Etihad First Class on Jet Airways: Traveling from JFK to Abu Dhabi
Part of the "ME3" Middle-Eastern airlines is Etihad. It is known for their premium products, especially in first class. The airline company even provides a decent economical experience, which allegedly rankled US carriers so much.
According to Heels First Travel, some flyers book their first-class seats for just 90,000 AAdvantage Miles plus $39 in taxes and fees for the one-way flight to New York, while the rate for business is 67,500 miles and 45,000 miles for economy. Allegedly, paying cash for a one-way flight would have approximately $8,150, or $11,050 for a round-trip from New York.
But travelers must take note that these awards must be booked over the phone. Etihad isn't in a major alliance and sometimes it can be a pain to book them via American, but as such the availability on award tickets is seemingly pretty great. But if they don't have a lot of AAdvantage miles to burn, they may check out The Points Guy for a guide on booking Etihad award flights and more ways to purchase an award ticket.
On the other hand, flyers can call AA to check Etihad availability. They can also do it by searching for a flight on the Etihad official website and by clicking the "GuestSeat" availability. Unfortunately, flights that have Saver and Freedom availability aren't available to book via AA. After finding availability on a preferred flight, they must call American to book your ticket if you're redeeming AAdvantage miles.
In December, the airline is set to launch its JFK service at which clients will take the flight of The Apartment or The Residence all the way from New York to Sydney. So for now, travelers must fly with Etihad's two daily 777s flying between Abu Dhabi and New York-JFK. One of these flights is operated by Etihad's own plane, while the second is leased with Indian carrier Jet Airways and nearly everything on the plane is Jet-branded.
Nonetheless, the food and crew are still provided by Etihad, so travelers can still expect the traditional airline experience. The first class or business cabin has herringbone-style seats that lie completely flat just like Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, while the economy seats remain normal and comfortable. On the other hand, the ward availability tends to be better on the Jet 777 than on an Etihad-branded aircraft.