Etihad opening up FOUR business class studio reward seats on the A380’s ex-London

My main article today looks at Etihad’s hugely impressive First Class Apartment on its A380 aircraft.

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to try out the Business Class Studio on the same plane.  It is probably the best business class seat in the sky, especially with the excellent on-board bar as well.

You can check out my review of the Etihad A380 business class studio here.

My biggest issue with Etihad has always been their refusal to open up more than two reward seats per flight in First Class or Business Class.  I always assumed that, with the A380 aircraft having 70 studios in them, Etihad would relax its policy.  And now, it seems, it has.

The screenshot below shows four Business Class Studio seats for a random date in February:

If you look at the menu bar you will see that there are also four Studio seats available on most days that week.

You can only find four seats on the A380 departures.  This is very convenient, as it is the flight you want to be on anyway!

Of course, at 270,000 Etihad miles for four people – one way – you will need a substantial Etihad or American Express Membership Rewards balance to book this.

With American Airlines miles, however, you would only need 120,000 AA miles for 4 x one-way tickets to Abu Dhabi.  The taxes would also be lower as AA does not add any fuel surcharge.  This assumes that you book, but not necessarily fly, before the American Airlines devaluation kicks in during March.

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How to earn Etihad Guest miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)

Etihad Guest does not have a UK credit card.  However, you can earn Etihad Guest miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

Cards earning Membership Rewards points include:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 20,000 Etihad Guest miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 50,000 Etihad Guest miles.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 10,000 Etihad Guest miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 into Etihad Guest miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 1 Etihad Guest mile.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it, not just with Etihad but with any airline.