Etihad awards again are bookable with AAdvantage miles–finally! Early this month I wrote that Etihad awards were still unbookable with AAdvantage miles, due to a problem on Etihad's side with not displaying award availability correctly in Direct Access, the system American AAdvantage (and other airlines) use to view and book Etihad award tickets. This was pretty frustrating to some of my Award Booking clients, whom I had to book with other miles, so I've been checking periodically with AAdvantage for updates on this getting resolved.
The most recent memo sent to AAdvantage call center agents last week was:
“We understand that members are expressing a desire to book redemptions on Etihad Airways and are frustrated that Direct Access is not currently working. The problem has been identified and a solution is currently being tested. Once all testing is completed, we will be able to book award seats on Etihad Airways again. Please apologize for the delay and encourage members to call back for award bookings.”
It's taken about a month, but at long last Etihad awards, including Etihad First Class Suites, are bookable with AAdvantage miles. Perfect timing, since a number of folks have just earned 100,000 AAdvantage miles from the still available 100K Citi Executive AAdvantage card (or have even earned a couple of these bonuses).
Here's one of the Etihad First Class awards I've recently held for a client:
FAQ
I Called and an AAdvantage Agent Says Etihad Awards Still Aren't Bookable!
Some AAdvantage agents may refuse to book Etihad awards because a new memo hasn't been sent out yet, but the award space is bookable. Try to persuad the agent to try to book the space (given current long hold times) but if the agent refuses, you'll need to HUCA (hang up, call again).
Is It Possible Yet to Book Etihad with US Airways Dividend Miles?
Note that Etihad awards are NOT bookable with US Airways Dividend miles, because Etihad is not in oneworld and is a non-alliance partner of American. Once Dividend Miles and AAdvantage miles are combined, sometime in 2015 (no date has been announced yet, but it will NOT be in 2014) you'll be able to use your combined Dividend miles / AAdvantage miles to book Etihad–but keep in mind that both Dividend Miles and AAdvantage will likely see a devaluation of some kind this year, in 2014 (in addition to the recent AAdvantage devaluation that eliminated AAdvantage Explorer awards and free one ways).
Which is Better, Etihad First Class or Emirates First Class?
Personally I preferred my Etihad First Class experience, especially the seat / fully flat bed, which I found much more comfortable than the Emirates First Class seat and bed (although I grant that the Emirates First Class seat has a stronger massage function). If you're excited by the prospect of a shower aboard the aircraft, however, Emirates First Class is the way to go.
My dinner entree on Emirates was a touch better than on Etihad, but Etihad's dessert, created by its on-board chef, was better–so good that I had a second one several hours later. I also prefer Etihad's WiFi pricing, which is flat rate (at the time I flew it was even free) vs. the expensive data-based pricing on Emirates. Another family-friendly innovation of Etihad is its Flying Nannies, whereas I haven't seen a similar service offered by Emirates.
Do you plan to book any Etihad awards now that they are again bookable with AAdvantage miles?
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