Etihad doesn't just have First Class seats on its Airbus A380s: They're called “The Apartments,” a laughably spacious suite complete with a separate recliner seat and seven-foot-long bed … oh, and an onboard lounge and shower, too. It's arguably the pinnacle of commercial aviation, so go figure it's become a major hassle to book with points – especially after Etihad stops flying one of its A380s to New York City (JFK) in a month.
But we just stumbled into a serious sweet spot to book an Apartment for even fewer points. For reasons we can't quite explain, Etihad just chopped award rates to book the Apartment on its routes between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and both Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and even Singapore (SIN) to just 95,000 miles each way this spring – down from the norm of 140,000 miles each way. As of publication, those lower rates are only available through June, after which they revert to the higher price.
Best of all, you can easily get all the miles you need: Etihad is a Capital One transfer partner, Citi transfer partner and an Amex transfer partner, too. And with a 20% transfer bonus from American Express to Etihad available through April 30, you could book your own apartment in the sky with just 80,000 points from cards like the *amex gold* or *amex platinum*.
Etihad also tacks on $300 or so each way in taxes and fees or over $400 when departing Paris. That's the price you pay to fly in one of the coolest first class seats in the sky.
Read our full review of flying Etihad Apartments!
We unearthed this surprising sweet spot earlier this week and sent one of our patented “Nerd Alerts” to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members with wide-open award space for two passengers to book Apartments through June.
Why is 95,000 miles each way such a steal for these flights? Like many airlines, the Etihad Guest mileage program uses dynamic award pricing, with rates that often fluctuate and can easily soar into the hundreds of thousands of miles for a premium cabin redemption. But there's still a floor price: “Guest” awards at the lowest-and-best rates.
Typically, that rate for a ride in Etihad First Class on its A380 bottoms out at 140,000 miles each way. And yet here we are, seeing award rates for a fraction of that!
While Etihad also flies its signature A380s to London-Heathrow (LHR), New York City (JFK), and soon, Toronto (YYZ), Paris and Singapore are the only routes where we're seeing these cheaper redemptions up front on an A380. And again, these 95,000-mile rates only last through June – after that, they revert to the norm of 140,000 miles each way.
On paper, you could book these same flights for 62,500 American AAdvantage miles to Paris … or just 50,000 miles to Singapore! But in practice, you'll only ever see those rates when booking within just 14 days of departure – Etihad has gotten incredibly stingy with releasing this prized award space to its partner airlines.
Not only do you have far more dates to pick from by booking through Etihad's own mileage program, but it's far easier to get Etihad miles by transferring credit card points, too – not an option with American. Just be sure to pay close attention when booking flights to or from Paris: While one flight a day is on the A380, featuring Apartments on the upper deck, the airline also flies a Boeing 787-9 to the City of Light, too.
The only potential downside to booking through Etihad is a punishing cancellation policy if your plans change. You can change your travel dates for just $27 a ticket – at least so long as you make that change at least seven days before departure. But if you need to cancel altogether, you'll forfeit at least 25% of your miles … or 50% if you cancel within three weeks of departure … and 75% of them if you cancel within a week of departure. Gulp.
Still, this is a golden opportunity to cross flying Etihad Apartments off your bucket list. We just wouldn't recommend booking it if your travel plans aren't quite set in stone.
Bottom Line
Out of nowhere, Etihad has discounted award rates to book its vaunted Apartment First Class suites to either Paris or Singapore through the spring.
At 95,000 miles each way – miles you can easily earn by transferring credit card points from banks like Amex, Capital One, or Citi – this is substantially cheaper than the 140,000 miles each way we usually see from Etihad. Don't wait around if flying Etihad Apartments is on your wish list.
