AWESOME: Trip on Etihad Using AA miles

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avaction

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Flew Etihad to Abu Dhabi in 1st class apartment on A380 on 23 March 2017. An absolutely awesome experience. Etihad are miles ahead when it comes to the comfort on board, my wife and I felt like we had a double bed in a private room.

Gregory the F&B manager was really attentive and caring. We had the on-board lounge area to ourselves most of the time and got table service for drinks and refreshments. In fact a couple from business class peeked their heads round the curtain and then apologised, asking if this was our private lounge. They then joined us for a couple of drinks.

The arrivals lounge at Abu Dhabi is quite small but I was able to have a free shave while my wife freshened up with a shower. She is slightly claustrophobic so could not use the onboard shower.

No chauffeur drive as booked on an American Airlines ticket but no big problem.

All in all an excellent use of AA points and availability is fairly good.
 

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avaction said:
Flew Etihad to Abu Dhabi in 1st class apartment on A380 on 23 March 2017. An absolutely awesome experience. Etihad are miles ahead when it comes to the comfort on board, my wife and I felt like we had a double bed in a private room.

Gregory the F&B manager was really attentive and caring. We had the on-board lounge area to ourselves most of the time and got table service for drinks and refreshments. In fact a couple from business class peeked their heads round the curtain and then apologised, asking if this was our private lounge. They then joined us for a couple of drinks.

The arrivals lounge at Abu Dhabi is quite small but I was able to have a free shave while my wife freshened up with a shower. She is slightly claustrophobic so could not use the onboard shower.

No chauffeur drive as booked on an American Airlines ticket but no big problem.

All in all an excellent use of AA points and availability is fairly good.
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Good to hear, we are flying with them Melbourne to London via Abu Dhabi in J class in July and very much looking forward to it all.
 
avaction said:
Flew Etihad to Abu Dhabi in 1st class apartment on A380 on 23 March 2017..............................All in all an excellent use of AA points and availability is fairly good.
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How far in advance booked avaction? That was SYD-AUH flt? Pts reqd?
 
Super cool! :) I have AA miles which I'd ear marked for QR F but EY F was a 2nd choice.

I suspect it's one of those experiences I would only try once (kinda costly otherwise) but memorable.

How did you find the bed? bit hard? that has been the feedback I have read mostly. We have flown EY J but never bothered with the mattress there. Currently still find NZ J's bed the most comfortable sleep (out of carriers we have tried) but still keen to explore! There are many things I adore about EY. I like chit chat with people in aircraft lounges/bars as well.
 
Cruiser Elite said:
How far in advance booked avaction? That was SYD-AUH flt? Pts reqd?
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200,000 AA points + $175 in taxes for both of us. Booked about 4 months in advance. As for the beds, they were very comfortable. My wife is scared of flying but dropped off to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
 
NZflygirl said:
Super cool! :) I have AA miles which I'd ear marked for QR F but EY F was a 2nd choice.

I suspect it's one of those experiences I would only try once (kinda costly otherwise) but memorable.

How did you find the bed? bit hard? that has been the feedback I have read mostly. We have flown EY J but never bothered with the mattress there. Currently still find NZ J's bed the most comfortable sleep (out of carriers we have tried) but still keen to explore! There are many things I adore about EY. I like chit chat with people in aircraft lounges/bars as well.
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On the bed topic, I suggest choosing an apartment where the seat is on the forward side and the bed on the rear side (eg. 1H). I have found that the little bit of elevation of the aircraft meant I had this small feeling I was going to roll out of the bed, when the bed is on the forward side. Rear side beds mean you just roll into the wall.
 
we're flying with them n J in September and i'm really really looking forward to it-
I was interested to hear you said you couldn't book the chauffeur because you'd booked with AA miles- so have I, but I received a confirmation that I'm entitled to the chauffeur and can book it online-

I also received confirmation from Etihad that I was entitled to a pay 1 get 1 free night in Abu Dhabi - when I tried to book it, they did tell me I was not entitled, but I insisted that I'd received a confirmation saying I could- so, they let it go through- and i'm happy with that too-

Very excited to hear of your experience- wish I could have used extra miles for first- but there are three of us- so, we'll have to be content with J :)
 
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maz1 said:
I also received confirmation from Etihad that I was entitled to a pay 1 get 1 free night in Abu Dhabi - when I tried to book it, they did tell me I was not entitled, but I insisted that I'd received a confirmation saying I could- so, they let it go through- and i'm happy with that too-
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Strange as I thought was available to anyone flying Etihad?
 
Spizz said:
Strange as I thought was available to anyone flying Etihad?
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I have no experience using AA miles (or EY F - aside from an op-up!), but I know the chauffeur is not available with certain J tickets (even those issued by EY). For example, it's not available on EY's Business Saver tickets (cash fares - not award), which I have travelled on a few times. It's hardly an issue when you're saving >$2k return, but I just mention this as their system clearly can differentiate based on the type of ticket you have, rather than simply based on class of travel. Also, the website states the chauffeur is available to "Etihad Guest members redeeming their miles to travel on First or Business Class" - which implies it's not necessarily available to members of other programs redeeming miles. That said, if there is one thing that EY does well, it's inconsistency!
 
I recently booked 3 flights with Etihad using my VA points in J class to LHR and back and was able to book the chauffeur pick up and drop off. I just rang the guest contact centre for Etihad. Flying this month and next month.
 
How is availability trying to book into F?

A little offtopic, but can you still use AA miles to book into QR as well?
 
oh_lol said:
How is availability trying to book into F?

A little offtopic, but can you still use AA miles to book into QR as well?
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Yes you can and is a much better deal than EY to Europe as they price as one trip, rather than two
 
oh_lol said:
How is availability trying to book into F?
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Very good in my experience. Etihad also seems to release more seats closer to departure when there is unsold inventory. The first time I flew F with them, from SYD-AUH, there were only three seats occupied the day prior to departure, at which point they released all remaining seats for redemption.
 
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