News

Etihad Award Flights Bookable Online With American Airlines Miles — Business Class Space for 4

Summer HullSenior director of content
Summer Hull has been covering (and using) travel tips, rewards credit cards and loyalty programs for over a decade. She has flown close to a million miles, often on points and miles and with her family in tow.

May 3, 2019 • 8 min read

The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

Quick summary

Etihad awards are now bookable online using American Airlines' loyalty program miles, eliminating the need to call customer service.
This update allows travelers to access Etihad's premium cabins, including the sought-after first class apartments, directly through the website.
Award availability varies by route, with business class seats from Chicago showing the best options and London-Heathrow offering strong first class access.
Taxes and fees for these awards are generally under $100, and most bookings can be held for up to five days without charge.

What to consider

Premium cabin award space is limited, especially from New York and Los Angeles, while Chicago offers more consistent business class availability.
Award availability shown online generally matches Etihad's own saver-level awards, but some inconsistencies exist for departures from Abu Dhabi.
American Airlines is not part of the same alliance as Etihad, so partnership terms and availability may change.

What you'll miss from the article

A detailed breakdown of which routes and dates offer the best chances to book Etihad's premium cabins using miles.

Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.

American Airlines has been on a roll lately when it comes to adding partners that you can book with your AAdvantage miles online. At times AAddvantage was presumably "testing" things and accidentally made too many partners bookable online, but many additions have been intentional — such as with Qatar Airways, Air Tahiti Nui, SriLankan Airlines, Cape Air, S7 Airlines and more.

As of last night, Etihad awards have become bookable online using American Airline miles, as was reported by Jon NYC and View From the Wing! Until now, you not only had to pick up the phone to book these awards, but the miles and points go-to tip was to actually call an American Airlines call center in Australia if you wanted a better chance of success in making the booking, which isn't something that the casual award traveler may want to do. When you add in the fact that American recently loosened up its routing rules to allow additional connections through Abu Dhabi (AUH), this makes for some terrific award opportunities.

Etihad is pretty high up there when it comes to using your miles to fly in style. Your AAdvantage miles aren't going to get you in the $32,000 Etihad Residence Suite that TPG himself flew in back in 2015, but that still leaves some very nice options on the table. While it's no longer brand-new, an Etihad first class apartment looks to be miles ahead of what most of the US carriers offer. Cue all the jokes about flying in a de-luxe apartment in the sky.

Etihad First Class Apartment on the A380 (Photo by JT Genter / The Points Guy)

Then there's Etihad's business class, which is also nothing to shake a stick at.

Etihad Business Class on the A380 (Photo by JT Genter / The Points Guy)

And, of course, economy will get you where you are going, just without the lie-flat effect.

Etihad Economy Class on the A380 (Photo by JT Genter / The Points Guy)

From the US, Etihad currently operates flights from Los Angeles (LAX), New York-JFK, Washington-Dulles (IAD), and Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to Abu Dhabi. Etihad also offers flights from Toronto (YYZ), if you want to fly from Canada. However, the aircraft types and onboard products vary by route, from slightly older 777-300ERs flying to Chicago and LAX to a newer 787 serving Washington-Dulles. And then there's the crown jewel of Etihad’s fleet — its A380s, featuring those nine spacious first class apartments which you can currently find flying to JFK.

Here's how many AAdvantage miles it will cost you to book various awards on Etihad:

US to the Middle East in economy for 40,000 miles one-way
US to the Middle East in business class for 70,000 miles one-way
US to the Middle East in a first class apartment for 115,000 miles
Europe to the Middle East in a first class apartment for 62,500 miles one-way
Australia to the Middle East in a first class apartment for 100,000 miles

In practice, this means you could fly in business class on Etihad from the US all the way to the Maldives on one award for 70,000 AAdvantage miles with just a few clicks on your computer screen.

Not only that, but I'm seeing award availability for four in business class, which is pretty exciting and rare when it comes to flying in business class to that part of the world. (Here's how to add a lap infant to an Etihad award booked via American.) While our tests found that award availability on AA.com departing the US matches what Etihad Guest is showing as saver level awards, termed Guest Business or Guest First...

AA.com pulled these same two seats from IAD to AUH on May 13.

...we are seeing reports of dates that are inconsistent out of AUH.

Award Availability

Of course, allowing online award bookings is only an enhancement when there are actually awards available to book, and fortunately that is the case here. While economy award inventory is wide open on all US routes, premium class availability is a bit tougher. Here's a quick overview of business and first class availability from the four US gateways:

New York-JFK

Overall verdict: Very limited

At the time of writing, I'm only seeing two first class awards from JFK to Abu Dhabi for the entire open calendar (May 14 and 26). Business class is slightly better but still limited to last-minute awards (May 5-8, 12-14 and 16).

Washington-Dulles

Overall verdict: Not great

Availability from IAD is better than JFK but but still limited. However, there are a few days in May and early June with two first class seats available.

Chicago-O'Hare

Overall verdict: Very good (but no first class cabin)

If you're looking to utilize this new online award booking option, ORD is likely your best bet for business class availability. Many dates through July 25 have two business class seats open, and then it opens up again January 20. This is where you can find four award seats on many dates into February and March:

Los Angeles

Overall verdict: Very limited

Etihad's service from LAX only operates 4x weekly through the end of October (then 3x), and premium class award availability is very limited. Only a few dates in May have business and first class seats.

BONUS: London-Heathrow

Overall verdict: Terrific

If you're based in the UK or have plans to be there, this could be the best way to experience Etihad's first class apartment, as all three daily flights are operated by the A380, and the majority of dates have two first class awards available. At 62,500 miles, this could be a fantastic way to enjoy the luxury of an apartment in the sky for a limited outlay of miles.

Additional Considerations

When it comes to taxes and fees on Etihad, it varies, but are generally less than $100. Note that American lets you hold most award tickets for free, including partner awards, for up to five days. There's no guarantee this availability lasts, so putting something on hold if you are considering it is not a bad idea.

If you are one of the few lucky ones that still has the 10% mileage rebate from your co-branded American Airlines credit card, up to 10,000 miles each year, then your deal is even sweeter. If you are short on AAdvantage miles, you can purchase them right now for 1.92 cents each, which would mean spending $1,344 on miles if you were starting from zero and wanted that example 70k business class award to the Maldives (which is surely much cheaper than buying the seat with cash). If you prefer to earn your miles with credit cards, here are the best American Airlines credit cards.

One tip to spot the flights operated by Etihad more quickly is to select the "nonstop" flight option on the American Airlines AAdvantage calendar view screen on the routes where Etihad operates nonstop (as shown below).

This is assuming you still have access to the old calendar view search screen — as not all routes are viewable with that legacy search display. However, we've found that you can actually "force" AA.com to show the old view by starting your search at this page.

There are some reports online that the Australia American Airlines call center still has access to more Etihad awards than on the AAdvantage website, though our tests haven't sleuthed out those examples quite yet.

Bottom Line

Etihad isn’t a member of the Oneworld alliance, and its partnership with American has been in question for a while. However this is a very positive development for most travelers who want to use their miles to fly in style. With the moves toward dynamic award pricing by United and Delta, it's refreshing for American to open up an easy way to get big value from its miles. Just move quickly, as easily bookable Etihad business and first class awards may disappear as quickly as chum in shark waters.

TPG featured card

American Express® Gold Card

TPG editor's rating

at American Express's secure site.
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.

Rewards rate

Rewards rate
Rate	Category
4X	Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
4X	Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
5X	Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
3X	Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines.
2X	Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
1X	Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.

Intro offer

As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

Annual fee

$325

Regular APR

See Pay Over Time APR

Recommended credit

Excellent to Good

Pros + cons

Pros

Valuable dining and food-related credits
Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
Multiple travel and purchase protections
No foreign transaction fees
Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)

Cons

Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits

More details

You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™.
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines.
Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
$120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
$100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
$84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
$120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
Enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
Book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ and receive a $100* credit towards eligible charges at over 1,400 upscale hotels worldwide. *Eligible charges vary by property.
Book your travel through the Amex Travel App™ with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
No Foreign Transaction Fees.
Annual Fee is $325.
Terms Apply.