How to find and book Etihad First Class Apartments

Etihad First Apartments is the name for Etihad’s fantastic first class suites on their Airbus A380 aircraft. Each suite is like a small room with a narrow hallway, a lounge chair, a bench that converts into a single bed, and a dressing table with a mirror and drawers. There is also a bathroom with a shower shared by first class passengers (but not at the same time). In addition to the incredible space on board, First Class passengers are treated to fantastic service and catering. Overall, it is undoubtedly a great experience that should definitely be on your bucket list.

Where to find Etihad First Apartments

Etihad First Apartments are only available on Etihad’s Airbus A380 aircraft. At the time of writing, Flight Connections shows Etihad operating the A380 on the following routes to and from their hub in Abu Dhabi (AUH):

• New York (JFK)
• London (LHR)
• Paris (CDG)
• Mumbai (BOM): Ends January 2025
• Singapore (SIN): Starts February 2025

How to find reward availability

Many tools can be used to determine award availability (see: Which award search tool is the best?). However, since American Airlines miles are currently the best way to book Etihad First Class, an easy option is to simply use AA.com to search for nonstop first class awards between the routes shown above and Abu Dhabi .

Note that AA typically only has access to Etihad first class awards within the next 30 days, but this does not apply to the route to/from Paris.

First, perform a simple one-way search on any day in the near future. For example, Paris to Abu Dhabi on 12/1/24 shows me the following:

As you can see above, this is an Etihad Airways A380 aircraft, so the first class seats will be Etihad First Apartments. You can also see that 3 first class seats are available for 62,500 AA miles plus $126 in fees.

To view a calendar of available dates, click the CALENDAR button, then select nonstop flights and then select first class only. Now you can see that there are 9 days of non-stop first class service between Paris and Abu Dhabi available in December. You can now scroll using the left or right arrows to view other months:

On the route shown above, Etihad only flies with the A380 aircraft. The available data therefore only shows those where Etihad First Apartment Awards are available. However, on other routes such as to/from London or New York, Etihad also operates other aircraft with their regular (still great, but not so great) First Class. In these cases, booking Etihad First Apartments requires clicking on the available dates and checking exactly which aircraft is flown on that available route.

Practical considerations

The best way to book Etihad First Class Apartments with AA miles is to book last minute. I understand that this is not an approach many people want to take when flying internationally. Therefore, there are two other options here:

1. Book with Etihad Miles. Etihad charges more miles than AA, but you can book first class much earlier in advance. Amex, Citi and Capital One points all transfer to Etihad 1 for 1. Unfortunately, Etihad has terrible cancellation policies, so this option is best for those who don’t mind committing to fixed plans well in advance. If this is you, use Seats.aero or SeatSpy to quickly find awards at reasonable prices.
2. Book a replacement flight that is “good enough” and can be freely changed. For example, let’s say you want to fly Etihad First Apartments from JFK to Abu Dhabi at a later date when awards are not yet available for that flight. Additionally, you will want to plan what you will do once you arrive in Abu Dhabi. In this case, you could book a “good enough” replacement flight. For this route, for example, you can use 70,000 AA miles plus an admittedly outrageous $1,074 in fees to book British Airways business class via London to Abu Dhabi. Then, as the date draws closer, look out for the opening of the Etihad First Class Award. When it opens (perhaps just a day or two before departure), you can transfer your award to the Etihad flight. You’ll have to pay the difference in miles (this flight should cost you a total of 115,000 AA miles), but you’ll get the difference back in cash (which should be almost the entire amount).

How to get AA miles

The best way to earn American Airlines miles quickly is with new credit card bonuses. Here are the current offers:

Consumer cards

Card offer and details

50,000 miles after spending $2,500 in the first three months Introductory fee of $0 for the first year, $99 thereafter Information about this map was independently collected by Frequent Miler. The issuer has not provided the information and is not responsible for its accuracy. Current better offer: 75,000 miles after spending $3,500 in 3 months (ending 10/14/24) FM Mini Review: Excellent choice for a great introductory bonus. Additionally, it offers the usual perks of AA flights (free checked bags, priority boarding, etc.). Earnings rate: 2X Restaurants ✦ 2X Gas ✦ 2X AA Base: 1X (1.3%) Food: 2X (2.6%) Gas: 2X (2.6%) Brand: 2X (2.6%) Map information: Mastercard World Elite issued by Citi. There are no foreign currency conversion fees for this card. Big Spending Bonus: $125 AA flight discount with a membership fee of $20,000 per year Notable Benefits: ✦ First checked bag free ✦ Priority boarding ✦ Save 25% on food and beverage purchases on board

Card offer and details

75,000 miles after spending $7,500 in the first three months$595 annual fee Information about this map was independently collected by Frequent Miler. The issuer has not provided the information and is not responsible for its accuracy. FM Mini Review: Good choice for those who need access to Admirals Club® and value the loyalty point boosts at 50,000 and 90,000 loyalty points. Plus, it offers the usual perks for AA flights (free checked bags, priority boarding, etc.) and some handy credits for Avis or Budget rentals and GrubHub. Earnings rate: 4X AA ✦ 10X hotels booked through AA.com/Hotels ✦ 10X rental cars booked through AA.com/Cars ✦ 1X everywhere else Base: 1X (1.3%) Brand: 4X (5.2%) Other: 10X (13%) Map information: Mastercard World Elite issued by Citi. There are no foreign currency conversion fees for this card. Notable Benefits: ✦ First checked bag free ✦ Admirals Club® access for primary and authorized users ✦ Up to $120 per 12 monthly billing cycles for GrubHub purchases (up to $10 per monthly billing cycle) ✦ Up to $120 cash back on eligible Avis or Budget Prepaid Car rental every calendar year ✦ $10 monthly Lyft credit after you take 3 Lyft rides in that calendar month ✦ 10,000 bonus loyalty points after you earn 50,000 loyalty points across all channels and an additional 10,000 bonus loyalty points after you earn over 90,000 loyalty points have collected all channels ✦ 25% savings Eligible in-flight purchases on American Airlines flights ✦ Up to $120 worldwide immigration or TSA PreCheck application fee credit every 4 years

Business cards

Card offer and details

75,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first 5 monthsIntroductory fee of $0 for the first year, $99 thereafter Alternative offer: There is an alternative offer of $30,000 + $400 credit that you can find with a dummy booking on aa.com. Information about this map was independently collected by Frequent Miler. The issuer has not provided the information and is not responsible for its accuracy. FM Mini Review: This card usually offers a great welcome bonus, but if you’re looking for a card you can keep long-term, you can find better options. Earnings rate: ✦ 2X AA ✦ 2X certain telecommunications dealers ✦ 2X car rental dealers ✦ 2X gasoline Base: 1X (1.3%) Travel: 2X (2.6%) Gas: 2X (2.6%) Phone: 2X (2.6%) Brand: 2X (2.6%) Map information: Mastercard World, published by Citi. There are no foreign currency conversion fees for this card. Big Spending Bonus: Earn a Domestic Companion Certificate valued at $99 plus tax after spending $30,000 Notable Benefits: ✦ First checked bag free ✦ Priority boarding ✦ Save 25% on inflight purchases

Transfer from Marriott

Marriott points can be transferred to American Airlines at the rate of 3 Marriott points for 1 American mile. Note that there is no longer a 5,000 mile bonus for transferring 60,000 points.

Other ways to earn AA miles

Our AA guide lists a range of other ways to earn AA miles, from hotels to online shopping and Bask banking.

Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or watch our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.