Etihad Airways First Apartment and The Residence (A380); First Suite (select 787-9s): First Apartment: separate leather chair and a bench that converts to a bed; Onboard shower for A380 First passengers. From 62,500 miles one-way with American Airlines AAdvantage (AUH-LHR or AUH-CDG one-way, First Apartment). Checked 2026-11-01.
What you get
- First Apartment: separate leather chair and a bench that converts to a bed
- Onboard shower for A380 First passengers
- The Residence: three-room suite (living room, bedroom, en-suite shower) for up to two, sold as an upgrade from an A380 First ticket
Aircraft: A380, 787-9. No US route has the A380 (Apartment/Residence) in 2026: JFK lost the A380 in 2025 (AwardWallet, AwardFares). From 2026-06-15 JFK is two daily A350-1000s (AeroRoutes); Etihad's ORD/CLT 787-9s are two-class (Etihad newsroom). Only five 787-9s have First (OMAAT); one secondary source says IAD keeps a 787-9 First Suite on select flights, but that was not confirmed. Nearest Apartment route for North Americans: Toronto (YYZ).
Book it with points
One-way prices as researched on 2026-11-01. A dash means no 2025–2026 source confirmed a number.
| Program | Example | Miles, one-way | Taxes and surcharges | Transfer from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Etihad Guest | AUH-LHR or AUH-CDG one-way, First Apartment | 140,000 | ~$365 (AwardWallet); can exceed $500 departing LHR | Capital One, Citi, Bilt |
 American Airlines AAdvantage | AUH-LHR or AUH-CDG one-way, First Apartment | 62,500 | ~$37 | Citi |
 Air Canada Aeroplan | AUH-LHR or AUH-CDG one-way, First Apartment | 90,000 | ~$160 | Amex, Chase, Capital One, Bilt |
- Etihad Guest, AUH-LHR or AUH-CDG one-way, First ApartmentDynamic; 140,000 is the floor (AwardWallet, Jun 2026). YYZ-AUH: AwardWallet lists 220,000, while the Etihad calculator showed 160,000 for a 'Comfort Promo' fare on 2026-09-21 (AwardLocker): treat as 160,000-220,000. Amex transfers ended June 2026. Harsh cancellation penalties (25-75% of miles).
- American Airlines AAdvantage, AUH-LHR or AUH-CDG one-way, First ApartmentAUH-BKK/SIN/NRT 50,000; AUH-YYZ 115,000 (AwardWallet, Jun 2026). Practical for US travelers as the long leg after flying Business to Abu Dhabi.
- Air Canada Aeroplan, AUH-LHR or AUH-CDG one-way, First ApartmentAUH-NRT 100,000; AUH-YYZ 120,000 (AwardWallet, Jun 2026). Aeroplan prices Etihad dynamically, so these are minimums.
Finding a seat: Apartment space appears through Etihad Guest, Aeroplan, AAdvantage and Asiana Club (AwardWallet, Jun 2026). The Residence isn't a separate standard award: start with an eligible A380 First ticket and check whether it can be upgraded with miles (AwardFares).
Before you transfer
- No Apartment/Residence flights to the US; this is a connecting-itinerary product for US travelers.
- Since 2025-11-13, Etihad fixed-rate awards come as Value/Comfort/Deluxe fares with different change and cancel rules (AwardFares).
- 2025: AUH-JFK A380 service ended (AwardWallet).
- 2025-11: 'GuestSeat' renamed Saver Award; Value/Comfort/Deluxe fare options from 2025-11-13 (AwardFares).
- 2026-06 (16-30): Amex MR transfers to Etihad Guest ended (our award chart).
- 2026-06-15/17: A380 back on CDG, SIN and NRT; BKK A380 from 2026-10-25 (AwardWallet, AwardFares).
- 2026-06-15: JFK becomes 2x daily A350-1000 (AeroRoutes).
Questions
How do I book Etihad Airways first class with points?
Etihad Guest: 140,000 miles one-way (AUH-LHR or AUH-CDG one-way, First Apartment), transfer from Capital One, Citi, Bilt. American Airlines AAdvantage: 62,500 miles one-way (AUH-LHR or AUH-CDG one-way, First Apartment), transfer from Citi. Air Canada Aeroplan: 90,000 miles one-way (AUH-LHR or AUH-CDG one-way, First Apartment), transfer from Amex, Chase, Capital One, Bilt.
Is Etihad Airways first class award space easy to find?
Apartment space appears through Etihad Guest, Aeroplan, AAdvantage and Asiana Club (AwardWallet, Jun 2026). The Residence isn't a separate standard award: start with an eligible A380 First ticket and check whether it can be upgraded with miles (AwardFares).
Does flying first class change the climate cost?
The footprint is the seat, not the currency. A first-class seat takes more of the aircraft per person than economy. Paying with points emits the same as paying cash for that same seat.
Is this up to date?
Researched 2026-11-01. Routes, products and award prices change. Confirm the seat on the program's site before you transfer points.
Sources: awardwallet.com, awardfares.com, awardlocker.com, aeroroutes.com, etihad.com, onemileatatime.com, thepointsguy.com
Is Etihad Airways first open for your dates?
Tell Points or Cash where and when. It checks award space, the cash fare and which of your points to transfer.
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