Etihad Guest is the loyalty program for Etihad Airways. While it may not get as much press as other programs such as Aeroplan, British Airways Avios, or Air France/KLM Flying Blue, it’s one of the more accessible programs since it’s a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards.
Recently, the airline announced that there will be upcoming changes to the program, and we now know the details. As of March 9, 2023, Etihad Guest will shift to having two distance-based award charts, instead of individual charts for each airline.
While it’s not a shift towards dynamic pricing, many of the program’s unique sweet spots are soon to disappear.
Etihad Guest Moves to Two Distance-Based Award Charts
Until now, Etihad Guest has used separate charts for each airline, with pricing based on a hybrid of both distance and routes.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline will soon have two charts: one for redemptions on Etihad Airways, and one for travel on partner airlines.
The new award chart for Etihad Airways redemptions is as follows:
As you can see, you can redeem points for Etihad Airways flights in economy, business class, and First Class, with prices that vary depending on how far you fly.
The highest distance band is for flights of over 6,001 miles, which also happens to less than any direct flight between Abu Dhabi and North America, as all measure around 7,000 miles in distance.
Etihad Guest also has 20 partner airlines for which you can redeem points. There are some big names on the list, including Air Canada, American Airlines, ANA, and Royal Air Maroc, as well as some smaller airlines, such as Air Seychelles, Bangkok Airways, and Czech Airlines.
The new partner award chart is as follows:
The new chart does away with having separate redemption charts for each of the partner airlines, though as we’ll explore below, the more valuable uses of Etihad Guest are essentially evaporating.
It’s important to note that you’ll have to factor in the transfer ratio of 1:0.75 from Amex MR in Canada, which skews the above costs even higher. In the US, you can transfer points from Amex US MR, Citi ThankYou, and Capital One at a ratio of 1:1, which is much more favourable than in Canada.
Some Partner Airlines Will Be Bookable Online
One of the pain points of redeeming Etihad Guest miles on partner airlines is that until now, you’ve had to call the contact centre to book them. Many reports…
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