Members of the Etihad Guest frequent flier loyalty program can now enjoy membership benefits and privileges to over 400 destinations when flying as a passenger with seven partner airlines of Etihad Airways — as well as earn and redeem Etihad Guest miles in the process — as the result of an alignment of elite benefits across all eight airlines.
Additionally, Fare Choices and levels of service have also been standardized.
The eight partner airlines — most in which Etihad Airways has an invested stake, as indicated by the links to articles posted at InsideFlyer with more information — include:
- airberlin
- Alitalia
- Air Serbia
- Air Seychelles
- Etihad Airways
- Etihad Regional
- Jet Airways
- NIKI
Elite Benefits Now Aligned Amongst Partners of Etihad Airways
Here is a chart of the aligned benefits per membership elite status tier shared amongst the seven partner airlines of Etihad Airways:
*Entitled to one guest except in Jet Airways lounges. oneworld and SkyTeam Lounges excluded. Etihad Guest members who have earned Gold elite tier status will have access to the Al Reem Lounge in Abu Dhabi International Airport when traveling as a passenger in the economy class cabin.
**Baggage allowance is based on a piece and weight concept and is dependent on airline and destination. Here are more details on baggage allowances amongst all of the airlines included in this alignment.
Summary
There are a couple of negative aspects where members of the Etihad Guest frequent flier loyalty program:
- Who have earned Silver elite tier status only seem to have airport lounge access in Abu Dhabi when flying as passengers on airplanes operated by Etihad Airways and no longer have access to lounges anywhere else, which could be considered a significant downgrade — especially on long-haul trips and extensive layovers
- Are not allowed to have a guest join them in lounges operated by Jet Airways, SkyTeam alliance and oneworld alliance
Otherwise, having elite status tier benefits aligned amongst the partner airlines of Etihad Airways should help simplify the travel experience for many passengers…
…and perhaps one way to benefit from the advantages of the alignment of elite tier status benefits across eight airlines might be to apply for a status match to the topbonus program of airberlin from the elite level status you currently hold on another airline which is not a member of the oneworld alliance — and if that works, that might be the easiest way to participate in this alignment…
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
