Originally Posted by Carl Christensen

Success:

Have finished booking, ticketed, and seat assignments for 2 MLE-AUH-JFK in First (O class) end of January 2019.

Thank you to all on this board for the wealth of info, tips shared, phone numbers recommended etc.

I will share a few bulleted items of thoughts and experience:

• Snag business seats (Booking code I) first as they will be released before 1st class (booking code O). This was successfully done by US based American agents
• After watching things daily for a month, the pattern appears to be 331 for business, 318 for first.
• If all you want are business, even if you take the only 2 being shown, usually within days more will be released.
• For first availability, DO NOT rely on complete trip search. i.e., MLE-AUH-JFK if they span more than one day. Our flights from MLE on 1/30 connects to AUH-JFK on 1/31. A seach on expertflyer for MLE-JFK on EK booking code O would show 2 seats for both legs, the same search on etihadguest showed 2 seats available. However, if you searched segment by segement, only the MLE-AUH had seats, while the AUH-MLE segment was not yet released.
• It is possible to have a mixed class of service itinerary with etihad. US based agents told me it wasn't possible, but was successfully constructed by Trinidad agents and ticketed. This was done 12 hours prior to release of seats on AUH-JFK. We paid the extra miles to go from (I) to (O) and then had a ticket in (O) MLE-AUH and (I) AUH-JFK
• Midnight CST (had to stay up late yawning to see the repeatable behavior) I hit refresh on expertflyer and 2 seats in (O) were now there. A call to US agents resulted "I'm sorry we can't see anything" ... if this was simply because it was 12:01 and the system needed more time, or more like as per usual US agents are unable ... regardless no success with them
• Using google voice, called the trinidad number (country code 868 821-6000) at $0.14 per minute and navigate options of 1 for engligh, then I think option 2 for award questions, then option 1 for award redemptions - within one minute a representative was on the line. I said "I'm currently in business class and want to be moved to first class for a flight segment - I have my record locator number if I may give it to you please" Sure "xxxxxxxxxx, and I'm looking at Etihad flight 103 AUH-JFK, I see 2 seat in booking class O now available".
• A minute or two of anxiety while she inaudibly mutters to her self and then "I now have you in first class." She indicated that booking to a higher class of service waives award mile redeposit fees, (each call they redeposited then rewithdrew the miles), she indicated that I had already paid the 110,000 miles (1st class Indian subcontinent to AUH was 40k, 70k business onward) and that it was now 115,000 (1st class Indian subcontinent all the way to continental US)
• Went to bed and see within 1.5 hours emails came through showing ticketing
• Used iphone to go to mobile website to select adjoining 1st class apartments on AUH-JFK for my wife and I.

Given my small sample size/data set I recommend: US based agents can do business class fine (starting fresh without any existing record). For 1st class, just calling Trinidad. 2 calls and each time immediately they were able to see and select 1st class for us.

A possible warning: If you have a CC that gives you a rebated of miles (Aviator red card for instance), when I changed this booking the miles were redeposited, the rebate refunded, and then the miles were taken again. I am unsure if have since canceled your card if you would no longer get that rebate.

This completes our trip: 2 First class suites with Emirates on their A380 SFO-DXB-MLE, 15 nights Conrad Maldives, 2 First class/Apartments Etihad MLE-AUH-JFK. Will have to report back next year when we take it.

Thanks again to the collective wisdom and reports from everyone.