What’s so special about Etihad’s route from New York (JFK) to Abu Dhabi? It’s the only American route of the fanciest commercial cabin in the world, with the westbound flight clocking in at just under 15 hours.

The First Class suite with a couch/bed and seat costs 90,000 American Airlines miles between the United States and the Middle East/India if Etihad releases award space.

What’s so special about Etihad’s route from Sydney to Abu Dhabi? It’s the longest route of the fanciest commercial cabin in the world, with the westbound flight clocking in at just under 15 hours.

This suite with a couch/bed and seat costs only 60,000 American Airlines miles between Australia and the Middle East/India.

Plus the Etihad A380 has a shower for First Class passengers and onboard lounge/bar.

Pretty soon I’ll head to Europe for four months, and I would love to fly the Etihad A380 between London and Abu Dhabi while I’m there.

What's so special about Etihad's route from London to Abu Dhabi?

On many routes, Etihad releases tons of Business and First Class award space within one week of departure. You can book this ultra-luxury award space without fuel surcharges with American Airlines miles.

Twitter follower Patrick found four Etihad First Class award seats this week on a flight from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi and asked whether that was normal.

@OneMileataTime @garyleff @milevalue Has Etihad started releasing more first class space closer to date? See http://t.co/V8oIw8sAAW

— Patrick Srail (@patricksrail) March 8, 2015

The answer is that it depends on the route.

On many routes, Etihad releases tons of Business and First Class award space within one week of departure. You can book this ultra-luxury award space without fuel surcharges with American Airlines miles.

Twitter follower Patrick found four Etihad First Class award seats this week on a flight from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi and asked whether that was normal.

@OneMileataTime @garyleff @milevalue Has Etihad started releasing more first class space closer to date? See http://t.co/V8oIw8sAAW

— Patrick Srail (@patricksrail) March 8, 2015

The answer is that it depends on the route.

The Etihad A380 is the plane I most want to fly in First Class. The suite is so big, you get a seat and an entire couch/bed next to you. The suite is so big that First Class is in a 1-1 configuration on an A380. (Most airlines are 1-2-1.) The suite is so big that I might barely want to leave it to check out the onboard shower or Lobby lounge.

I booked myself a First Class award ticket from Cairo, Egypt to Washington DC with 15 hours on the brand new Etihad 787-9 Dreamliner for 90,000 American Airlines miles and a few dollars in taxes. Take a look at the suite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlCS2ZZ7QVY
The Trip
I had already booked myself from the United States to Dubai to Bangkok on two flights in Emirates First Class on its A380. Read that Anatomy of an Award.

And from Bangkok to Luxor, Egypt in Business Class on a Qatar A380. Read that Anatomy of an Award.

Etihad and Qantas both fly their stunning A380s with ultra-luxurious First Classes out of London.

Your miles are as valuable as you are creative. For instance, you can combine two luxurious A380 First Classes onto one American Airlines award.
British Airways flies an A380 daily between Los Angeles and London.