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Etihad has launched a new Business Class sale out of various European cities and, after quick search to see what’s on offer, it looks like the more interesting fares are for departures out of Amsterdam and a number of UK cities.
Sale fare are available out of other European locations but, as far as I can tell, the flights either require 2+ stopovers or the fares are nothing to get excited about.
If you’re looking for Qatar-esque mega-deals you’re going to be disappointed – Etihad doesn’t run those kind of Business Class deals very often – but, if you’re looking to get to Asia or the Middle East in comfort then some of these fares could be interesting.
Note: I’ve added some advice about the aircraft Etihad uses under the fares (in the “thoughts” sections and towards the bottom of this post) – make sure you read all of it before you book!
Etihad Business Class Sale – Amsterdam
- Book by 28 October 2017
- Travel between 18 November 2017 and 30 June 2018
- Minimum stay is 3 days
- Maximum stay is 1 month
The Fares
Other fares are available – these are just a selection I’ve picked out
- Amsterdam – Mumbai: €1,649 – avoid A321 book 777ER or A330-300
- Amsterdam – Muscat: €1,699
- Amsterdam – Bangkok: €1,699 – 777 or 333-200 CHECK which better
- Amsterdam – New Delhi: €1,599 – avoid A321 book 330-200
Link to all Amsterdam fares
Thoughts
You need to be careful when booking these fares as Etihad offers more than one aircraft type on some of these routes and choosing the wrong one could seriously impact your comfort levels.
On the route to Mumbai Etihad offers A321, 777 and A330 aircraft. The one to definitely avoid is the A321 while, as I’ll show in a section a little further down, the choice between the 777 and the A330 will come down to what 777 layout is on offer.
On the route to New Delhi you’ll have a choice between flying in the A321 or the A330-200 – always, always, always pick the latter.
Etihad Business Class Sale – UK
- Book by 28 October 2017
- Travel between 18 November 2017 and 30 June 2018
- Minimum stay is 3 days
- Maximum stay is 1 month
- All travel must be complete by 15 July 2018
The Fares
Other fares are available – these are just a selection I’ve picked out
- London – Mumbai: £1,760
- London – Bangkok: £1,766
- London – Hanoi: £1,883
- London – Ho Chi Minh City: £1,883
- London – Kathmandu: £1,866
- London – Nairobi: £1,803
- London – New Delhi: £1,641
Link to all London fares
- Manchester – Mumbai: £1,834
- Manchester – Bangkok: £1,838
- Manchester – Chennai: £1,880
Link to all Manchester fares
- Edinburgh – Mumbai: £1,869
- Edinburgh – Singapore: £1,788
- Edinburgh – Bangkok: £1,836
- Edinburgh – Kuala Lumpur: £1,880
- Edinburgh – New Delhi: £1,670
- Edinburgh – Seoul: £1,860
Link to all Edinburgh fares
Thoughts
None of these fares are outstanding but, if you have an aversion to positioning to Europe to get the Qatar Airways Business Class fares when they’re around, some of these fares could be a decent deal.
The fares to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Kathmandu are pretty good because, even when we see great deals out of other European cities, flights to these destinations don’t get discounted all that often.
The Singapore fare out of Edinburgh looks ok too and while the fares to Mumbai and Bangkok aren’t all that fantastic the fares to New Delhi aren’t bad at all.
At the moment Etihad operates all of its London flights with A380 aircraft….and that’s great news because that’s the aircraft with Etihad’s best Business Class seat (link to my Etihad A380 Business Class review).
Etihad A380 Business Class Studio
Between Manchester and Abu Dhabi Etihad offers its 777-300ER aircraft which, while admittedly not as good as the A380, is still pretty good and way better than anything you’ll experience on the like of British Airways (link to Etihad 777 Business Class review).
Etihad 777-300ER Business Class
For the flights between Edinburgh and Abu Dhabi you’ll have the Airbus A330-200 and here I have to hold my hand up and admit that I haven’t experienced this aircraft….at least not Etihad’s version of this aircraft.
Having said that there is a lot that I can tell from the aircraft’s Business Class cabin seat map and it look like it’s exactly the same seat as you’ll find on the 777s.
The Aircraft To Watch Out For
As I’ve already mentioned, you need to be careful when booking these fares as you need to make sure you avoid the sub-optimal offerings you’ll find on some routes.
The A321 is the aircraft to definitely avoid because you won’t get a lie-flat seat nor will you have an all-aisle-access seat:
Etihad A321 Business Class seat map courtesy of Seatguru.com
Compare that cabin layout to the layout in the A330-200 you’ll find on some of the same routes as the A321……
Etihad A330-200 Business Class seat map courtesy of Seatguru.com
…and you should notice a world of difference.
Also….
Make sure you check which variant of the Etihad 777 you’re being offered.
On the routes out of the UK you should be fine as Etihad uses aircraft with a cabin layout similar to the one in the A330….and it looks like this:
Etihad 777-300ER (Version 2) Business Class seat map courtesy of Seatguru.com
But Etihad also has a higher density Business Class cabin layout on some of its 777 aircraft….
Etihad 777-300ER (Version 1) Business Class seat map courtesy of Seatguru.com
…..and given the choice between this cabin and the cabin on the A330 (which is a choice you may well have), I’d choose the A330 every time.
Bottom Line
All these fares are bookable on the Etihad website right now but, before you jump in and book, make sure you check which aircraft are on offer and pick carefully.
These fares are by no means spectacular but, from what I’ve seen from some quick kayak/skyscanner searches, they are cheaper than other comparable airlines right now (in some instances by quite a bit) so they do merit some attention.
