Etihad first class is one of the best flight experiences in the sky. The retail price starts at $6,000 and goes up depending on the route.

If you don’t want to shell out cash, the best way to book Etihad first class is with points. Booking Etihad first class isn’t for everyone, and some of the sweet spot routes are niche. We took a flight from Abu Dhabi to London using American Airlines AAdvantage miles.

1. American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

Etihad Apartments are only available on flights to/from Abu Dhabi (AUH). The points price ranges 50,000 - 115,000 AAdvantage miles. You can book the award flight through AA.com.

The biggest hurdle is finding availability since you’ll need to check the site often.

For AA, these are the prices:

• Seoul (ICN) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) - 50,000 AAdvantage miles
• London Heathrow (LHR) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) – 62,500 AAdvantage miles
• Paris (CDG) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) – 62,500 AAdvantage miles
• Melbourne (MEL) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) – 100,00 AAdvantage miles
• Sydney (SYD) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) – 100,000 AAdvantage miles
• New York City (JFK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) – 115,000 AAdvantage miles

2. Air Canada Aeroplan

Aeroplan is currently an American Express airline transfer partner. In late 2021, Aeroplan will become one of Chase’s Ultimate Rewards airline transfer partners.

Etihad Airways is an Aeroplan partner airline, so the partner airline rates apply in the redemption chart below.

How to Use Aeroplan Reward Charts

1. Check the partner airline site (Etihad) to see if the product you want to fly is available for your itinerary. Determine which travel zone you’ll be flying.
2. Find the distance between destinations.
3. Pick the fare class you want to fly.
4. Based on the points, choose the most points efficient booking option — either flights operated by Air Canada OR Partner airlines.

View the Aeroplan flight reward charts here: https://www.aircanada.com/content/dam/aircanada/loyalty-content/documents/flight-rewards-chart-en.pdf

A few booking examples:

US to Abu Dhabi (AUH)

JFK to AUH is 6,850 miles. Per the redemption chart below, the route falls under 6,001 to 8,000 miles category, and you’ll need to redeem 120,000 miles to book first class with a partner airline (Etihad).

IAH to AUH is 8,177 miles. You’ll need to redeem 130,000 points to book first class with a partner airline.

• 8,001+ miles is 130,000 points on a partner airline for First.

Europe to AUH

• AUH to CDG is 3,281 miles
• AUH to LHR is 3,428 miles
• 2,001 to 4,000 miles is 65,000 points for First.

• AUH to ICN 4,256 miles
• 0 to 5,000 miles is 80,000 points for First.

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