Etihad First Class for 2 (Jan-June 2022)
It's been a bit since I sent a newsletter with first class award space, but that changes today thanks to Etihad!
If you're looking for a trip to the Middle East, the Maldives, somewhere on the continent of Africa, or the Seychelles, Etihad first is an excellent way to get there. Plus, there are several great ways to book it.
If you decide to visit the Maldives, Travelzoo is running a deal for a 7-night stay that includes boat transfers from the airport (both directions) and includes breakfast and dinner. You can check out the details here.
Now, let's get into it the award space!
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: IAD-AUH
Operating airline: Etihad
Class of service: Business class
Dates: January - June 2022
Seats available: 1
Cabin layout: 1-2-1
Book with (per person, one-way):
- Air Canada Aeroplan: 120,000 miles
- *American AAdvantage: 115,000 miles
- Asiana Club: 80,000 miles
- Etihad Guest: 167,251 miles
*No surcharges
Taxes/fees (per person):
- One-way: ~$30
- Round-trip: ~$100
- With Surcharges:
- One-way: ~$235
- Round-trip: ~$510
- Air Canada Partner Booking Fee: ~$30
Bank transfer partners:
- Air Canada: Amex, Capital One, Marriott
- American: Marriott, Citi (Temporary)
- Asiana: Marriott
- Etihad: Amex, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
I'll note that you can currently transfer ThankYou Points to American Airlines (until Nov. 13, 2021) which makes this even easier to book. Yes, the points program I've been preaching for the last 5+ years.
The next time you get a credit card, you can support STTP by using our links.
Don't forget to let me know if you book and how you did it!
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DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that COVID travel restrictions could prevent you from traveling. Additionally, please make sure you understand the cancellation, redeposit, and change fees required before booking.
Flight Experience
While it's sad that Etihad is no longer flying The Apartments, first class on their Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is still a fantastic experience. I actually flew this route in May and was really impressed.
I've always enjoyed Etihad's catering in first class and this was no different. Of course, the champagne was quite enjoyable as well and the crew was happy to make sure glasses stayed filled while we were awake.
The seat is spacious and I particularly like that the when in the lie-flat position, there isn't anything over your feet or legs. This makes it so much easier to move around and get comfortable.
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Available Dates
IAD-AUH
January: 3, 9-12, 14-18, 20-29, 31
February: 1, 6-9, 11-13, 15-28
March: 1-4, 6, 9-16, 18-23, 24-30, 31
April: 1, 2, 4-6, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18-25, 27-30
May: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7-13, 15-31
June: 1-7, 9-12
AUH-IAD
December: 30, 31
January: 5-7, 11-14, 16-19, 21, 24-31
February: 1-9, 13-15, 17-19, 22-24, 26-28
March: 1-6, 8-19, 21-24, 27-31
April: 1, 2, 5-7, 9-14, 16-22, 24-27
May: 2-14, 17-29, 31
June 1-12
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Best Ways To Book
Air Canada Aeroplan
For many, Aeroplan will be the best option because Amex is a transfer partner. Just remember that the one-way award rate of 120,000 miles can quick jump to 130,000 if you add connections. It can still be worth it but keep this in mind.
The ability to include a stopover on a one-way for 5,000 more miles can also be particularly useful if you want to visit Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
You can use GCmap to calculate your total flight distance and double-check Aeroplan's zone-based chart. You can also include a stopover for 5,000 additional miles.
American AAdvantage
American will be a popular option at 115,000 miles for those with American miles already in their accounts and those with access to ThankYou Points. Seriously, who isn't loving this temporary transfer partnership with Citi?!
The annoying part American is the booking process. More on that below.
Asiana Club
It's a great option IF you can acquire the miles. With only a co-branded card with middling bonus categories and Marriott as a transfer partner, it can be tough. Still, 80,000 miles for a one-way first class award is excellent.
Etihad Guest
Etihad Guest miles are certainly easy to earn with Amex, Citi, and Capital One as partners. However, the rates are the worst of the bunch, you can't include a connection in business class which means connections could require two awards, and you can't include connections on partners.
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How To Book
I'll start by assuming that you're going to search for specific dates (the ones I shared). In this case, I'd search with Air Canada. Here's a quick rundown on the search process:
- Go to Air Canada's site
- Select to use Points
- Enter origin and destination
- Select one-way or round-trip
- Select number of people
- Enter departure (and return) date
- Select your flights
- Pay taxes/fees
I recommend confirming the space is available then transferring points. You'll need to log out after you transfer points then run the search once more so you can book.
If you're booking with American miles, get ready to put in some additional work.
Once you confirm the award space is available with Aeroplan, you'll need to call American's call center in Australia (+61-2-91011948) or New Zealand (+64-09-308-4014) to put a ticket on hold.
With the ticket on hold, call the U.S. call center (1-800-433-7300) to pay the taxes and fees. Make sure they don't charge a phone booking fee since this isn't available on American's site.
If you're booking with Etihad Guest miles, you can book a flight to the US but you'll need to call to book a flight from the US - unless it's part of a round-trip from AUH. Etihad's number is (877) 690-0767. I've listened to the hold music so much it haunts my dreams.
If you're booking with Asiana, you'll need to call. I had better luck with the Seoul call center (+82-2-2669-8000) than the US office (800-227-4262).
Info You Probably Didn't Care To Know
One of the most frustrating parts of booking Etihad first class is searching for award space. If you search AUH to IAD with Etihad Guest, the available award space will show online. Piece of cake.
If you want to search IAD to AUH on Etihad, you won't see space that's actually there. To see this space you have to go through a convoluted process of searching for a round-trip award from AUH to IAD.
You select the AUH to IAD flight and then you'll be able to see a week of dates for the IAD to AUH segment. From there you can see one week of award space at a time and navigate forward or back a week.
To find award space that's available to partners, you'll need to find Guest Saver space which is 167, 251 miles per person for first class.
Finally, if you search for award space in either direction with American, you're unlikely to see any space that's actually there.
Final Thoughts
It's not always easy to find two first class tickets so grab a friend or loved one and tell them you're going somewhere fun. Wherever you end up, the journey will be champagne and caviar filled!
Happy booking!
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