What alternative FF programs are there to Etihad? (2018)
Feb 20, 2018, 12:22 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: South Korea
Posts: 1,168
What alternative FF programs are there to Etihad? (2018)
Specifically those based in Abu Dhabi, what is an alternative FFP option we can look into?
Is the answer none?
If so, this probably explains why EY is able to do all the cuts... there's no real competition for them at least from within AUH
Is the answer none?
If so, this probably explains why EY is able to do all the cuts... there's no real competition for them at least from within AUH
Last edited by l etoile; Feb 20, 2018 at 1:40 pm Reason: Moved from 8-yr-old thread
Feb 20, 2018, 8:18 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Phuket
Programs: SQ *Gold, BA, QR, EY, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Marriott Gold, Amex Platinum
Posts: 5,269
There are plenty of alternatives but the question is highly dependant upon flying frequency, routes, class of service etc etc plus of course, flexibility on stopovers & what it is that one prioritises...status, points upgrades, redemptions, credit card afilliations....YMMV 
Feb 20, 2018, 11:21 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
If earn/burn is important to you, then AA would be a good choice because the premium redemption levels are noticeably lower in many cases.
However, if you have EY credit cards and/or value having elite status on EY for the benefits (including higher chance of op-up), then there's no real alternatives.
DXB is much easier to go with OW but AUH is pretty much an EY monopoly.
However, if you have EY credit cards and/or value having elite status on EY for the benefits (including higher chance of op-up), then there's no real alternatives.
DXB is much easier to go with OW but AUH is pretty much an EY monopoly.
Feb 21, 2018, 1:47 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: South Korea
Posts: 1,168
What still works for me (and many of us, I presume) from EY:
Close to airport
Status through credit cards
What I (increasingly) don't like about EY:
Deteriorating product (both Y and J)
Often more expensive (both from redemption + cash purchases) than even the Emirates
I was ready to move my allegiance to Qatar before they got shut off from AUH.
Close to airport
Status through credit cards
What I (increasingly) don't like about EY:
Deteriorating product (both Y and J)
Often more expensive (both from redemption + cash purchases) than even the Emirates
I was ready to move my allegiance to Qatar before they got shut off from AUH.
Feb 21, 2018, 3:20 am
#7
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
What I (increasingly) don't like about EY:
Deteriorating product (both Y and J)
Often more expensive (both from redemption + cash purchases) than even the Emirates
Deteriorating product (both Y and J)
Often more expensive (both from redemption + cash purchases) than even the Emirates
I was ready to move my allegiance to Qatar before they got shut off from AUH.
QR J is vastly superior in just about every way, if you're on a 787/350/380 or a Qsuites 777.
Feb 21, 2018, 3:31 am
#8
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: AUH
Programs: EY Guest Gold, Hilton HHonors Gold, Le Club Accor Silver, AAdvantage Gold
Posts: 552
Laughable, obviously you have never flown on their ghetto a320's to MAA/CMB or Eastern Europe (including Moscow).
About 70% of all my flying (exclusively in J) is on this aircraft.
QR isn't much better in this regard as apart from a handful of 320's the rest don't have flatbeds and a few of those non-flatbed 320's have the ALMAHA interiors.
About 70% of all my flying (exclusively in J) is on this aircraft.
QR isn't much better in this regard as apart from a handful of 320's the rest don't have flatbeds and a few of those non-flatbed 320's have the ALMAHA interiors.
Feb 21, 2018, 6:08 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Phuket
Programs: SQ *Gold, BA, QR, EY, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum, Marriott Gold, Amex Platinum
Posts: 5,269
Feb 21, 2018, 1:07 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,024
What still works for me (and many of us, I presume) from EY:
Close to airport
Status through credit cards
What I (increasingly) don't like about EY:
Deteriorating product (both Y and J)
Often more expensive (both from redemption + cash purchases) than even the Emirates
I was ready to move my allegiance to Qatar before they got shut off from AUH.
Close to airport
Status through credit cards
What I (increasingly) don't like about EY:
Deteriorating product (both Y and J)
Often more expensive (both from redemption + cash purchases) than even the Emirates
I was ready to move my allegiance to Qatar before they got shut off from AUH.
You can fly one airline and credit to another airlines ffp
The grass in not always greener on the other side
Feb 21, 2018, 1:09 pm
#11
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: Etihad Guest Platinum; Accor Platinum; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,356
Got to wonder if the Midfield terminal will become the largest RyanAir hub in the world !
All jokes aside, they won't have much to offer at this rate
I was invited to a day of helping define what the new terminal would be all about, they didn't know I was a Platinum frequent flyer with the airline it was just complete chance, it was meant to have a sub Louvre a theme park and all these unbelievably expensive things in sound dead spaces and weird and wonderful lights and so on - one wonders what will make the cut ?
they're accelerating the road building etc though a friend who supplies suggested that there's two years of wiring to be done though he's prone to exaggerate
What is the current date anyway?
All jokes aside, they won't have much to offer at this rate
I was invited to a day of helping define what the new terminal would be all about, they didn't know I was a Platinum frequent flyer with the airline it was just complete chance, it was meant to have a sub Louvre a theme park and all these unbelievably expensive things in sound dead spaces and weird and wonderful lights and so on - one wonders what will make the cut ?
they're accelerating the road building etc though a friend who supplies suggested that there's two years of wiring to be done though he's prone to exaggerate
What is the current date anyway?
Feb 21, 2018, 6:41 pm
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: AUH
Programs: EY Guest Gold, Hilton HHonors Gold, Le Club Accor Silver, AAdvantage Gold
Posts: 552
Although I have heard in the past that RyanAir may in a few years time start scheduling Long-Haul flights with a real flat-bed cabin and fit their EU fleet with real J seats.
Feb 21, 2018, 7:58 pm
#13
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: BRU, CGK, DPS
Programs: EK Silver, QR Gold
Posts: 204
But the flat-bed on LH and J seats on SH? (One could argue their 'priority boarding and extra legroom seat is Ryanair's J offering..)
That sounds weird coming from a company who wanted to charge 50 pence for the use of toilets onboard..
Feb 21, 2018, 8:04 pm
#15
Join Date: May 2009
Location: World citizen
Programs: Etihad Platinum, Alitalia FRECCIA ALATA
Posts: 266
Laughable, obviously you have never flown on their ghetto a320's to MAA/CMB or Eastern Europe (including Moscow).
About 70% of all my flying (exclusively in J) is on this aircraft.
QR isn't much better in this regard as apart from a handful of 320's the rest don't have flatbeds and a few of those non-flatbed 320's have the ALMAHA interiors.
About 70% of all my flying (exclusively in J) is on this aircraft.
QR isn't much better in this regard as apart from a handful of 320's the rest don't have flatbeds and a few of those non-flatbed 320's have the ALMAHA interiors.
Yea I hate those , especially on those after midnight departures where I can't keep my eyes open and just want to snooze for 3-4 hours... But instead I keep tossing and turning to find that sweet spot which doesn't exist and the flight attendant come by to put your seat into upright position.