Etihad has had some good deals and even fantastic deals on airfare over the last year (like last year’s “sale” of tickets from under $200 throughout the Etihad network from the US). So, I know there are many of you that will still be flying Etihad over the months to come. If your flights will take place this summer, you can take advantage of a special they have to earn bonus points, get extra luggage allowance, and even free parking during your check-in.
How You Can Get Bonus Etihad Miles And Extra Baggage Allowance When Flying Etihad
Etihad is trying to reduce the check-in traffic of people during the busy hours by giving passengers who choose to check-in for their flight during what they call the “moonlight” hours some special bonuses.
The Special Bonuses
What you get is an extra 5kg of baggage allowance (about 11lbs of extra baggages), which could help you with any souvenirs you have picked up. You also get a voucher for 2,500 bonus Etihad miles. While that is not a lot, since Etihad is a transfer partner of Citi’s ThankYou points program and SPG’s Starpoints, you could transfer some more miles to take advantage of some of Etihad’s routes with award miles (or even with their partners which could provide an even better value).
Details
The special moonlight hours are:
- Between 1AM – 6AM
- Between 1PM – 6PM
You can check-in as far as 24 hours before your departure but, to take advantage of the bonuses, they simply say that you must check-in “well in advance” of your flight. In their example, checking in only 2 hours before your flight would not do it. This also does not work on flights to the US – so it would be for flights to other destinations from Abu Dhabi. That is because US-bound flights must go through the pre-clearance counters instead. Finally, you will need an Etihad Guest account to take advantage of this (free to setup and you may also be able to get a status match to their program from another program as well).
This may work out best if you have a late night flight and would like to get rid of your luggage during the day if you have to check out of your hotel. Included with the early, early check-in option is the ability to park for free for one hour during your check-in. If you have a car, this may make it easier as to whether to take advantage of the earlier check-in option.
To see all the terms and details, head over to Etihad’s page here. While this is certainly not going to be for everyone, it may provide some benefit for any flying through Abu Dhabi in the near future.
