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
