No Business Class Space? Guess I HAVE To Fly Etihad’s Apartment!

If you are going to travel from Abu Dhabi to London, there is no better way to do than on Etihad’s Airbus A380. There are now two of the three flights (on many dates) on that route on the A380 so you have a good shot at getting a flight that works for you.

Etihad’s Apartment Space vs. Business Class Space

Review: Etihad Airways First Apartment Class On The A380

Of course, the great part about flying on that bird is the new First Apartment, Etihad’s A380 First Class cabin. At the same time, the business class seat on the A380 is nothing to sneeze at. I had a chance to tour the business class cabin on my flight and was really impressed with the amount of space and the level of comfort in business class. So, either the First Apartment or Business will be a great way to fly to/from London on Etihad.

The seat map on the Etihad A380 in business class / Expert Flyer

I need to get back to Europe from Abu Dhabi this summer so have been looking for award space to London. I do not need to get to London, but I am more than willing to add more time to the trip to fly on the A380 again. But, I also wanted to fly business class on Etihad’s A380 because the Apartment has been getting most of the attention (and why not?!). I really want to fly and review the business class cabin, plus it is a fantastic value at only 30,000 AA miles one way (that is the cost from/to Europe to Middle East/Indian Subcontinent).

Very Little Business Class Space

The problem is that I cannot find business class award space at the partner level. This was really surprising as there are 70 seats available in business class versus the 9 seats available in the Apartment class. I have searched a wide range of dates and there has been nothing available on any of the 3 flights to London (which includes a 777 aircraft and even a A340-600).

I have found a lot of business class availability in business to other cities in Europe, but not on the A380. It is interesting that they release more partner award space in their first class cabin than in business across so many dates on the A380 route.

Not a whole lot of business class award space on Etihad’s A380 on the Abu Dhabi-London route!

It is really a great thing that there is the first class space available since it only costs 10,000 more miles to fly in Apartment Class versus business class (40,000 miles for first class). I will certainly not complain that I will have to fly in the Apartment class again instead of business class but I am a little disappointed as I really would like to fly, experience, and review the business class seat. Maybe a business seat will open up as we get closer!

Booking Etihad’s A380 Apartment With Miles

To find award space, head over to the Etihad rewards page – here – and enter Abu Dhabi to London (or reverse). Then choose First.

Next, you need to look for Guest First space. That is what will be bookable with partner miles. In our example here, it does show it as available so you can simply call American Airlines (800-882-8880) to book it! Apartment Class costs 40,000 AA miles one way while Business Class costs 30,000 AA miles one way (for Europe <-> Middle East/Indian Subcontinent).

What has your experience been finding partner award space on Etihad’s A380 business class? The good news is that there is a fair amount of business space to/from New York!