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Let’s talk about how to use American Airlines miles for awards to the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent. American Airlines has the best award space to the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent by far and some of its nicest partners fly these routes.

Etihad First Suite on 787.

Update 5/25/16: A One Mile at a Time commenter confirms booking a Brussels Business Class roundtrip from New York to Brussels for 36,620 Etihad miles plus under $100 in taxes per person.

For the second time, I used 5,000 ThankYou Points to book a one way Air Serbia flight award flight.

American Express just added Etihad as a Membership Rewards transfer partner in April, and it is now offering a 30% transfer bonus through June 15, 2016.

For the next six weeks, 1,000 Membership Rewards will transfer to 1,300 Etihad Guest Miles.
Good Deal?
Using Etihad Miles for Etihad Flights
Etihad Guest Miles aren’t very good for booking First Class on the Etihad A380, which is a current obsession of mine.

For instance, Etihad would charge 88,022 Etihad miles + $175 to book Abu Dhabi to London in First Class on the Etihad A380.

American Express added Etihad Guest miles as its 17th airlines transfer today.

You can send Membership Rewards in increments of 1,000 points to Etihad miles at a 1:1 rate.

Etihad Guest is already a 1:1 transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Points. In November 2015, we saw a 25% transfer bonus from many programs including Citi ThankYou Points to Etihad Guest miles. I expect if we see a future transfer bonus like that, American Express Membership Rewards would be included.
Uses of Etihad Miles
Etihad Guest miles are NOT good for booking Etihad flights.

You can book yourself a tour around Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia stopping in four places for only 100,000 miles total with nearly half the trip in a flat bed. By stopping in four places, I am referring to actual destinations, not connections that have to be under 24 hours.

Much like the Mega Trip to the Caribbean and South America I wrote about a few days ago, this deal relies on piecing together some sweet spot awards (and this time also a low cost carrier flight within Europe) into one big trip.

Here is a video I filmed in January inside the Etihad A380 shower that you can access if you fly in a First Class Apartment:

It is part of a series of trip reports on the flight:

Anatomy of an Award: India to United States in Etihad and American Airlines First Class for 90,000 AA Miles
Trip Report: Etihad Business Class from Chennai to Abu Dhabi
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi (Including Shave and Massage)
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Seat, Suite, Vanity, Amenity Kit, Pajamas

Anatomy of an Award: India to United States in Etihad and American Airlines First Class for 90,000 AA Miles
Trip Report: Etihad Business Class from Chennai to Abu Dhabi (this post)
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi (Including Shave and Massage)
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Seat, Suite, Vanity, Amenity Kit, Pajamas, Bed, Sleeping
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Food, Drink, and Onboard Lounge
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Shower and Bathroom
Trip Report: Etihad

Anatomy of an Award: India to United States in Etihad and American Airlines First Class for 90,000 AA Miles
Trip Report: Etihad Business Class from Chennai to Abu Dhabi
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi (Including Shave and Massage)
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Seat, Suite, Vanity, Amenity Kit, Pajamas, Bed, Sleeping
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Food, Drink, and Onboard Lounge (this post)
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Shower and Bathroom
Trip Report: Etihad

Anatomy of an Award: India to United States in Etihad and American Airlines First Class for 90,000 AA Miles
Trip Report: Etihad Business Class from Chennai to Abu Dhabi
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi Including Shave and Massage (this post)
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Seat, Suite, Vanity, Amenity Kit, Pajamas, Bed, Sleeping
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Food, Drink, and Onboard Lounge
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Shower and Bathroom
Trip Report: Etihad