Etihad Airways has a great inflight product in first class and business class, and historically it has been pretty easy to redeem points for these experiences. In particular, Etihad has partnered with American AAdvantage and Air Canada Aeroplan, meaning you could redeem both points currencies for travel in Etihad premium cabins.
Unfortunately in recent months, it seems like actually redeeming partner miles for travel in Etihad premium cabins has become more challenging. At the time, I couldn’t figure out any rhyme or reason to when space was bookable with partner programs, and when it wasn’t. It looks like some trends are emerging, in the form of a possible new 60-day rule.
Let me share how I view the current state of things, as it’s kind of complex.
In this post:
Etihad first & business class awards with partner miles
Historically, Etihad has generally made the same saver level award seats available to members of its own Etihad Guest program, as to members of partner programs.
That’s no longer the case, and the exact situation seems to vary between Air Canada Aeroplan and American AAdvantage. So let’s talk about what you can expect when trying to redeem those currencies for travel on Etihad.
Redeeming Air Canada Aeroplan points on Etihad
For several months now, Air Canada Aeroplan hasn’t had access to a vast majority of Etihad premium cabin award availability. It’s still possible to redeem Aeroplan points for travel in Etihad economy, but there seems to be virtually no premium cabin award space.
This lack of availability applies both through aircanada.com and through Air Canada contact centers. While we’ve been told that the partnership with Etihad will continue, it’s anyone’s guess if/when we see premium award seats again. The whole situation is quite strange. So for all practical purposes, don’t plan on redeeming Aeroplan points for Etihad premium cabins, at least for the time being.
Redeeming American AAdvantage miles on Etihad
Historically, American AAdvantage has had access to most Etihad saver level award availability. Now, there have long been some quirks with these redemptions, with some awards being bookable online, and some awards requiring ringing up a foreign American Airlines call center to get access to the space. That seemed to be more a technological and point of sale restriction, rather than intentional blocking.
However, that has changed, so here’s the current reality of things:
- American AAdvantage has access to just about all of the GuestSeat availability that Etihad Guest members have access to
- American AAdvantage seems to have access to Etihad GuestSeat availability for first class and business class, but only within 60 days of departure
- It seems that most award availability that American AAdvantage has access to is now bookable directly on aa.com, and American’s foreign call centers no longer have access to extra award space on Etihad
The 60-day rule seems to be a new thing. Of course I can’t guarantee that this is a new long term approach to releasing space, but everything points in that direction.
Just to give some examples, there’s Etihad business class award space almost every day from Abu Dhabi to Muscat, until February 18, when it totally drops off. That’s exactly 60 days from today.
For Abu Dhabi to Washington, you’ll notice first class awards bookable through American AAdvantage close to departure, but then nothing more. That reflects all the availability through Etihad Guest within 60 days.
For Abu Dhabi to Geneva, you’ll notice first class awards bookable through American AAdvantage across a variety of dates in the coming 60 days, but then nothing. Once again, this reflects all the availability through Etihad Guest within 60 days.
What’s going on with Etihad award availability?
While it’s hard to know exactly what’s going on here, or how it will evolve, I do have a few observations.
Etihad’s own frequent flyer program, Etihad Guest, seems to have changed up how it releases award availability in general. Back in the day, Etihad would be generous with making first and business class seats available as awards at the last minute, when a cabin had a lot of unsold seats. That’s no longer consistently the case, even through the Etihad Guest program.
I see mostly empty first class and business class cabins in the days and weeks leading up to departure, and there’s still often no award space. So I think Etihad’s new management team is taking a new approach to award availability, presumably to maximize profitability, or some other goal.
Then there are the different situations with Air Canada Aeroplan and American AAdvantage.
In the case of Etihad awards with Air Canada Aeroplan points, clearly there’s something going on between the two airlines. I don’t know if it’s a function of negotiating pricing, a technology limitation, or what. But Aeroplan seems to just not have access to Etihad premium space, for whatever reason.
The situation with American AAdvantage miles is different, though. AAdvantage now has access to Etihad premium award space, but only in the 60 days leading up to departure. While it’s possible that this changes, it seems to me like a deliberate policy, and there’s certainly precedent for this, as Etihad isn’t the first airline restricting award availability to partners until closer to departure.
I suspect this is part of Etihad’s management trying to overhaul the Etihad Guest program and make it more profitable and engaging. There’s something to be said for only making partner award space in premium cabins available 60 days out, because it creates quite an incentive to earn directly with Etihad Guest.
As a consumer, I of course love when partners have access to all award space, since I like taking advantage of award arbitrage opportunities, and booking through the programs that offer the best pricing. But if I ran a frequent flyer program, I’d probably similarly try to take additional action to encourage direct bookings, since it’s potentially much higher margin, and also has more upside in terms of engagement with the airline.
Bottom line
Etihad has changed how it releases award space. Air Canada Aeroplan doesn’t seem to have access to any premium Etihad award seats, while American AAdvantage seems to have access to premium Etihad award seats within 60 days of departure.
On top of that, Etihad has generally changed how it releases award availability, even to its own Etihad Guest members. Etihad releases fewer award seats to its own members than in the past, especially last minute.
I’m happy we’re at least seeing some trend with American AAdvantage availability on Etihad, since it gives us something to work with. If the 60-day rule sticks, I wouldn’t consider that the worst thing in the world, as it’s better than Etihad entirely restricting premium award space to partners. It also means that we’ll be able to book Etihad’s A380 first class to New York, we’ll just have to be patient.
What do you make of the current Etihad partner award space situation?
Seems that the 60 day rule is applying to Virgin Australia too - business class flights available until the 22nd Feb - but nothing after (that I can find with my quick search)
To be blunt about it, the paucity of EY premium awards through Aeroplan is more likely due to the rapacious use of AE points (mostly bought at discount or gotten through credit card signup bonuses) by those who have no allegiance to AC or AE bit follow vloggers who have promoted the points sales and access to these awards. AC screwed itself by becoming such a popular program for those who just buy points at...
To be blunt about it, the paucity of EY premium awards through Aeroplan is more likely due to the rapacious use of AE points (mostly bought at discount or gotten through credit card signup bonuses) by those who have no allegiance to AC or AE bit follow vloggers who have promoted the points sales and access to these awards. AC screwed itself by becoming such a popular program for those who just buy points at bonus sales and use them for access to limited premium award seats.
For AC’s actual flyers this has been a betrayal of what a loyalty program should be!
And garbage Aeroplan still blocking everything....
Did you read the article?… Etihad controls what Aeroplan has access to. Not the other way around
Just have had a look into Virgin Australia's booking, and it's same as AA. So I think it's really a problem between Aeroplan and Etihad.
Lol, Aeroplan the continuing joke of award programs. I'm not shocked that the program with the most partners is largely empty of any partner airline availability, and has nothing but over-inflated redemptions of their own brand:
Want to book on a partner airline with Aeroplan? Nope. Sorry, not possible--but we've got you covered flying Air Canada on a regional jet, with flight staff who are completely unfriendly, and barely meet the standard for professionalism,...
Lol, Aeroplan the continuing joke of award programs. I'm not shocked that the program with the most partners is largely empty of any partner airline availability, and has nothing but over-inflated redemptions of their own brand:
Want to book on a partner airline with Aeroplan? Nope. Sorry, not possible--but we've got you covered flying Air Canada on a regional jet, with flight staff who are completely unfriendly, and barely meet the standard for professionalism, on a hard product that barely qualifies as acceptable. Oh, and it'll cost you 400k points! Aren't you lucky. Thanks for being an Aeroplan member!"
Etihad esp. is moving past trying attention to itself to running a profitable business. Loyalty programs are intended to promote loyalty to your own company, not serve as a low cost way for people to fly airlines to which they are not loyal.
Given the increasing demand worldwide for premium services, there is no reason for any airline that has a viable business model to give their premium seats away at a discount.
Not sure your theory holds up there. A profitable airline will make its alliances work, make its loyalty program worthwhile for Earn and Redeem, offer a competitive pax experience. "Giving away" some premium seats to partners is necessary to maintain credibility as a partner, "giving away" premium seats to elites is necessary to build credibility in the loyalty scheme. Your assertion that loyalty programs "are intended to" build loyalty and not provide cheap access is...
Not sure your theory holds up there. A profitable airline will make its alliances work, make its loyalty program worthwhile for Earn and Redeem, offer a competitive pax experience. "Giving away" some premium seats to partners is necessary to maintain credibility as a partner, "giving away" premium seats to elites is necessary to build credibility in the loyalty scheme. Your assertion that loyalty programs "are intended to" build loyalty and not provide cheap access is only partly true. withour surprise/delight insider bargains (including on parnters) a loyalty program has a pretty weak offering. They have to do all the things you say they should do, and they also have to do some of the things you say they shouldn't do, if they're going to compete with the big boys.
@BenB,
Tell that to Singapore. They're often considered the standard for profitable+premium, yet good luck trying to book transoceanic business or first on them via the majority of their partners' mileage programs.
Grade A+ info. You are Frequent Miler are the only 2 elite bloggers on BA.
Off topic but the worst post of the year was Matthew's (Live & Let's Fly) click-bait and pandering he was "homeless", while being temporary displaced and living in $200+ dollar a night hotels.
I find it so weird that as a points and miles blogger whose area of specialization is showing people how they can travel fairly easily in premium cabins through points and miles you pretty consistently go out out of your way to show understanding for the airline rather than your readers whenever the airlines hose those readers through moves like this. Admittedly, my sympathies tend to be more aligned with normal people than gigantic corporations though.
@ Christian -- My goal with the blog is to provide a balanced perspective on the industry. I'm not "sympathizing" with faceless corporations, but rather am trying to explain to consumers why things are the way they are (after all, the people running the airlines are doing so to maximize profits, and it's helpful for consumers to understand how that impacts their miles & points).
I don't see how anyone benefits if I just sit...
@ Christian -- My goal with the blog is to provide a balanced perspective on the industry. I'm not "sympathizing" with faceless corporations, but rather am trying to explain to consumers why things are the way they are (after all, the people running the airlines are doing so to maximize profits, and it's helpful for consumers to understand how that impacts their miles & points).
I don't see how anyone benefits if I just sit here and say "boy, I don't understand why airlines don't make every single first class seat available as a saver award, that's what I'd do if I ran an airline."
Do you not see how saying that an airline flying with an empty first class rather than releasing award seats to partners is perfectly understandable looks unreasonable considering the dream your blog is predicated on? It comes across as pandering to the airline rather than backing your readers. Then again, I've heard bloggers refer to readers as The Product so I suppose I shouldn't be as surprised but I've been reading your blog for well...
Do you not see how saying that an airline flying with an empty first class rather than releasing award seats to partners is perfectly understandable looks unreasonable considering the dream your blog is predicated on? It comes across as pandering to the airline rather than backing your readers. Then again, I've heard bloggers refer to readers as The Product so I suppose I shouldn't be as surprised but I've been reading your blog for well over a decade and you hadn't sided as strongly against your readers before these recent instances.
@ Christian -- I appreciate you reading for such a long time! I hear you, but I don't think I said what you're suggesting I said?
Nowhere did I say an airline should fly empty first class seats rather than releasing awards (and I'm not a fan of Etihad not releasing last minute award space, but that has nothing to do with Etihad Guest vs. partner programs). And sorry if that was confusing --...
@ Christian -- I appreciate you reading for such a long time! I hear you, but I don't think I said what you're suggesting I said?
Nowhere did I say an airline should fly empty first class seats rather than releasing awards (and I'm not a fan of Etihad not releasing last minute award space, but that has nothing to do with Etihad Guest vs. partner programs). And sorry if that was confusing -- I was simply pointing out the airline isn't releasing much last minute space, which I'm not a fan of.
I believe this is the only statement I made that you're taking issue with?
"But if I ran a frequent flyer program, I’d probably similarly try to take additional action to encourage direct bookings, since it’s potentially much higher margin, and also has more upside in terms of engagement with the airline."
I totally respect if we see things differently and I hear where you're coming from, but please understand I don't have a financial relationship with any airline, and am never under pressure to write a certain way about programs. I'm just sharing my take...
No Christian, not criticising an airline for flying empty seats in F doesn’t come across as ‘pandering to the airline’.
The reality is you believing you have some sort of God given right to buy all empty F seats with credit card miles comes across as extraordinarily entitled. Airlines are not running F cabins for the benefit of those with US credit cards. This opinion is also, by the way, partially why proper First doesn’t even exist in the US any longer.
"...presumably to maximize profitably..."
"profitability" or "profit" maybe?
@ TravelinWilly -- Fixed, thanks!
Another lesson is book these great deals ASAP before availability gets cut down. I finally was able to fly apartments back in September through AA. It was a short planned trip (2 days before) but I knew I had to get it then as to not risk not be able to get it later. Good thing I did (this has happened before when I booked Emirates F after years of trying like 2 months before the devaluation).
@ Matt -- Totally agree, always book a good award when you have the chance, because you never know how long the opportunity will be around.
I don’t even know why they bother with ever releasing award seats to their partners, when they get a lot less that way: fewer points, much lower “fuel fees”, lower cancellation and change fees, plus a commission for the partner. Perhaps they must do this, just to remain in the partnership.
Also worth noting, up until a few weeks ago there was plentiful Apartments availability with AA from LHR for 2 PAX at T-30ish. Now there are just 3 or so days a month out, and only for 1 person.
@ben: doesn’t etihad have a new partnership with Flying Blue? How is the award space through them looking?
@ Cy -- Great question! Noticing exactly the same 60-day trend with Flying Blue.
Good to know; will keep an eye on things. Are there any availability restrictions booking Etihad awards in J on Flying Blue?
@ Euro -- Same as AAdvantage, it would appear. Economy in advance, but business and first class up to 60 days out.
All of the airlines are becoming less partner friendly with their premium cabin award space. Not that we have it like it but it's something we have to acknowledge.
If Etihad wants people to book with their program, ask them what their cancellation fee is for award flights. It's 10% of the points cost.
So an east coast to AUH flight in business that costs 110k points will make people lose 11k points for cancelling. The only other airline with an unfriendlier practice is booking non IB or BA metal through Iberia where you allegedly lose all your points!!
10% doesn’t seem too unreasonable. If you figure 1 point is even worth at most 2c/pp that cancellation would be $220 max. Really not unreasonable.
Also BA definitely will give you your points back if you cancel.
That's pretty bad for cancelling a point booking. So for two people round trip it could be $880 just to get your points back.
Points can be significantly worth more than 2cpp though which is the underlying issue.
I know you said you're still figuring out the "rules", but it looks like it might be more than 60 days out on AA.
Feb 27: LAX-AUH shows availability on EY thru London (LAX-LHR on BA, LHR-AUH on EY) 69 days out. Searching directly for LHR-AUH does not show this award availability. Could be phantom space, or could be paired cities have availability farther out.
Nevermind - just realized that the EY flight shows as economy even though you're booking First. Apologies!
My guess is that EY has problems with EK/AC new partnership
This would make sense but then again American has a deep partnership with Qatar Airways. Meanwhile Aeroplan redemptions for Emirates is like half a million points.
I feel like given their status as the least popular/profitable/etc of the Middle East big 3- you would think they would want to encourage people to fly their product, not restrict it heavily. Seems to be a weird approach.
That’s just your view! Before QSuite, Etihad had the best product across the ME3 both business and first, and still now I find their product way better than Emirates. I would choose EY over EK any day, so I don’t think they need to attract any one in that way.