Guest award ticket questions
Dec 24, 2019, 11:16 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,536
Guest award ticket questions
Let's say you want to do an Award ticket, but one segment is First, and the other segment is only Business (because the aircraft has no First class seating):
Do you basically make two ticket redemptions (online)?
First part in FIRST
and
2nd ticket in Business?
Or do you call in to see about getting all on one PNR?
Or is their system "smart enough" to book it "piecemeal" and calculate the mileage appropriately? I believe it would be approx. 71k and 52k guest miles (assuming GUEST availability) if you did one segment (JFK-> AUH) in First and AUH-MLE in Business.
Do you basically make two ticket redemptions (online)?
First part in FIRST
and
2nd ticket in Business?
Or do you call in to see about getting all on one PNR?
Or is their system "smart enough" to book it "piecemeal" and calculate the mileage appropriately? I believe it would be approx. 71k and 52k guest miles (assuming GUEST availability) if you did one segment (JFK-> AUH) in First and AUH-MLE in Business.
Dec 26, 2019, 7:23 am
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,536
Well it appears that you can't really do this, or possibly have to call in?
Etihad's website consistently shows NO Guest from JFK to AUH (continuing onto MLE), if you look at a One-way.
Nor does it show anything (ever) from JFK to AUH period (in Guest saver)
However, do a round trip and start AUH -> JFK, then all of a sudden you see the JFK -> AUH in Guest First
Not sure if this means that they don't allow you to book one-way Guest Saver from JFK or just a glitch in their system.
Edit:
Ah, see this goes as far back as 2018 and maybe further. Basically no can do.
Must book a RT if you want to use Etihad Guest miles. No US-> AUH allowed with Guest Saver awards.
Etihad's website consistently shows NO Guest from JFK to AUH (continuing onto MLE), if you look at a One-way.
Nor does it show anything (ever) from JFK to AUH period (in Guest saver)
However, do a round trip and start AUH -> JFK, then all of a sudden you see the JFK -> AUH in Guest First
Not sure if this means that they don't allow you to book one-way Guest Saver from JFK or just a glitch in their system.
Edit:
Ah, see this goes as far back as 2018 and maybe further. Basically no can do.
Must book a RT if you want to use Etihad Guest miles. No US-> AUH allowed with Guest Saver awards.
Last edited by hurnik; Dec 26, 2019 at 8:43 am
Jul 3, 2022, 12:30 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: South Korea
Posts: 1,168
Anybody else frustrated with Guest Seat availability with Etihad in Business lately?
I know Guest seats are hard to come by with Etihad... I know because I have been with Etihad for 8 years now. but I think it is getting beyond ridiculous now.
For fun, I just checked biz class guest seat availability for EVERY SINGLE DAY from 1st August 2022 up to March 2023 for
JFK - AUH
ORD - AUH
YYZ - AUH
on return basis.
and for all three routes, there is ZERO availability for ANY DAY from 1st August 2022 to 31 March 2023. ZERO as in not a single seat available for guest seat redemption for eight months for the three routes noted.
Could this be a case of every single one of those seats over the course of 8 months already snapped up by fellow travelers? Perhaps.
Or is Etihad so hungry for cash that they've simply shut off all guest seats for these routes? I have a feeling that it is the latter.
Has anybody had any success recently in booking guest seats for any of the North American destinations?
I know Guest seats are hard to come by with Etihad... I know because I have been with Etihad for 8 years now. but I think it is getting beyond ridiculous now.
For fun, I just checked biz class guest seat availability for EVERY SINGLE DAY from 1st August 2022 up to March 2023 for
JFK - AUH
ORD - AUH
YYZ - AUH
on return basis.
and for all three routes, there is ZERO availability for ANY DAY from 1st August 2022 to 31 March 2023. ZERO as in not a single seat available for guest seat redemption for eight months for the three routes noted.
Could this be a case of every single one of those seats over the course of 8 months already snapped up by fellow travelers? Perhaps.
Or is Etihad so hungry for cash that they've simply shut off all guest seats for these routes? I have a feeling that it is the latter.
Has anybody had any success recently in booking guest seats for any of the North American destinations?
Jul 11, 2022, 8:29 am
#6
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: South Korea
Posts: 1,168
for example, here is a guest seat available from Jakarta to AUH on Jan 6th.
Jul 11, 2022, 1:47 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: DC
Programs: AA PPRO, HH Diamond, National EE
Posts: 603
So you have to open up the flight to see it now. Last time I booked an award flight with EY it said it as you searched. Thanks for the info.
Jul 12, 2022, 4:14 pm
#8
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Madison, WI
Programs: Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 973
Anybody else frustrated with Guest Seat availability with Etihad in Business lately?
I know Guest seats are hard to come by with Etihad... I know because I have been with Etihad for 8 years now. but I think it is getting beyond ridiculous now.
For fun, I just checked biz class guest seat availability for EVERY SINGLE DAY from 1st August 2022 up to March 2023 for
JFK - AUH
ORD - AUH
YYZ - AUH
on return basis.
and for all three routes, there is ZERO availability for ANY DAY from 1st August 2022 to 31 March 2023. ZERO as in not a single seat available for guest seat redemption for eight months for the three routes noted.
Could this be a case of every single one of those seats over the course of 8 months already snapped up by fellow travelers? Perhaps.
Or is Etihad so hungry for cash that they've simply shut off all guest seats for these routes? I have a feeling that it is the latter.
Has anybody had any success recently in booking guest seats for any of the North American destinations?
I know Guest seats are hard to come by with Etihad... I know because I have been with Etihad for 8 years now. but I think it is getting beyond ridiculous now.
For fun, I just checked biz class guest seat availability for EVERY SINGLE DAY from 1st August 2022 up to March 2023 for
JFK - AUH
ORD - AUH
YYZ - AUH
on return basis.
and for all three routes, there is ZERO availability for ANY DAY from 1st August 2022 to 31 March 2023. ZERO as in not a single seat available for guest seat redemption for eight months for the three routes noted.
Could this be a case of every single one of those seats over the course of 8 months already snapped up by fellow travelers? Perhaps.
Or is Etihad so hungry for cash that they've simply shut off all guest seats for these routes? I have a feeling that it is the latter.
Has anybody had any success recently in booking guest seats for any of the North American destinations?
Searching on Aeroplan, I'm seeing 2 seats in Business for most of the spring between ORD - AUH.
Or are you searching with AA?
Per AA: https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...can%20Airlines
Use AAdvantage® miles to book award travel on Etihad Airways, including itineraries with oneworld® and partner airlines. Call Reservations to book award travel on Etihad Airways. So that looks to me like you can't see the partner availability on the web/app, you have to call.
My question, if anybody has any idea of the answer - if those two seats are booked, does Etihad typically open up additional seats? Or are those the only two seats?
Jul 12, 2022, 11:29 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: South Korea
Posts: 1,168
How many seats have you been looking for?
Searching on Aeroplan, I'm seeing 2 seats in Business for most of the spring between ORD - AUH.
Or are you searching with AA?
Per AA: https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...can%20Airlines
Use AAdvantage® miles to book award travel on Etihad Airways, including itineraries with oneworld® and partner airlines. Call Reservations to book award travel on Etihad Airways. So that looks to me like you can't see the partner availability on the web/app, you have to call.
My question, if anybody has any idea of the answer - if those two seats are booked, does Etihad typically open up additional seats? Or are those the only two seats?
Searching on Aeroplan, I'm seeing 2 seats in Business for most of the spring between ORD - AUH.
Or are you searching with AA?
Per AA: https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...can%20Airlines
Use AAdvantage® miles to book award travel on Etihad Airways, including itineraries with oneworld® and partner airlines. Call Reservations to book award travel on Etihad Airways. So that looks to me like you can't see the partner availability on the web/app, you have to call.
My question, if anybody has any idea of the answer - if those two seats are booked, does Etihad typically open up additional seats? Or are those the only two seats?
As for your question - Etihad strictly only opens up two seats per flight for guest seats in business class. Even if the rest of the class remains empty until days before the flight they will not release more guest seats. the only way to get these seats is through using the Etihad 'bidding' system if you are a Etihad member of by checking at the check-in counter for paid upgrades (which I have found to be poor deals in the past).