Etihad heralds a new era for its loyalty programme

First airline to allow members to select their own, personalised membership number

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, relaunched its award-winning Etihad Guest loyalty programme in June 2024, to make life even better for its members.

The enriched programme couples’ rewards for members even more closely to their journeys, reflecting the airline’s desire to thank customers who choose Etihad.

It also gives members even greater control over their experiences, enabling them to select different benefits to suit their travelling preferences, "We are excited to announce a new era for the Etihad Guest programme with the experience of being a valued member about to reach new heights," said Mark Potter, managing director of Etihad Guest. "The enhancements renew our partnership with our Etihad Guest members around the globe, meaning the more time they invest with us through flying and through our lifestyle partners, the more rewarding and personalised their experiences become, so guests can journey on their terms, not ours."

We also revised the pricing for our GuestSeats and reduced the miles required for some of our most popular destinations in both Economy and Business classes to provide our members with more rewarding opportunities when booking flights. Examples of GuestSeat price reductions include: Abu Dhabi to London in Economy Class down to 30,000 miles and taxes; Milan to Abu Dhabi in Economy Class down to 25,000 miles and taxes; Jeddah to Abu Dhabi in Business Class down to 20,000 miles and taxes; and Abu Dhabi to Istanbul in Economy Class down to 15,000 miles and taxes," Potter said.

"Members will earn the same amount of Tier Miles and Etihad Guest Miles on bookings made from June. Therefore, the higher fare brand they book, the more Tier Miles and Etihad Guest Miles they will earn. So, treating yourself to a little luxury will help you reach higher tiers and unlock exciting extra benefits in no time.  We are also further rewarding our Platinum Tier members, who will now enjoy 100 per cent Bonus Etihad Guest Miles when flying with us or any of our eligible airline partners, to bring their next rewards closer."

"And we will be enabling Etihad Guest members to upgrade to The Residence, our luxury three-room suite in the sky, using their miles," Potter added.

Personalised privileges

Alongside their core benefits, tiered members will be able to select from a range of extra privileges to suit their lifestyle, making Etihad the first airline in the region to offer this flexibility. As they progress up the tiers, so does the range of benefits and options. Silver members will get a choice of two Custom benefits, Gold will get four and Platinum five.

"And Etihad Guest is delighted to introduce a new elite tier, recognising the airline's top flyers with experiences that truly go beyond," said Potter. "Alongside Platinum members they will have the option to choose their own, personalised membership numbers."

"We are also introducing Beyond Benefits for our Gold and Platinum members as they progress through their tiers. These benefits can be gifted to friends or family, and include rewards such as Silver or Gold tier status or lounge passes for them to share with their family or friends so they can also relax in style before their flight, as well as Etihad Guest Bonus Miles."

Making it easier

"To move to a higher tier and unlock more benefits, Etihad Guest members will still need to earn a set number of Tier Miles, some of which must now be earned from flying," explains Potter.

"We've simplified the way members reach their new tiers by removing Tier Segments, creating a simpler way for Guests to track their progress to the next level."

All Etihad Guest members will be able to earn and spend their miles on flights with the airline and more than 20 airline partners, which would extend the validity of their Etihad Guest Miles by 18 months. They will continue to earn miles when they fly and also with 150+ partners including restaurants, hotels, car hire and retailers.

Etihad Guest Miles can continue to be redeemed for a wide range of rewards whether that be a free flight, a cabin upgrade, a special experience or one of 3,500 products in our newly relaunched the Reward Shop.

The full details of the enhanced Etihad Guest programme will be available on www.etihad.com/en/guest/loyalty-relaunch