Etihad is now flying the A350, with the new business class seat, from London
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Back in April, Etihad finally unveiled its A350 fleet. It had been sitting in storage since 2019.
A major restructuring meant that the airline had far more aircraft than it needed as it moved from trying to compete with Emirates and Qatar Airways to become a mid-size ’boutique’ airline.
In the meantime, it has been restructuring its fleet and was ready to bring the five A350s it had mothballed into service.
It’s not just the planes that are new – Etihad also unveiled a brand new ‘Business Studio’ business class seat. Anyone who has recently flown BA’s Club Suite will find it uncannily similar, albeit with Etihad’s choice of colour scheme and fabrics and a higher level of finish.
The good news is that these aircraft are now flying regularly to London, following a Summer of proving and training flights to regional destinations. The first scheduled A350 flights from London took off late last month.
The flights also feature as part of Etihad’s ‘Sustainability50’ programme, a testbed for more sustainable on board products.
If you’re keen to try it out, Etihad is flying the A350 on EY12 from Heathrow, which departs at 9:30am. Business class fares start from £2,013 on the Etihad website.
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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.
