

The Best Ways to Boost Your Etihad Guest Miles
The 16 Best Ways to Use Your Etihad Guest Miles
Final Thoughts

The Best Ways to Boost Your Etihad Guest Miles

Etihad Guest miles can be transferred from American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Capital One at a 1:1 rate, or from Marriott Bonvoy at a transfer rate of 3:1.

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

If you’re a business owner, see Amex’s business credit card options.

Recommended Capital One Cards That Earn Miles (Personal)

Marriott Bonvoy Transfers

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

The 16 Best Ways to Use Your Etihad Guest Miles

The Etihad frequent flyer program is popular among points-earners because it has some great redemption options. Here are some of our favorites!

1. Fly American Airlines at Pre-Devaluation Prices in Business and First Class

American Airlines Flagship Business Class — Flying American Airlines in business class at pre-devaluation rates is a steal! Image Credit: American Airlines

Beginning our list of the best ways to use Etihad miles is with American Airlines.

Etihad’s award chart for travel on American Airlines is actually better, for the most part, than American Airlines’ own award chart.

You have some great options by flying American with Etihad miles:

Fly to Europe for 50,000 miles in business class or 62,500 miles in first class
Fly to Asia 1 (Japan, Korea, Mongolia) for 50,000 miles in business class or 62,500 miles in first class
Fly to Asia 2 (China, Hong Kong SAR, etc.) for 55,000 miles in business class and 67,500 miles in first class
Fly to the South Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, etc.) for 62,500 in business class and 67,500 in first class

The main challenge here will be finding award availability, particularly on routes operated by the 777-300ER featuring Flagship First and business class. The best advice we can give is to be flexible and keep searching for award availability, especially closer to departure.

2. Off-Peak Economy to Europe, South America, and Asia on American Airlines

Etihad’s American Airlines award chart includes off-peak economy awards for certain destinations.

From North America, off-peak prices include:

Europe for 20,000 miles (peak is 30,000 miles)
South America 2 for 20,000 miles (peak is 30,000 miles)*
Asia 1 for 25,000 miles (peak is 32,500 miles)**

*South America 2 = Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile (excluding Easter Island), Paraguay, Uruguay
**Asia 1 = Japan, Korea, Mongolia

3. Book Business Class to Europe on Brussels Airlines

If you’re flying to Europe from the East Coast, consider booking Brussels Airlines business class with Etihad Guest miles. Image Credit: Brussels Airlines

The Etihad Guest award chart for Brussels Airlines shows pricing for one-way flights. Even with the devaluation, there are some competitive awards to book.

You can fly from New York (JFK), Toronto (YYZ), or Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Brussels (BRU) round-trip in business for 88,000 miles. That is not much more than most airlines charges one-way in economy! Round-trip economy costs 54,000 miles.

Availability is hard to find and does not match other websites such as United. Be persistent in calling Etihad Guest until you get an agent who is helpful and competent.

Bottom Line: You can book niche Brussels Airlines awards from North America to Brussels for 27,000 miles one-way in economy and 44,000 miles one-way in business.

4. U.S. West Coast to Tokyo on ANA in Business Class

ANA Business Class Seat 2 — Enjoy the comfort of ANA business class. Image Credit: Stephen Au

Etihad Guest uses a distance-based award chart for redemptions on ANA flights. And the best value is for U.S. West Coast flights to Japan.

Seattle (SEA) to Tokyo (HND or NRT) one-way on ANA is 54,000 miles in business class or 30,000 miles in economy.

Because Etihad’s ANA award chart is distance-based, San Francisco (SFO) or Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (HND or NRT) is more: 63,000 miles in business class or 37,000 miles in economy.

5. U.S. West Coast to Beijing on Hainan Airlines in Business Class

Hainan Airlines A350 Business Class Seat — Hainan Airlines A350 business class seat. Image Credit: Cherag Dubash

Hainan Airlines is a Skytrax 5-star airline with flights from Seattle (SEA), San Jose (SJC), and now Las Vegas (LAS) to Beijing (PEK).

On the Hainan Airlines distance-based chart, those will go for a competitive 81,000 miles in business class or 41,000 in economy.

6. Fly Around Eastern Europe on Air Serbia

Air Serbia’s short flights from Belgrade start at just 5,000 miles in economy. Business is 7,150 miles.

Many of these flights are cheap to pay outright in cash also, so always compare the cash prices to the award cost.

Hot Tip: Utilize the benefits of The Platinum Card® from American Express to make all your travels a little more comfortable. Perks include airport lounge access, worldwide hotel elite status, and more!

7. Fly Prague to Seoul on Czech Airlines in Business Class

Etihad frequent flyer program has a few super low prices on their partner travel awards, and this is one of them.

Czech Airlines‘ business class from Prague (PRG) to Seoul (ICN) is only 25,610 miles. That’s less than most airlines charge for economy!

Czech Airlines leases old planes from Korean Air for this route, so that’s why the business class looks similar to Korean Air’s regional product.

8. Fly to Casablanca With Royal Air Maroc

Royal Air Maroc has a distance-based award chart. With distance-based charts, travel award value can depend on slight distance differences that put a flight into a lower or higher price bracket.

Even so, at the longest distance for Etihad Guest awards on Royal Air Maroc (2,001+ miles), New York (JFK) to Casablanca (CMN) costs just 22,000 miles one-way in economy or 44,000 miles one-way in business class.

You can also book the nonstop service from Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Casablanca for the same price.

9. Fly Oman Air in Business Class

Fly Oman Air via Etihad Guest — A great business class product on an under-the-radar airline is Oman Air. Image Credit: Oman Air

There is 1 great Etihad Guest award value on Oman Air:

London (LHR) to Muscat (MCT) in business class is 44,000 miles

Oman Air’s business class is not as internationally well-known as Etihad, but it receives high marks from travelers in the know.

10. Bali to Australia on Virgin Australia in Business Class

Virgin Australia operates flights from Bali (DPS) to Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL), or Brisbane (BNE).

These 6+ hour flights can be booked for 33,800 miles in business or 16,900 in economy.

However, you won’t see a lie-flat business class product, only a recliner-style business class seat.

11. Hop Around Australia and New Zealand on Virgin Australia

Whitsundays Australia — Visit the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsundays. Image Credit: iacomino FRiMAGES via Shutterstock

Etihad Guest has a distance-based award chart for Virgin Australia. This is perfect for short, expensive flights to incredible destinations such as Brisbane (BNE) to Hamilton Island (HTI) for the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsundays. This flight is only 6,900 miles in economy, and booking flights between Sydney (SYD) and Ayers Rock (AYQ) will cost 10,900 miles.

Hot Tip: Certain Western Australia routes, including from Perth (PER) to several popular diving destinations, are served by Virgin Australia Regional. Etihad may not be able to book awards on these flights. You can try alternate programs such as Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

12. Australia and New Zealand to the Pacific on Virgin Australia

Getting to the Pacific islands is rarely cheap using miles.

Using Etihad Guest miles will only cost 6,900 miles in economy on Virgin Australia on routes like Auckland (AKL) to Tonga (TBU) or Brisbane (BNE) to Vanuatu (VLI).

Other Pacific islands that cost more are Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea.

13. Travel With an Infant

Etihad infant bassinet — Be careful of those infant-in-arms fees that some airlines charge — Etihad won’t take an arm and a leg from you! Image Credit: Etihad Airways

Traveling with an infant lap child using Etihad Guest awards is really reasonable. You will only be charged an additional 10% of the original mileage cost of your ticket to add your infant.

On that Brussels Airlines New York (JFK) to Brussels (BRU) flight in business class, adding an infant is only 3,663 miles extra!

14. Fly Air Serbia Business Class from New York to Belgrade

Air Serbia’s sole U.S. flight is between the capital city of Belgrade (BEG) and New York City (JFK).

You can book this niche business class flight for 64,082 Etihad Guest miles. If economy is more your tastes, you can redeem 44,970 miles for a one-way flight in coach.

15. Access Enhanced Etihad Premium Cabin Availability

One of the latest developments in Etihad’s premium cabin availability is that Etihad will not release all of its availability to partners.

For example, if you’d like to book a high-season vacation in December aboard Etihad first or business class, you’ll have much better luck redeeming Etihad Guest miles. So you can access better availability, but it will usually cost you more points.

Here are some great example redemptions you can make:

New York City (JFK) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Malé (MLE) for 207,341 miles in Etihad Airways first class or 152,386 miles in business class
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) – Johannesburg (JNB) for 186,251 miles one-way in Etihad Airways business class
New York City (JFK) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) for 136,090 miles one-way in Etihad Airways first class or 99,885 miles in business class
Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Abu Dhabi (AUH) for 136,251 miles one-way in Etihad Airways first class or 120,000 miles in business class

16. Buy Miles as Cheap as 0.9 Cents to Save on Etihad Flights!

Plenty of airlines will sell you miles at high prices. None may be as cheap at the roughly 0.9 cents per mile Etihad charges for its Miles Plus Cash option.

For an online award on Etihad flights only, you can purchase as many as 25% of the total miles needed for an award flight. The price varies slightly by trip, though is usually around 0.9 cents per mile. In perspective, most airlines sell miles for 1.7 to 2.5 cents per mile.

At this favorable rate, the overall cost in miles and cash for an award ticket on Etihad can be a great value!

Final Thoughts

Etihad Guest provides many ways to redeem your miles so you can enjoy that well-deserved vacation! We outlined some of what we feel are the best ways to use Etihad Guest miles, but the best redemptions for you will depend on your travel goals.

Some of the program’s greatest values come by redeeming flights with several of its many partners. For Etihad flights including the famed First Class Apartments, use American Airlines AAdvantage miles or Korean SKYPASS miles to book.

Happy redeeming!

Featured Image Credit: Greg Stone

Frequently asked questions

How do I join Etihad Guest?

Do I need to be an Etihad Guest member to search for awards?

No, you can search without an account or logging in.

How many Etihad Guest miles do I have?

Check your Etihad Guest miles balance by logging in to your account here.

When do Etihad miles expire?

Etihad Guest miles expire based on date earned, regardless of subsequent activity. From the date earned, miles expire in 2 years for General, 2.5 years for Silver, and 3 years for Gold and Platinum members.

Can I transfer miles to Etihad Guest from other loyalty programs?

Yes. Etihad Airways has many travel partners that allow you to transfer points and miles, including, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and American Express Membership Rewards.

How many Etihad Miles are required for a trip reward?

For travel on Etihad flights, use the mileage calculator. For travel on partner airlines, consult the partner award chart for each.

How can I contact Etihad Guest?

Call Etihad Guest at 888-8-ETIHAD 24 hours a day. For partner awards, you may have better success calling Etihad Guest in the U.K. at +44 (0) 345 608 1225.

You can also email the Guest Service Center using the address for your status tier: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].

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About Alex Miller

Alex has been traveling for over 25 years and from a young age was lucky enough to set out on numerous family trips all over the world, which gave him the travel bug. Alex has since earned millions of travel points and miles, mainly through maximizing credit card sign-up bonuses and taking every opportunity to earn the most points possible on each dollar spent.

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58 comments

PR steels June 28, 2018
Etihad just charged me 30k miles one way from Europe to USA in economy flying American airlines May 1 ( off peak period). I was expecting only 20k miles one way. Could you please comfirm if this is a mistake? Many articles suggest 20k miles one way from USA to Europe during off peak period (Oct 15 – May 15) but is it a different mileage requirement when flying from Europe to USA?
Reply
- Michael McHugh June 29, 2018
  Hi PR steels
  The way I understand the Etihad AA award chart, a OW Europe > U.S. economy flight will be 30k Etihad miles. I am not seeing off-peak pricing from Europe to the U.S.
  For flights from the U.S. to Europe either one-way or round-trip in economy, Etihad charges 20k one-way off-peak or 40k round-trip off-peak on the dates that you noted.
  I would call Etihad to clarify as I can see how this would be confusing. The Europe award chart states 30k one-way while the U.S. award chart states 20k off-peak. The Europe pricing would seem to conflict with the notes at the bottom of the award chart that state “Between North America and Europe.”
  Please let us know what you find out.
  Reply
John September 24, 2018
Hi Guys,
Question. HKG is the only aa metal destination for Asia2. If I wanted to fly, say Singapore, does Etihad guest allow flying AA codeshare? For example DFW-HKG on AA metal and HKG-SIN on AA/CX codeshare.
Also, is mixed cabin allowed? How about MPM and routing rules such as backtracking?
Thanks a lot!
John
Reply
- Stephen Au September 26, 2018
  Hi John,
  Sadly, they do not. You must fly on partner-operated flights. Mixed cabins are allowed, but you’ll need to pay for each segment.
  Reply
Jason Jeffers September 26, 2018
Does the #1 best way for use on AA have to be on AA metal and limited to the few Asia destinations? Can this method be used to purchase code share partners with AA such as Cathay to Thailand? Can it be mixed airlines, AA DFW-HKG and CX HKG-BKK on the same Etihad award? Thank you for any insight you may offer.
Reply
- Stephen Au September 26, 2018
  Hey Jason! The #1 way is on AA metal because they use pre-devaluation prices. So if you’re looking for a way to fly business class and don’t care too much about the airline (you just want a bed to lay in and lots of extra space), Etihad is a great way to achieve this. You won’t be able to fly on codeshare partners with AA. You will only be able to fly on partner-operated flights like AA or ANA.
  Reply
  - Jason Jeffers September 27, 2018
    Stephen,
    Thank you for your response. As a grad school graduation gift to myself, I’m departing this weekend to China for a week and then Thailand for a week, all reward flights. Thanks to this article, I used Etihad to book the OW DFW-PEK in business on the AA 787 at an incredible value of 55k miles. I will be taking the bullet train from PEK to PVG. Then, flying Cathay business PVG to BKK with a BA Avios award. Returning on Singapore Airlines business BKK-SIN-IAH, with a brief stopover in Manchester, UK. Although I’m a bit disappointed I was not able to book SIN first on a different route to enjoy Krug, caviar, cool amenity kit and pajamas, I’m grateful to be flying comfortably. Thank you for your informational article that was a great help for me.
    Reply
    - Stephen Au September 27, 2018
      Hey Jason! We love hearing about success stories from readers. It makes us extremely happy that you’re able to take some amazing flights with points!
      Reply
Jose January 10, 2019
How do I book a business ticket to Thailand on aa for 55k. I see it has to be on aa metal only. Thanks.
Reply
- Stephen Au January 10, 2019
  Hey Jose,
  Unfortunately, you will not be able to book a business class ticket to Thailand. AA does not fly to Thailand. The best you can do is to Hong Kong, Korea, or Japan. You may want to buy a cheap economy ticket to transfer from Hong Kong, Korea, or Japan to Thailand.
  Reply
Gene February 8, 2019
When booking AA business to the South Pacific via Etihad…
Do you have to verify Business SAAver availability with AA first? I assume you have to call Etihad to book, rather than booking online?
Thanks!
Reply
- Stephen Au February 9, 2019
  Hi Gene,
  Yes you’ll need to verify award availability with AA in order to save time. Alternatively, if your dates are pretty broad, you can just call Etihad and give them a range of dates and see what’s available in their system. Thanks for reading.
  Reply
Gene February 9, 2019
For booking AA business to South Pacific – do you have to verify Business SAAver with AA first? Do you have to call Etihad to book, rather than booking through them online? Thanks!
Reply
- Stephen Au February 9, 2019
  Hi Gene,
  You will want to verify business SAAver award availability. Alternatively, you can call Etihad Guest directly and ask them to search for award availability for the dates and routes requested. They can then confirm or deny availability for you. Thanks for reading!
  Reply
Dave Holder April 15, 2019
I’ve been trying to book BIS-DFW-JFK-LHR all AA metal, with availability showing up as MileSaaver (57.5k) for numerous dates. The call agents at Etihad say they don’t show availability on anything.
I was then told that they can’t book a 2 layover trip for AA awards. Is this the experience for everyone? Seems like a pretty pertinent piece of information if true.
Reply
- Dave April 15, 2019
  Seems like I can’t book a single connecting flight either on business through Etihad, even though it’s showing up as a MileSaaver award.
  Reply
  - Stephen Au April 17, 2019
    Dave, we need some more information to help you. Are you trying to book online?
    Reply
    - Dave April 18, 2019
      The flight I was trying to book was on Aug 13.
      Flight 5990 BIS- DFW in U
      Flight 2292 DFW-JFK in U
      Flight 104 JFK-LHR in U
      It still shows it as a MileSaaver award for 57.5k on aa.com
      It was the Serbia call center I called the couple of times I tried to book it.
      Thanks!
      Reply
      - Dave April 20, 2019
        The first flight is American Eagle. Therefore not bookable through Etihad. My mistake.
      - Stephen Au April 25, 2019
        Hey Dave,
        This is a new data point, and it is likely true that 2-stop flights are ineligible according to their routing rules. Another way to get around it is by booking individual segments.
- Stephen Au April 17, 2019
  Hey Dave,
  We would suggest you to call back. This isn’t a hard and fast rule. Try calling the Etihad Serbia call center, which has more knowledgeable call center reps.
  Thanks for reading.
  Reply
Priti Dave December 3, 2019
Our Etihad miles, 12,000 per person, and we are a family of 4, are expiring in December. Can you use Etihad miles with Mariott?
Reply
- Jarrod West December 4, 2019
  Hi Priti,
  Unfortunately, Etihad miles cannot be redeemed for Marriott stays.
  Reply
Michelle January 6, 2020
Hi! Does anyone know if this still accurate? I looked in Etihad’s website and American Airlines is not listed as a partner.
Reply
- Stephen Au January 6, 2020
  Hi Michelle,
  I just double checked. American Airlines is still listed as an Etihad partner.
  https://www.etihadguest.com/en/spend-miles/flying/american-airlines.html
  Reply
Guv January 13, 2020
It’s been reported recently that Etihad now charges separately for each flight flown on AA (so even one AA-AA connection will not be permitted on a single Etihad Guest redemption).
Can anyone confirm that this is, in fact, the case?
Reply
- Jarrod West January 21, 2020
  Hi Guv,
  Yes, that is correct. AA-AA connections will not be permitted on Etihad Guest redemptions.
  Reply
Patrick January 17, 2020
Hello there…with American’s dynamic pricing…can we only book American Biz if it were non-elevated pricing (due to their new dynamic pricing)? For example, I’m trying to fly AA biz from JFK-CDG, and a wednesday shows 57.5K aa miles vs. a Saturday shows 112k miles…can both be booked for 50K Etihad miles (it’s a single segment from JFK to CDG with no connections for both). Thanks!
Reply
- Stephen Au January 22, 2020
  This is correct. You can only book the 57.5k availability (known as MileSAAver).
  Reply
AJ February 3, 2020
It says this article was updated 2 weeks ago but according to my search, Oman Air from SIN-MCT does not exist. Am I correct?
Reply
- Stephen Au February 4, 2020
  Great point!
  Oman Air did offer a flight at one point in time. We removed that route, but keep in mind they might bring it back into service. Thanks for reading!!
  Reply
AJ February 3, 2020
Does American fly to Thailand and/or Singapore (like in example #1)? How would I book this for 55,000 miles in business class and 67,500 miles in first class if they don’t fly there?
Reply
- Stephen Au February 4, 2020
  AJ,
  The verbiage there is to provide context on how the regions and zones are split up. Just because an airline categorizes a zone a certain way doesn’t mean they have flights there.
  Reply
  - Mona February 7, 2021
    Hi Stephen,
    I am trying to use Etihad miles to book AA flights from NRT-SAN in Business class May 21-27, 2021. What is the best way to book this trip?
    Do I need to book it separately? How many miles do they require? I have 63,812 miles which will expire soon.
    NRT-DFW
    DFW-SAN
    Thank you for writing a good article.
    Reply
    - Jarrod West March 12, 2021
      Hi Mona,
      To complete this booking you need to call the Etihad Guest Service Center. You should not need to book it separately as you’ll be allowed one stopover. Etihad requires 50,000 miles for this route per their AA award chart.
      Thanks for reading and safe travels!
      Reply
      - Mona April 30, 2021
        Thank you so much.
Joe W February 13, 2020
Can I book AA metal as an Etihad guest via online? Or the only way to book AA flights by calling Etihad reps?
I tried this link https://www.etihadguest.com/en/flightbooking.html#flightbooking
but it does not display the miles as shown in the AA flight award chart.
Also, it seems like local trips could not be booked via Etihad Guest? I tried to search for trips from NYC to HNL, but it could not be done.
Reply
- Stephen Au February 18, 2020
  Joe,
  You need to find partner level availability first and then call Etihad Guest.
  Reply
Ahmed Radhy July 20, 2020
I have some guest miles which are going to expire and we are not traveling very soon with all that’s going on around the world. What are the best ways to redeem them and better than losing them?
Reply
- Jarrod West July 20, 2020
  Hi Ahmed,
  How many miles do you have? If you have enough for an award ticket you could book a trip up to 12 months out from today. Hopefully ar that point travel will begin returning to normal. You can also contact Etihad and ask if they will extend the expiration date on your miles due to the Coronavirus.
  Reply
Jason October 14, 2020
Looks like ANA and Asiana charge full award fare for infants.
Reply
Petr January 8, 2021
(8) CSA no longer flies from PRG to ICN
Reply
- Stephen Au January 19, 2021
  Hi Petr,
  Thank you for your feedback. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lots of airlines have cut back on these routes. We will have to play it by ear to see when/if Czech Airlines brings back this route.
  Thanks again!
  Reply
Norbu May 27, 2021
How is segment pricing on AA defined? Does a BA connection in Europe to an AA North America-Europe segment count as a separate segment?
Reply
- Jarrod West June 15, 2021
  Hi Norbu,
  Yes, that the BA connection would count as a separate segment.
  Reply
Desiree Elablaoui March 17, 2022
I am trying to book a Royal air maroc flight
JFK TO CMN
But when I call etihad it shows they have no availability all year. But I know this can’t be right. Any guidance?
Reply
David March 25, 2022
Quick question. When booking with EY miles for AA flight from say US to Europe and LHR to US. Is the fees/tax the same as what you would find/quote on AA site itself? So say DFW to CDG is it also $5 fee just like it would be on AA.com? How abouth LHR to DFW on AA flight(not BA), would it be 200 in fee/tax?
When calling EY, they said they cant tell you fee/tax until the flight is booked.
Reply
- Chris Hassan March 31, 2022
  Hey David,
  In my experience, the fees are very similar between the 2 airlines. Taxes will be determined by the departing airport, so you could expect $200+ leaving LHR.
  Safe travels,
  Chris
  Reply
miles May 14, 2022
Does AA still go by saver when looking for availability? Do we look for flights with web saver availability instead?
Also, it says award tickets not valid for codeshare flights. but AA uses Air Tahiti Nui for Paris. Does that mean it won’t work? Thank you
Reply
- Stephen Au May 19, 2022
  Hi Miles,
  You can redeem Etihad miles for AA flights that have Saver availability, as well as Web Saver availability. You’ll need to call Etihad Guest to get these flights booked.
  Codeshares are different from partner-operated flights, but you cannot use Etihad Guest miles to book a codeshare American Airlines flight operated by Air Tahiti Nui.
  Reply
  - miles May 22, 2022
    Thank you. I usually book to Japan and notice savers for business and first based on the mile qty.
    For LAX to CDG, it does say web saver and some astronomical number of miles. Those count?
    Also if I go from LAX to DFW to CDG, is there anything special in DFW like CBP or it’s just a normal connection? Thank you
    Reply
    - Stephen Au June 7, 2022
      Hi miles,
      Those do not count. You need to find saver flights that are priced at 57,500 points or less that are operated by American Airlines in business class.
      You must also book nonstop segments, instead of a flight from LAX to DFW to CDG. Thanks for reading!
      Reply
Rony July 6, 2022
Hey guys, I’m pretty sure that Etihad is not a GOL partner anymore.
Reply
- Jarrod West July 6, 2022
  Hi Rony,
  Thanks for pointing that out. I’ve just corrected the post.
  Reply
Michelle September 2, 2022
Hi,
Was hoping I could get some help. I transferred almost all of my AmEx points to Etihad because they had 2:1 transfer special and have been extremely frustrated with my experience. I was trying to buy a flight via Asiana from LAX to INC and they haven’t had any availability as a partner airline, despite there being seats available directly via Asiana) since even 3 months out. I talked to a rep (which in itself is a tedious process) and checked KAL flights as well and also no avails. Do you find there’s a sweetspot to book a flight in advance or have any tips?
Thanks!
Reply
- Chris Hassan September 2, 2022
  Hi Michelle,
  We share your frustration! Partner awards are very hard to find nowadays across all of the major airlines. Your best bet would be to set some alerts in Expert Flyer so you will know exactly when some are released.
  Good luck!
  Chris
  Reply
Brad September 20, 2022
I flew Etihad business back to the States from India but didn’t associate the flight with any mileage program. Assuming I’m not going to fly Etihad again or gain enough Etihad miles to book award travel, would it make sense for me to go back and associate the flight with my AA account and get the miles added there, or should I open an Etihad account? In essence, can I combine Etihad and AA award miles to purchase award travel, or do all the miles need to sit with one program? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Reply
- Jarrod West September 22, 2022
  Hi Brad,
  Yes, if you don’t have any use for Etihad miles, then it would make more sense to credit to AA. To answer your other question, no you cannot combine Etihad and AA points to purchase award travel. Thanks for reading!
  Reply