Etihad First & Business Class (Jan-Aug 2024)
American is showing both first and business class award space for much of next year. We haven't seen much business class space in a few months and it's been even longer for first class award space.
Shout out to STTP reader Abdulaziz for flagging some space!
Now, let's get into it the award space!
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Etihad first class on a Boeing 787-9.
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Straight To The Points:
Routes: BOS/IAD/JFK/ORD/YYZ-AUH (IAD has first class)
Operating airline: Etihad
Class of service: First class & business class
Dates: January - August 2024
Seats available:
- First class: 2
- Business class: Up to 8
Cabin layout: 1-2-1
Book with (per person, one-way):
First Class
- *American AAdvantage: 115,000 miles
- Etihad Guest: 220,000 miles
Business Class:
- *American AAdvantage: 70,000 miles
- Etihad Guest: 110,000 miles
*No surcharges
Taxes/fees (per person):
- From US: ~$7
- From YYZ: ~$49
- AUH to US: ~$51
- AUH to YYZ: ~$33
- With Surcharges: ~$513
Bank transfer partners:
- American: Bilt, Marriott
- Etihad: Amex, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
Current transfer bonuses
Let me know if you book!
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Caviar in Etihad first class.
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Flight Experience
First Class
Etihad's first class on the Boeing 787-9 is arranged in a 1-2-1 cabin layout. You can expect caviar, champagne, and a very nice meal. With only 8 seats in the cabin, the service is more personalized than you'll find in business class.
Business Class
Flights operated by a Boeing 777 and 787-9 have staggered 1-2-1 business class cabin layouts. Each seat is lie-flat and has direct aisle access.
On the Airbus A350 , you'll find Etihad's newest business class which is arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout. Each seat is lie-flat, has direct aisle access, and comes with a privacy door.
Overall, Etihad provides a solid business class experience with great crews and and more than satisfactory food and drink options.
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Business Class
YYZ-AUH
January: 1-31
February: 1-29
March: 1-31
April: 1-30
May: 1-31
June: 1-5
July: 9-31
August: 1-30
AUH-YYZ
January: 9-31
February: 1-16, 18-29
March: 1-15, 17-31
April: 1-26, 29, 30
May: 1, 3, 5-8, 10, 12-14, 17-22, 24, 26-31
June: 3, 5-19, 22-25, 27, 28
July: 3, 5, 9-15, 17, 22, 23, 25
August: 5, 7-9, 12-30
BOS-AUH
April: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
May: 6, 13, 20, 27
June: 3
July: 15, 22, 29
August: 5, 12, 19, 26
AUH-BOS
April: 5, 7, 12, 14, 15, 19, 22, 26, 28, 29
May: 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 26, 27, 29, 31
June: 2
IAD-AUH
January: 8, 22, 29
February: 5, 11, 13, 19, 26
March: 4, 18, 19, 25-27
April: 2, 3, 16, 18, 20-24, 27, 28
May: 5, 6, 8, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28
June: 1-5
July: 9, 11, 13, 14, 16-18, 20-24, 26-31
August: 2-19, 21, 22, 25-30
ORD-AUH
February: 5, 6, 11-13, 19-21, 26-28
March: 4-6, 11, 13, 18, 21, 24, 25, 28, 31
April: 2-4, 17, 22-24, 28-30
May: 1, 5-8, 12-16, 21-23, 27
June: 2-4
July: 9-11, 14, 16, 18, 22-25, 28-31
August: 1, 4-8, 11-14, 18, 19, 21, 22, 25-29
JFK-AUH
July: 9-11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19-21, 23-31
August: 2-4, 6-16, 18-30
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First Class
IAD-AUH
January: 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27-31
February: 2, 4, 6, 12-14, 17, 19-21, 23-29
March: 1-5, 7, 8, 10, 12-15, 17-24, 26-31
April: 1-4, 16-10, 21-23, 28-30
May: 1, 3, 4, 6-16, 19, 22, 23, 28-31
June: 1-5
July: 9-31,
August: 1-8, 10-28, 30
AUH-IAD
January: 18, 21, 24, 25, 30
February: 2, 7, 10, 11, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 28, 29
March: 6, 7, 11, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28, 31
April: 1-3, 18, 19, 23-26, 28-30
May: 1-3, 5-9, 11-15, 18-31
June: 3, 6, 8-30
July: 1-3, 5-12, 14-31
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Best Ways To Book
American AAdvantage: Solid Award Rate, No Surcharges
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.
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Image courtesy of Live And Let's Fly
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How To Book
You can search with American:
- Go to AA's site
- Select Advanced / Multi-city search (just click this link)
- Select Redeem miles
- Select One way or Round trip
- Enter From & To cities
- Select departure date(s)
- Choose the number of passengers
- Select Class as Business/First
- Click Search
- Select Calendar to see other dates
When booking with AA miles, I recommend putting the space on hold (for up to 5 days) before transferring Bilt points.
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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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