Etihad Business Class, Up to 9 Seats
Etihad recently announced a route to Boston that will be operated by one of its new Airbus A350-900s. While we're only seeing business class award space on the outbound, it's a great chance to book Etihad's new business class product.
If the UAE isn't on your list, this could be a great way to get the Maldives, India, Egypt, South Africa, and more!
Nice flag by STTP reader findflightsforme.
Now, let's get into it the award space!
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Image courtesy of Live And Let's Fly
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: BOS-AUH
Operating airline: Etihad
Class of service: Business class
Dates: April - May / July - August 2024
Seats available: 2 (up to 9)
Cabin layout: 1-2-1
Book with (per person, one-way):
- *American AAdvantage: 70,000 miles
- Etihad Guest: 110,005 miles
Etihad award space hasn't been bookable by Aeroplan recently. If that changes, the rate will be 90,000 points for the non-stop.
*No surcharges
Taxes/fees (per person):
- From BOS: ~$5
- With Surcharges: ~$513
Bank transfer partners:
- American: Bilt, Marriott
- Etihad: Amex, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
- Air Canada: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Marriott
Current transfer bonuses
Let me know if you book!
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Image courtesy of Live And Let's Fly
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Flight Experience
You'll find Etihad's new business class product on their A350-1000s. The cabin is similar to British Airways' Club Suites - reverse herringbone + privacy doors.
Overall, Etihad provides a solid business class experience with great crews and and more than satisfactory food and drink options.
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Available Dates
BOS-AUH
March: 31
Apri: 1, 3, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 29
May: 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29
June: 3
July: 10, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 29
August: 2, 5, 7
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GuestSeat space should be bookable by partners.
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Best Ways To Book
American AAdvantage: Best Partner Option
Recently, American has been the only partner that can book Etihad business and first class award tickets. At 70,000 miles one-way for business class, AA provides a great option for booking with no surcharges.
You can included a connection to other parts of the Middle East or to the Indian Subcontinent for no additional miles. If you want to connect to a country in Africa (incl. South Africa), it's only 5,000 additional miles.
The kicker is that you'll need to call to book.
Aeroplan: Easy To Earn, Solid Award Rate, No Surcharges
Reminder: Aeroplan hasn't been able to book recently. Please let me know if you try calling to book. I'd love to know if it works.
Since you can transfer points from Amex, Bilt, Capital One, and Chase, Aeroplan will be the easiest option for many people even though the rate is steeper at 90,000 points for the non-stop.
Please remember that Aeroplan has both region-based and distance-based components to its award chart. As such, connections could cause the award rate to increase.
With Aeroplan, you can include a stopover for 5,000 points on a one-way award ticket. You can use GCmap to calculate your total flight distance and double-check Aeroplan's zone-based chart.
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Image courtesy of Live And Let's Fly
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How To Book
Since neither American nor Air Canada are showing award space, you'll need to search with Etihad:
- Select One-way
- Select number of passengers
- Select Business
- Enter origin/destination
- Enter departure date
I recommend confirming the space is available before transferring points.
If you're booking with American miles, get ready to put in some additional work. Once you confirm the award space is available, you'll need to call American to put a ticket on hold.
However, the US call center won't be able to help you. I would try one of the following call centers:
Australia: +61 2-9101-1948
New Zealand: +64 09-308-4014
Singapore: +65 6349-8444
Malaysia: +60 3-2053-5120
You will need to provide the exact flight details (date, flight number, etc.) rather than simply asking them to search for award space on your dates.
With the ticket on hold, call the US 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.
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Final Thoughts
If you've already been to the UAE, it's still a great option to connect on your way to somewhere else in the Middle East, the Maldives, or South Africa.
Happy booking!
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