How to Book Reward Seats on Etihad Airways

Since Virgin Australia and Etihad Airways dissolved their partnership in 2025, using points to book Etihad reward seats has become trickier for Australians. But that’s not to say it’s impossible.

While Velocity is out, several other frequent flyer programs that are accessible to Aussies still offer the opportunity to book Etihad flights using points.

Unfortunately, Etihad generally only releases premium cabin award seats to most partner programs within 30 days of departure. However, if you’re looking to book a last-minute trip, there are still some great options available through partner programs. And you can still book further out through Etihad Guest.

If you don’t already have points with these programs, there are a few ways to get them – whether by transferring from flexible credit card rewards programs or buying them directly from Etihad Guest.

With the right approach, you can still secure your award seat on one of the world’s top airlines! Here are the best current ways to book your Etihad award seat…

Using Etihad Guest miles

By far the easiest way to book Etihad award seats is using Etihad’s own frequent flyer program. Especially if you’re wanting a Business, or even First, Class itinerary, you’ll find the most availability through Etihad Guest.

We have some great information on AFF already about how to buy and redeem Etihad Guest miles.

Several Australian credit card reward programs used to offer point transfers to Etihad Guest. Unfortunately, Amex Membership Rewards – the last one standing – removed Etihad Guest as a transfer partner in June 2026.

However, you could still transfer points to Etihad Guest indirectly. For example, you could transfer points from Amex Membership Rewards into Marriott Bonvoy, and then from Marriott Bonvoy to Etihad Guest.

For reference, it currently costs 120,000 Etihad Guest miles (plus taxes) for a Business Class seat from Australia to Abu Dhabi.

However, when redeeming Etihad Guest miles, beware of Etihad’s harsh cancellation policy. If you need to cancel your booking, you might be on the hook to forfeit a large percentage of the miles you originally paid.

Using Air Canada Aeroplan points

Air Canada partners with Etihad.

Unfortunately, Aeroplan switched earlier in 2025 to dynamic award pricing for Etihad award redemptions. The good news is that Aeroplan doesn’t impose carrier charges, and premium cabins on Etihad are bookable more than 30 days in advance through Aeroplan.

I use the website seats.aero to check availability, and could see at the time of writing that there was reasonable availability from various locations in Asia to the Middle East (and onwards). You could even book a multi-sector ticket using a different carrier from Australia to Asia, and then Etihad from there onwards to the Middle East, Europe or Africa – all on Aeroplan points.

Air Canada’s Aeroplan points can be earned in Australia by purchasing them through Air Canada’s website, or by converting them from Star Alliance Rewards points earned via the HSBC Star Alliance credit card. You could also convert PayRewards Points into Aeroplan points at a 2.5:1 rate.

Using Air France/KLM Flying Blue miles

Flying Blue uses a route-based pricing model, so award costs aren’t consistent across regions. For Etihad awards, Flying Blue prices flights per segment. So, if you want to book a connecting itinerary via Abu Dhabi, the total number of miles required would be the sum of each individual segment.

Unfortunately, Flying Blue no longer has any bank transfer partners in Australia since CommBank Awards ended its partnership in 2025.

You could purchase miles directly from the Flying Blue website, where they regularly run bonuses or discounts on purchased miles.

At the time of writing, there didn’t seem to be much premium cabin availability for direct flights between Australia and the Middle East via Flying Blue. So, this program is not likely to be your best option for those non-stop routes.

However, there looks to be decent availability direct between the Middle East to Europe, Africa, and India – if that’s what you’re looking for.

Using American Airlines AAdvantage miles

Another interesting option could be to utilise American Airlines AAdvantage loyalty program to book Etihad flights.

While there is no easy way in Australia to earn or convert miles to the AAdvantage program, you could buy them directly from the American Airlines website. They often also run special deals where you can get either bonus miles, or a discount, on miles purchased.

Pricing is based on the standard region-based partner award chart, with no fuel surcharges for awards on Etihad.

A one way Business Class ticket from Australia to the Middle East would cost 80,000 AAdvantage miles, plus taxes. However, finding availability for these routes can be tricky. Currently the only options look to be via a stopover in Asia, generally with the first leg on Qantas.

Alternatively, flying from the Middle East to Europe one way would cost 42,500 AAdvantage miles in Business or 62,500 miles in First Class (plus taxes)! You could even fly Etihad’s amazing A380 First Class suite to London, with good availability within 30 days at the time of writing this!

Using other frequent flyer programs

There are numerous other partner airline frequent flyer programs through which you could book Etihad award seats (e.g. Malaysia Airlines Enrich or Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles). But it’s harder to either earn or redeem points in these programs in Australia.

For example, Garuda Miles can be redeemed for Etihad flights. But you would need to find award availability through another program (e.g. AAdvantage) then either call the contact centre or submit a form to do so. This is not nearly as convenient as some of the other possible alternatives above.

How would you book?

While the end of the partnership between Etihad and Virgin Australia was undoubtedly a blow for Australian frequent flyers, there are still several ways for us to use our points – like those mentioned above – to be able to experience Etihad’s renowned hospitality.

With multiple options still available, how would you book your next Etihad award seats?