Etihad has leveled up over the last few years, establishing itself as a premier Middle Eastern airline while introducing snazzy new premium cabins and adding additional routes from the U.S. But as its appeal has grown, it's gotten harder and harder to book their business class … unless you're content forking over 120,000-plus miles from the airline's own Etihad Guest program – and over $500 in taxes.
You shouldn't be, because a much, much better way has emerged: Use Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles instead.
Using the European airlines' program, you can book flights between the U.S. and Abu Dhabi for as low as about 87,000 miles and $200 or so in fees – or add a connection within the Middle East or onward to destinations the Maldives for not too much more. You can even stop in Abu Dhabi (AUH) for a few days before hopping on the next flight for free thanks to Flying Blue's free stopover program!
And those miles couldn't be easier to earn: From Chase to Amex to Capital One and more, Flying Blue is a transfer partner with all the major banks. It gets even better if there's a transfer bonus in play – like the current 20% bonus when sending Chase points to Flying Blue – and that's another reason why this new option is so valuable.
It's not exactly new, as this option cropped up just over a year ago when Etihad announced a surprise partnership with Air France/KLM. But low rates are only half of the equation: Without award availability to actually book using miles, it doesn't mean a thing.
And that's been the issue with Etihad for years – the Middle Eastern carrier has gotten incredibly stingy with allowing partner airlines to book its best seats. So while American AAdvantage miles might be the best “deal” on paper at just 70,000 miles each way for an Etihad business class suite, finding availability to book at those rates has become borderline impossible … unless you're booking within just a few weeks of departure.
Not so with Flying Blue, which has recently started getting access to far more award availability than virtually any other airline. Just this week, we tipped off our Thrifty Traveler Premium members to tons of bookable business seats from Etihad gateways like Boston (BOS), New York City (JFK), Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), and Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) – not just over a month or two, but all year long!
Whether this is a one-off deal or the new normal for booking Etihad business class remains to be seen … but availability is so widespread, we're betting it's the latter. Unfortunately, we're not currently seeing Etihad First Class – including the laughably spacious Etihad Apartments – bookable via Air France/KLM.
But Etihad business class is nothing to scoff at – especially if you wind up inside one of the airline's new suites decked out with closing doors and fresh decor on their Airbus A350-1000s or select Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
This is a big win for travelers with transferrable points hoping to book business class. Get this: You could transfer 120,000 points from an *amex gold* or *venture x* straight to Etihad Guest and book a business class suite from New York to Abu Dhabi. The airline also tacks on a whopping $544 in taxes and fees. No, thank you.
Instead, you could book that exact same seat for just 89,000 Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles – plus, less than half the fees. Got Chase points from a card like the *chase sapphire preferred*? Thanks to that 20% transfer bonus available through Jan. 15, it gets even cheaper: Just 75,000 points will do!
Exactly how many points you'll need to transfer over to Air France depends on which North American city you're flying to or from, as the airline's award rates for Etihad vary based upon the distance. And Flying Blue is notorious for slight variations in award rates over time, but here are the current rates on nonstop routes as of publication:
- Boston (BOS): 86,500 miles
- New York City (JFK): 89,000 miles
- Toronto (YYZ): 89,500 miles
- Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD): 91,500 miles
- Chicago-O'Hare (ORD): 94,000 miles
Amazingly, availability at these rates seems to more or less mirror booking through Etihad itself. So if you search at Etihad.com and see a flight bookable at that lowest, 120,000-point rate – Etihad calls them “GuestSeat” redemptions – you should be able to turn around and book that same flight seat for far fewer points using Air France/KLM.
Heading further? Your final total through Flying Blue will hinge on your final destination, but you can expect to tack on a few thousand miles for a Middle Eastern connection like Muscat (MCT) to as much as an additional 20,000 miles to get to India.
Thrifty Tip: Build in a free stopover in Abu Dhabi (AUH) with connections like these! You'll just have to call Flying Blue at 1-800-375-8723 to book it.
There's one more compelling reason to book via Air France/KLM: The airlines charge just $75 for award ticket changes or cancellations to get your miles back. While you can change dates for free when booking via Etihad Guest, the carrier will force you to forfeit at least 25% of your mileage to cancel the ticket … or as much as 75% if you cancel within a week of departure.
Bottom Line
It's been an option for just over a year, but now we're making it official: Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles are the best way to book Etihad business class … and it's not even close.
With cheaper award rates starting under 90,000 miles each way (plus lower taxes and fees, too), reasonable cancellation fees to get those miles back, and a fun option to add a stopover in Abu Dhabi for free, the list of advantages to booking with your Air France miles is long. Plus, availability is surprisingly excellent when searching and booking through Flying Blue.
Lead photo courtesy of Etihad