Etihad Airways is clamping down on frequent flyer access to its First and Business Class Lounge at Sydney Airport when flying to Abu Dhabi.

Passengers booked into economy on Etihad's daily Airbus A380 flight (EY455) but holding Gold or Platinum status with Etihad partner Virgin Australia are now being directed to the new Air New Zealand lounge.
Air New Zealand's Sydney lounge: now open to frequent flyers on Etihad Air New Zealand's Sydney lounge.

The same rules apply to Etihad Guest members – except for "Platinum and above" – travelling in economy class on EY455, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed to Australian Business Traveller.

However, those restrictions don't apply to Etihad Guest and Virgin Australia Velocity members on Etihad's daytime Boeing 777 flight from Sydney (EY451) or Virgin Australia's VA29 (EY6451) Abu Dhabi service.

“This change has been necessitated by the larger premium cabin capacity of the A380 and space constraints in the airline’s Sydney First and Business Class Lounge,” the spokesperson explained.

“As a result, only guests booked in The Residence, First Apartment (first class) or Business Studio (business class) on flight EY455 are invited to use the Etihad Airways lounge at Sydney Airport.”