Etihad Airways is launching a new route connecting Abu Dhabi to Barcelona. The first flight departs tomorrow morning. Barcelona will now be the second Etihad destination in Spain after Madrid.
The new route will initially operate 5 times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. From 31 March 2019 the flight will switch to a daily service.
The flight schedule is ideally timed for a
Etihad plans to fly to the route with a two-class A330 with Business and Economy. These planes feature Etihad’s oldest business class seat but are perfectly acceptable for a
Flying to Barcelona with Etihad Guest Miles
With Barcelona being a new route there appears to be plenty of Etihad GuestSeats still available in both Business and Economy. This is even the case around the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
Business Class reward bookings start from 62,632 Guest Miles (+ AED 680) one way and 125,264 Guest Miles (+ AED 1,355) for a return ticket.
Economy Class GuestSeats start from 32,678 Guest Miles (+ AED 310) one way and 65,356 Guest Miles (+ AED 615) return.
GuestSeat vs OpenSeat
It is worth remembering that Etihad also makes OpenSeat redemptions available. The price of OpenSeat rewards is based on the current market price for the flight.
These can sometimes be a better option than a standard GuestSeat redemption. During sales, OpenSeats will often cost fewer miles than a regular redemption. They also earn GuestMiles, are upgrade eligible and have a bigger baggage allowance.
There appears to be plenty of Economy OpenSeats available to Barcelona. The cheapest one way redemptions currently cost 25,113 Guest Miles while returns are priced at 50,226 Guest Miles.
However, the cash fee is higher. You will pay AED 744 for a oneway OpenSeat booking and AED 1483 for a return.
Book Etihad flights with miles here.