Etihad Business Class for 2+ (Oct-Dec 2022)
In the last couple of weeks, I've heard from a bunch of Premium members looking to book Etihad business class. Since it's been a bit since I sent an Etihad newsletter, I figured this was a great time to dig into it!
We have a great opportunity to book 2+ business class seats to Abu Dhabi (and beyond). If you're looking for a trip to the Middle East, the Maldives, somewhere on the continent of Africa, or the Seychelles, Etihad business class is a great way to get there. Plus, there are several great ways to book it.
I'll note that I've seen up to 9 seats available on some dates.
Now, let's get into it the award space!
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: IAD/JFK/ORD-AUH
Operating airline: Etihad
Class of service: Business class
Dates: October - December 2022
Seats available: 2+
Cabin layout: 1-2-1
Book with (per person, one-way):
- *Air Canada Aeroplan: 85,000 miles
- *American AAdvantage: 70,000 miles
- Asiana Club: 60,000 miles
- Etihad Guest:
- JFK/ORD: 100,000 miles
- IAD: 120,000 miles
*No surcharges
Taxes/fees (per person):
- One-way: ~$30
- Round-trip: ~$100
- With Surcharges:
- One-way: ~$145
- Round-trip: ~$292
- Air Canada Partner Booking Fee: ~$30
Bank transfer partners:
- Air Canada: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Marriott
- American: Bilt, Marriott
- Asiana: Marriott
- Etihad: Amex, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
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.
Travel Restrictions and Requirements
With travel restrictions changing by the day, please take a look at the US embassy site for your destination. Here's a link to the UAE to get you started.
Flight Experience
Etihad's Business Studio on the Dreamliner is a solid business class experience when taken a whole.
The cabin is arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 layout. Odd numbered seats are rear-facing while even-numbered seats are front-facing.
If you're traveling solo, you'll have the most privacy in the even-numbered window seats. Couples often prefer the even-numbered middle seats which are close together and thus make it easier to interact.
While the seat doesn't match Qatar's Qsuites product, Etihad excels with its crew service and excellent onboard catering. Of course, the champagne doesn't hurt either.
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Available Dates
ORD-AUH
October: 2-4, 7, 12, 13, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24-27, 30, 31
November: 2, 3, 5-7, 15, 23, 25, 27, 28
December: 2, 4-13, 21, 22
AUH-ORD
October: 1, 3 4, 6-8, 10-12, 17, 23-25, 29, 30
November: 1, 2, 4-6, 8-20, 22, 27
December: 1-8, 11-16, 19-23
IAD-AUH
October: 1-4, 6-14, 17-20, 24-26, 29-31
November: 1-3, 5-10, 13, 20-24, 26, 29, 30
December: 1-6, 8-10, 12, 16, 18, 22, 23
AUH-IAD
October: 1-7, 9-12, 15-21, 24-31
November: 1-4, 7-19, 21-26, 27-30
December: 1-10, 12-22
JFK-AUH
October: 3, 8, 10, 11, 15, 18-20, 23, 25, 26, 29
November: 5, 22
December: 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 21-23
AUH-JFK
October: 2, 3, 7, 10-12, 17-19, 24, 26, 31
November: 3-5, 7-13, 16, 18, 20, 22, 30
December: 1, 2, 6, 8, 11-16, 19-21, 23
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For those doing the math, that's 9 seats.
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Best Ways To Book
American AAdvantage
American is a great option at 70,000 miles for those with Bilt points or American miles. Even if you connect to the Indian Subcontinent (hello, Maldives), it's still only 70,000 miles. If you want to visit somewhere in Africa, the rate only increases to 75,000 miles one-way.
The annoying part is the booking process. More on that below.
Air Canada Aeroplan
For many, Aeroplan will be the best option because Amex, Bilt, and Capital One are transfer partners. Just remember that the one-way award rate of 85,000 points can jump to 100,000 points if you add connections.
While connecting to the Maldives, India, etc would push the award rate to 100,000 points, you could connect to Bangkok, Singapore, and other SE Asia destinations and only use 85,000 points one-way.
You can even include a stopover on a one-way for 5,000 more points.
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.
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, 60,000 miles for a one-way first class award is excellent. I'll note that Asiana Club can't book the JFK route.
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 and connections will increase the already steep award rates.
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Even on a short-haul connection, the business class catering is solid.
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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 to put a ticket on hold. Recently, I've seen success with the Malaysia call center (03-2053-5120) rather than the commonly used Australia call center.
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 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 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).
With Etihad Guest, you can search and book online.
Final Thoughts
Etihad isn't always consistent with releasing award space so it's nice to see the opportunity to book 2+ business class seats. 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 even Southeast Asia.
Happy booking!
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