Extremely Cheap Etihad Business Class MNL-Italy-SE Asia

Nice for positioning....Cebu Pacific is having a sale on direct flights to Manila. Syd/Mel only.
Idk if people can stomach Cebu as a positioning flight. There's budget .. and then theres being on a a339 with almost as many pax capacity as QF's a380. Also 3-3-3 on a 330 is a do it once and never again unless I have literally no choice. They're also often delayed because its impossible to check 400+ pax in and get away on time if you open the check in counters only 3h from departure.

I feel like the limit is normalish Y from PR or QF to MNL.
 
Well, I've now booked MNL-MXP-FCO-CGK for AUD 2220 in Business Value, for March-April 2026.

Etihad metal for all flights and only a 2 hour layover in AUH for both directions, so lounge access at AUH won't be a big issue. I'll use PP at MNL and FCO, and I guess I'll be reasonably happy with any seat EY allocates me, given that on the 787's they're all lie flat.

I'll book a revenue fare in Y SYD-MNL on Qantas, using my Amex $450 credit, and will book a QF J award ticket from CGK to CBR.

So, it should be a pretty cheap trip to Europe in relative comfort.

Oh, FWIW, I could have booked MNL-MXP-FCO-SIN for a similar price, but found there were better QF reward options to CBR from CGK.
 
Last edited:
Oh, FWIW, I could have booked MNL-MXP-FCO-SIN for a similar price, but found there were better QF reward options to CBR from CGK.
Oooh! You're right - $50 cheaper for me, and that means another $50 again for lack of Indo visa.

The extra for lounge access/seating is a bummer - I'm not convinced I'm willing to take the chance on being assigned a seat because I really much prefer windows. Like you, short stopovers and I have PP so not worried about lounges.

I'm guessing this will get pulled tonight because I'm planning on booking tomorrow :D
 
Yep. Here's one example I found - $2,177 flying Etihad all the way. Great deal.

View attachment 474365

Have been looking at June - August next year for my parents.

Can get MNL-FCO-SIN for $USD2900 total. AUD$4400. So $2200 per person. Great value!

But can only get it on the 5:30am flight out of Manila, would much prefer the evening flight, but can't seem to get it around that period.
 
Elevate your business spending to first-class rewards! Sign up today with code AFF10 and process over $10,000 in business expenses within your first 30 days to unlock 10,000 Bonus PayRewards Points.
Join 30,000+ savvy business owners who:

✅ Pay suppliers who don’t accept Amex
✅ Max out credit card rewards—even on government payments
✅ Earn & transfer PayRewards Points to 10+ airline & hotel partners

Start earning today!
- Pay suppliers who don’t take Amex
- Max out credit card rewards—even on government payments
- Earn & Transfer PayRewards Points to 8+ top airline & hotel partners

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

About $100 extra each way
For that you get seat selection, lounge access, chauffeur plus more
I'm not sure where you got that figure from, but in my case if I wanted to select window seats on each flight and also get lounge access, it would amount to an extra US$500, which I don't personally think is worth it. Selecting true window seats costs US$90 or US$100 per flight. A little less for a non-window seat (which you'd end up getting for free anyway). Lounge access was US$120.

Edit: if you booked the comfort fare, it was an extra US$120 R/T, so not too bad if you wanted those extra benefits.
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure where you got that figure from, but in my case if I wanted to select window seats on each flight and also get lounge access, it would amount to an extra US$500, which I don't personally think is worth it. Selecting true window seats costs US$90 or US$100 per flight. A little less for a non-window seat (which you'd end up getting for free anyway). Lounge access was US$120.

Edit: if you booked the comfort fare, it was an extra US$120 R/T, so not too bad if you wanted those extra benefits.
To upgrade to Business Comfort from Business Value is around $100 each way.
IMG_0873.jpeg
Comfort has these extras
IMG_0872.jpeg
 

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top