Airfare of the Week: Etihad First Class Phuket – Zurich from $4,598 Return

Our newest Airfare of the Week belongs to Etihad Airways, which has round-trip First Class fares from Phuket (HKT) to Zurich (ZRH) from USD3,192 (~AU$4,598).

You could also earn a big haul of miles to redeem on either Oneworld or Star Alliance.

Here are the full details of this great First Class airfare from Phuket to Zurich.

Sample itinerary & pricing

You can book this fare directly on the Etihad Airways website.

Lower prices may be available through some online travel agents (OTAs), but buyer beware!

Note that fares and availability are subject to change. This fare may not be available by the time you read this article, and you might need to be flexible with travel dates. We recommend booking ASAP to avoid disappointment!

Travel dates & fare rules

Here are the details of this airfare:

• No minimum stay, maximum stay of four months
• Two free stopovers permitted, including one in Abu Dhabi, of up to 21 days each
• A weekend surcharge of USD15 (~AU$22) applies when departing Phuket on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday
• Change fee: USD150 (~AU$216) plus any fare difference before departure
• Cancellation: USD600 (~AU$864) before departure. A full refund is available within 24 hours of ticketing if you book at least seven days before departure

• Open jaws are permitted
• Blackout dates: 11-30 December 2026 and 1-16 January 2027

On-board product

Here’s the catch. Do not book this fare thinking you will get Etihad’s Airbus A380 First Apartment.

While Etihad offers First Class to both Phuket and Zurich, the services are operated by its new Airbus A321LR. This is a narrow-body aircraft with just two First Class suites at the front of the cabin.

Nevertheless, you still get the full Etihad First Class service on the ground, including access to Etihad Airways’ flagship First Class lounge in Abu Dhabi. Each First Class suite comes with a sliding door, a fully-flat bed and a 20-inch 4K screen.

The soft product is also at First Class levels, with elevated dining and beverages offered.

Earning points & status credits with this airfare

This fare books into “A” class. Etihad is not a member of an airline alliance, but has useful partnerships with airlines across all the alliances.

The most interesting option for Australians is the American Airlines AAdvantage program. With a 275% earn rate on “A” class fares, you could earn around 33,000 AAdvantage miles for this round trip. You can use AAdvantage miles to book a Qantas Business Class reward seat on any domestic route for 20,000 miles one-way.

If you prefer Star Alliance, Air Canada’s Aeroplan program awards 250% of the miles flown on Etihad “A” class. That’s around 30,000 Aeroplan points for this round trip, which you can redeem on Star Alliance airlines or Virgin Australia.

Note that none of these programs count these miles as ‘status-qualifying’. So you won’t get any closer to retaining status with these Etihad flights.

For SkyTeam, your best bet is the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program, which awards at 275% for this fare.

Join the discussion on the AFF forum

Have you booked this airfare, or do you have a question about it? Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) forum!

In our dedicated “Airfare of the Week” thread, linked below, you can also find more information about how to book these fares or suggest a great airfare deal to be featured in a future Airfare of the Week article.