Etihad Airways purchased 10 A380s, however its relationship with the super jumbo hasn’t been an easy and linear one. Arguably the airline bit off more than it could chew with this airliner. While Emirates had the scale to support the vast number of passengers needed to fill the plane, Etihad didn’t and in many cases still doesn’t. The airline bought the jet more as a statement and a status symbol. However, it undeniable that what they have done with the A380 is possibly superior to what Emirates has done, particularly in regard to the first-class product. Starting late 2024 the aircraft will be available even for passengers travelling on the Abu Dhabi to Paris EY31 route.
Paris The Third Etihad A380 Destination
Paris will be the third Etihad Airways A380 destination. The mighty passenger liner will commence flying on the AUH-CDG (EY31) route on November 4th 2024. Just ahead of the Christmas winter high seasonality. The A380 will be replacing the current plane rather than becoming an additional service. In essence Etihad will replace the current A350-1000 with the A380.
| Flight | From | To | Departure | Arrival | Plane | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EY31 | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | Paris (CDG) | 02:25 | 07:45 | A380 | Daily |
| EY32 | Paris (CDG) | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 10:20 | 19:00 | A380 | Daily |
Just as a reminder Etihad configured its A380s with a 3-class layout, in addition to the extremely exclusive Residence experience. The EY A380s feature:
- 10 First Class suites
- 70 Business Class seats
- 417 Economy Class seats
In addition to these travel classes there then is the above mentioned The Residence. This is arguably the most exclusive and luxurious flight experience available on a commercial aircraft. This is a travel class of its own, consisting of a living room, bedroom and private bathroom with shower included. Something possibly even better than flying a private jet in terms of amenities.
The remaining 80 First and Business class seats take up the remainder of the upper deck while the main deck houses only economy class seats.
How To Travel On The EY A380 With a Reward Ticket?
Etihad isn’t part of any of the major alliances. This makes it a little more complicated to book reward tickets on the carrier if you don’t happen to have built up any Etihad Guest points. However where there’s a will there’s a way, the old saying goes and it also applies in this situation.
Although not part of any of the major alliances. Etihad has many airline partnerships standing at the moment. These agreements reciprocate the benefits of airline frequent flyer programs allowing to, among other things, to book reward tickets. At the moment Etihad has agreements standing with:
- Air New Zealand
- Air Canada
- Air Europa
- Air France-KLM
- ANA
- American Airlines
- Asiana Airlines
- Brussels Airlines
- El Al
- Garuda Indonesia
- Gulf Air
- Korean Air
- SAS
- Malaysia Airlines
- Virgin Australia
- Sri Lankan
- RAM
- Oman Air
- Saudia
However, to book an award flight in some cases you might have to go through a call center or a booking office. Airlines like Korean Air won’t allow you to autonomously book you award flight on their website.
So, make sure to check which conditions apply to the frequent flyer you are currently using that has a standing agreement with Etihad Airways. By the way this might be a fantastic moment to visit Abu Dhabi airport as the new terminal has just opened and it offers a massive travel experience improvement over the old terminal.
Other A380s Returning From Desert Storage for Etihad?
Etihad at the moment, as mentioned above, uses its A380s on 3 routes. The fact that it’ll be launching a fourth service later in 2024 might indicate that the airline might bring back another of its currently 6 desert stored planes. The currently active A380s are:
- A6-APG
- A6-APH
- A6-API
- A6-APJ
Let’s see if we’ll get an announcement regarding this later on and maybe see another A380 return to the skies despite the love hate relationship EY has with the aircraft type.
Add Comment