Good Etihad business class flight sale launched from London & Manchester

As a pick-me-up after the Bank Holiday weekend, Etihad has launched a short business class flight sale.  The fares below are from London and Manchester, although it is also worth checking European departures – links below – as both destinations and prices vary.

The sale fares are available for travel between 1st July and 31st August, so perfect for the summer holidays. You must book by 3rd June.

You can book via the Etihad website here. Some of the destinations can also be found in the KLM sale we wrote about last week so do compare prices.

Abu Dhabi – £1149
Bangkok – £1499 (€1399 from Germany)
Hong Kong – £1499 (€1399 from Germany)
Johannesburg – £1499
Kuala Lumpur – £1599
Male – £1999 (€1799 from Paris)
Melbourne – £2999 (€2499 from Germany)
Seychelles – £1499
Singapore – £1599
Sydney – £2999 (€2499 from Germany)

In general, flights from Düsseldorf, Munich and Frankfurt in Germany as well as Paris seem to be most competitive compared to the UK fares. Ireland, Switzerland and Spain appear at similar or higher prices and are not worth the costs of connecting.

Remember that Etihad has its best product, the Business Class Studio, on its A380 and Boeing 787 fleet.  We reviewed the Etihad A380 Business Class Studio seat here.  The A380 fleet also has an on-board bar, which the 787 does not.  Bear this in mind if one of the cheaper European starting points is using a different aircraft with poorer seating.

Where should I credit my Etihad flight?

You won’t get Avios or tier points but Etihad run its own loyalty scheme, Etihad Guest, which you can join here.

Etihad has a slightly eclectic range of partners, but there are some interesting deals including American Airlines redemptions and this cracking deal to Seoul on Czech Airlines.

You can also cash out for real money, at a surprisingly decent rate, via Points Pay as we covered here.

Your best option to maximise your miles when paying is American Express Preferred Rewards Gold.  This offers double points – 2 per £1 – when you when you book flight tickets directly with an airline.

How to earn Etihad Guest miles from UK credit cards (December 2021)

Etihad Guest does not have a UK credit card.  However, you can earn Etihad Guest miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.  These are:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 20,000 Etihad Guest miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with two free airport lounge passes.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 30,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 30,000 Etihad Guest miles.

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 5,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 5,000 Etihad Guest miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 into Etihad Guest miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 1 Etihad Guest mile. The Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it.

Etihad Guest is also a partner with the HSBC Premier Mastercard (0.5 miles per £1 spent) and HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard (1 mile per £1 spent).