Amazing Etihad First-Class Award Availability

June 28, 2016

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4 min read

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Etihad has one of the most over-the-top first-class products in the industry. It one-upped its Middle Eastern counterparts Emirates and Qatar with the new Residence and Apartment on the Airbus A380. TPG reviewed Etihad's inaugural flight on The Residence from New York-JFK last year and loved his experience, despite its hefty price tag. While the ultra-exclusive Residence product is only available to book with (millions of) Etihad Guest miles, The Apartment product is available for award booking with Etihad's partners, including American Airlines.

Etihad bench 2 — The Etihad Apartment is bookable starting at 62,500 American AAdvantage Miles.

Right now, there's tremendous award availability on almost all Etihad routes to the US with multiple seats open in many cases, including on the carrier's daily A380 service from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to New York (JFK). Additionally, we're seeing availability on the carrier's other A380 routes from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to London (LHR), Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL) and Mumbai (BOM).

Etihad bed over — Turn down service in the Etihad Apartment.

American Airlines charges 115,000 AAdvantage miles for a one-way first-class ticket from the US to the Middle East. You could theoretically book JFK-AUH-BOM all in the Etihad Apartment for 115,000 miles, if available. For first-class Apartment redemptions, AUH-LHR costs 62,500 miles each way, AUH-BOM costs 40,000 each way and AUH-SYD and MEL both cost 100,000 each way.

To book flights, search for availability on Etihad's site and look for "Guest First" seats. If available, call American directly to book. People have reported that the Australia call center (+61 02-9101-1948) is best at finding and booking Etihad award space.

Below are some examples of award availability on routes to the US:

Abu Dhabi (AUH) to New York (JFK) in The Apartment in October:

Screen Shot 2016-06-27 at 12.59.34 PM — Award space is rare to New York on the A380, but very frequent on the 777, which both operate daily.

San Fransisco (SFO) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) in First Class in July:

Screen Shot 2016-06-27 at 1.20.20 PM — There is availability almost every day this summer on flights to San Fransisco.

Los Angeles (LAX) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) in First Class in July:

Screen Shot 2016-06-27 at 1.21.55 PM — LAX also has good first-class availability this summer.

Washington, DC (IAD) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) in First Class in July:

Screen Shot 2016-06-27 at 1.29.24 PM — Washington, DC has availability for two seats or more most days this summer.

Dallas (DFW) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) in First Class in July:

Screen Shot 2016-06-27 at 1.23.21 PM — Etihad operates to Dallas three times each week.

And here are the other A380 routes that Etihad operates internationally:

London (LHR) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) in The Apartment in July:

Screen Shot 2016-06-27 at 1.30.21 PM — Etihad operates the A380 three times each day to London. This is one of the most reliable routes to find first-class award availability on.

Melbourne (MEL) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) in The Apartment in July:

Screen Shot 2016-06-27 at 1.34.30 PM — Etihad has two flights per day to Melbourne, one of which is operated by the A380.

Sydney (SYD) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) in The Apartment in July:

Screen Shot 2016-06-27 at 1.33.12 PM — Etihad has many dates available in the A380 Apartment this summer.

Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Mumbai (BOM) in The Apartment in July:

Screen Shot 2016-06-27 at 1.36.30 PM — This route can be added onto any American Award reservation that terminates in the Middle East for free.

Remember that award inventory can change quickly, so if you have dates that work, call American right away to request a free five-day hold on the reservation.

H/T: View From The Wing

Featured image by Etihad flies A380s on its route from Abu Dhabi to New York.