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Etihad Airways has two new airline partners — Bangkok Airways and Condor — giving flyers more options for redeeming Etihad Guest miles.
These partnerships have been in the works for the past several months, and it's nice to see them finally come to fruition. Although you cannot earn Etihad miles when flying Bangkok Airways or Condor just yet, you can now redeem Etihad Guest miles for award tickets on these two airlines.
Let's dive into where each airline flies, how much it will cost in miles, and whether this is really a deal worth taking seriously.
Where Do Bangkok Airways and Condor Fly?
Before we look at how many Etihad Guest miles you'll spend on these flights, it helps to understand each carrier's network.
Bangkok Airways is primarily a regional airline within Thailand, operating a handful of routes within Thailand, along with a few international routes to Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China. It also operates narrow-body aircraft seasonally to Malé (MLE) in the Maldives, making it one of the only airlines to offer nonstop service between Thailand and the Maldives.
Most flights originate from Bangkok (BKK), but Bangkok Airways also operates routes from Koh Samui (USM) to Singapore (SIN), Hong Kong (HKG), and Chengdu (TFU).
Meanwhile, Condor is a much bigger player. From its hubs in Germany — led by Frankfurt (FRA) — Condor operates flights around the world, including to nine U.S. airports and several hubs in Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Of the two new partnerships, U.S. travelers will likely use Etihad Guest miles to book flights on Condor more frequently than Bangkok Airways, simply because it has a much larger reach.
Etihad Award Chart For Bangkok Airways and Condor
Etihad uses the same distance-based award chart for both Bangkok Airways and Condor. Here's a look at how much you'll spend:
| Distance (miles) | Economy | Business |
|---|---|---|
| 0-500 | 6,000 | 20,000 |
| 501-1,000 | 12,000 | 25,000 |
| 1,001-1,500 | 15,000 | 30,000 |
| 1,501-2,000 | 23,000 | 40,000 |
| 2,001-2,500 | 28,000 | 50,000 |
| 2,501-3,000 | 34,000 | 60,000 |
| 3,001-4,000 | 45,000 | 80,000 |
| 4,001-5,000 | 60,000 | 100,000 |
| 5,001-6,000 | 67,000 | 120,000 |
| 6,000+ | 75,000 | 140,000 |
At first blush, the numbers seem fairly competitive, with short-haul economy and medium-haul business routes the most attractive.
As we've seen, Bangkok Airways operates only short regional routes, which means most of its flights fall into the first few distance bands. However, here's a look at how far each of these U.S. hubs is from Frankfurt (FRA):
- Boston (BOS): 3,657 miles
- New York (JFK): 3,844 miles
- Chicago (ORD): 4,329 miles
- Seattle (SEA): 5,091 miles
- Portland (PDX): 5,209 miles
- San Francisco (SFO): 5,682 miles
- Los Angeles (LAX): 5,789 miles
- Las Vegas (LAS): 5,566 miles
- Anchorage (ANC): 4,659 miles
So, flights between the U.S. and Germany will fall into distance bands 7, 8, or 9, which means you'll pay anywhere from 45,000 miles to 67,000 miles for an economy flight — each way.
Let's look at some examples to see how far your Etihad miles can get you, and how Etihad stacks up against the competition.
Example Bangkok Airways redemptions using Etihad miles
Starting in the lowest distance band, routes under 500 miles cost 6,000 Etihad miles in economy. However, Etihad likes to tack on a few random miles in some cases — with no rhyme or reason.
For instance, the journey from Bangkok (BKK) to Phuket (HKT) comes in at 6,058 miles and THB 130 (~$4). That's still fairly reasonable, but make sure you compare cash prices as well.
Flying from Hong Kong (HKG) to Ko Samui (USM) on Bangkok Airways falls into the 1,001-1,500 mile band, so an economy ticket would be 15,000 Etihad miles plus HKD 370 ($47), and business class would be 30,000 miles plus HKD 440 ($56).
These are decent redemption rates for Bangkok Airways flights, but the cash fares determine the ultimate value. If cash fares to Phuket are cheap, spending 6,000 Etihad miles may not make sense. But if saving money is your goal, these are great options for flying from Thailand throughout the region.
How does Etihad stack up?
To put this award pricing into perspective, Bangkok Airways also partners with Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and this partnership makes Etihad's pricing much more attractive.
The original Bangkok to Phuket flight costs 12,000 Flying Blue miles — nearly double the award price when booking through Etihad.
The Hong Kong to Ko Samui flight we looked at would cost 17,500 miles in economy and 35,000 miles in business with the same taxes and fees, which means Etihad comes out cheaper again.
But be sure to consider program change and cancellation fees as well, should you need to alter your plans. Etihad's change and cancellation policy is extremely punitive, so you'll only want to book these flights if you're confident your plans won't change.
Example Condor redemptions using Etihad miles
Booking Condor awards with Etihad miles is not quite as appealing. For example, it'll cost 45,000 miles to get from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) in economy. That doesn't come close to the cheapest ways to fly to Europe.
And short-haul intra-Europe flights don't fare much better. This Hamburg (HAM) to Palma de Mallorca (PMI) economy flight costs 15,000 miles when booked with Etihad, which is a pretty hefty fee for a quick hop.
How does Etihad stack up?
Alaska Airlines has had a long-standing partnership with Condor. This is likely the best way to book Condor flights — although Atmos Rewards points are generally harder to acquire.
The same flight from New York to Frankfurt costs just 27,500 Atmos Rewards points in economy, compared to Etihad's 45,000 miles. That said, the fees are slightly higher — you'll pay $67 in taxes and fees through Alaska Airlines but only $34 through Etihad. Still, $33 in savings is probably not worth an additional 17,500 miles.
Plus, you can book premium economy via Alaska Airlines, but this option does not appear through Etihad. You'd pay fewer miles for a premium economy award through Alaska than for a main cabin ticket through Etihad.
Similarly, the flight from Hamburg to Palma de Mallorca costs only 7,500 points through Alaska Airlines. That's just half the miles Etihad is charging for the same flight.
How To Earn Etihad Miles
Etihad miles are fairly easy to earn. You can transfer your Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou® Points, Bilt Points, and Rove Miles to Etihad, along with a variety of hotel points (though we don't recommend doing so). Unfortunately, American Express dropped Etihad as a transfer partner, leaving flyers with one fewer transfer option.
If you earn any of these points or miles, these Bangkok Airways and Condor flights are easily within reach. Here are a few of our favorite cards that earn these rewards:
$595Rates & Fees
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
$95
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
$95Rates & Fees
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 3X points on your choice of grocery (up to $25K/year) or dining. Your 3X category choice remains in effect for the entire calendar year.
- 2X points on travel
- 1X points on everyday spend
Bottom Line
More is always better when it comes to airline partners. If Thailand or Europe is on your radar, Bangkok Airways and Condor present viable travel options. Now, booking them with Etihad miles increases your options, but the results are mixed. Bangkok Airways flights can be a good deal using Etihad miles, while Condor flights are generally better booked through Alaska.
Either way, if you have Etihad miles or can transfer to Etihad Guest, this is a welcome addition. Just be aware of Etihad's strict cancellation policy, as you could get hit with an unwelcome surprise should your plans change.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and Bilt Obsidian Card (Rates & Fees)
