Destinations Travel News

Fly From Athens to Abu Dhabi on Etihad’s 787-9 Dreamliner

etihad 787
Written by Charlie

If you want to try out Etihad’s 787 Dreamliner, you can do that next time you fly between Athens and Abu Dhabi. And, it could be cheaper than you think – depending on where you end up!

 

Greece is a extremely popular destination in the summer months due to the great beaches, loads of hotels and resorts, and, right now, an economy that really is in need of tourist dollars (so there are plenty of deals to be had). It is also a pretty good place to head out to other places around the Middle East considering its location and many people stopover in those countries enroute to Asian destinations as well.

Fly from Athens to Abu Dhabi on Etihad’s 787 Dreamliner

As someone who has flown between Athens and Abu Dhabi several times, I am excited about the fact that Etihad is now flying their 787 Dreamliner between Athens and Abu Dhabi for the summer. In the past, it has been on their A320 planes with the occasional A330 going on the route . It is a long enough flight that business could be a nice option but I am not really a fan of redeeming the extra miles for business on their A320 when economy is really not that bad at all.

But, the addition of the Boeing 787 to the schedule for peak months helps to make a compelling case to use miles for flying on business class, especially if you are heading onward.

Here are the details about Etihad’s Athens – Abu Dhabi route and timings:

  • The 787 will be on this route from June 1 – September 30
  • Flight EY90 departs Athens at 14:25 and arrives in Abu Dhabi at 20:20
  • Flight EY91 departs Abu Dhabi at 08:45 and arrives in Athens at 13:00
  • These flights are daily

If you want to use AA miles for this trip, it will cost you 20,000 miles in coach and 42,500 miles in business. This is the amount for travel between Europe and the Middle East so you could actually originate in a different European city before stopping over in Athens and continuing on to Abu Dhabi.

Paying for Business Class

It is quite expensive to buy business class for Athens to Abu Dhabi but you could buy your return ticket to the US and route through Abu Dhabi for not much more! When you buy tickets departing Athens, the price is typically much lower than most of the other cities in Europe. While still not cheap, if you use your points to pay for the ticket, it could be a nice way to go – especially if you fly to JFK!

That would let you sample the 787-9 in Business for almost 5 hours to Abu Dhabi before flying the A380 for 14 hours in business! Also, since it is a paid ticket, you would be able to take advantage of things like their chauffeur service in New York City – a big help if you are a bit away from the airport (up to 60 miles).

I have seen prices as low as $1,600 for a one-way business class ticket on Etihad from Athens to Abu Dhabi to JFK. Not bad to get a nice business class seat on two flights that total about 19 hours – and earns you miles even when paid with credit card points! 🙂

Featured image: From Etihad Airways website

Some of the links on Running with Miles are affiliate links that pay a commission if a purchase is made. Running with Miles is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

About the author

Charlie

Charlie has been an avid traveler and runner for many years. He has run in marathons around the world for less than it would cost to travel to the next town - all as a result of collecting and using miles and points. Over the years, he has flown hundreds of thousands of miles and collected millions of miles and points.
Now he uses this experience and knowledge to help others through Running with Miles.