Etihad Extends Free Abu Dhabi Stopover Till End Of 2019
Previously, I had written about a great offer from Etihad. You can book a flight with a stopover at Abu Dhabi and get up to two nights stay for free. This was applicable for economy tickets and also for one-way fares.
At that time, I could see two reasons for the offer
- Promoting Abu Dhabi as a tourist destination as part of Etihad’s revamped strategy
- Taking advantage of the low season in Abu Dhabi (the offer was valid until July 15, 2019)
Now, Etihad has made the offer even better. You can book tickets till December 1, 2019 and travel till December 31, 2019. This effectively captures the tourist season in Middle East – at least until 2019.
Further, the earlier list of 15 hotels has been increased to 21. This makes the deal even better as you have more booking options.
ETIHAD FREE STOPOVER DETAILS
STEP 1 – BOOK A MULTI-CITY FLIGHT WITH ETIHAD
You have to book your flight at Etihad.com. This does not need to be a round-trip itinerary. The great thing about booking an Abu Dhabi stopover is that the fares are only marginally higher than fares without stopover. Here are some examples
Mumbai to Paris (round-trip)
Without Abu Dhabi stopover
With Abu Dhabi stopover
Karachi to New York (round-trip)
Without Abu Dhabi stopover
With Abu Dhabi stopover
As you can see, the fares are higher only by about $20.
STEP 2 – CHOOSE A HOTEL FROM 21 HOTEL PARTNERS
You have to book a hotel with this link and your booking reference number.
This is the new list of hotel partners. Curiously, Ramada hotels have been removed. However, several new properties have been added including Ritz Carlton Grand Canal. Even during low season, this property has a nightly rate of ~$200.
- Aloft Abu Dhabi
- Centro Al Manhal
- Courtyard by Marriott WTC
- Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi
- Crowne Plaza Yas Island
- Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi
- Holiday Inn Downtown
- Intercontinental Abu Dhabi
- Jumeirah at Etihad Towers
- Khalidiya Palace
- Le Meridien Abu Dhabi
- Novotel Al Bustan
- Park Rotana
- Pearl Rotana
- Premier Inn Airport
- Radisson Blu Yas Island
Ramada CornicheRamada Downtown- Ritz Carlton Grand Canal
- Sheraton Abu Dhabi
- TRYP by Wyndham
- Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham
- Traders Qaryat Al Beri
STEP 3 – WAIT FOR VOUCHER
Once your flight and hotel bookings are complete, Etihad will send your booking voucher.
You can read more about the promotion here.
BOTTOMLINE
This was a great promotion and has now been made even better.
Overall, this fits well into Etihad’s revamped strategy to promote Abu Dhabi.
Are you planning to take advantage of this offer? Let us know.
What about tickets booked with miles?
Redemption and cash+miles tickets aren’t eligible
Nice and updated Info bro. Keep up the good work.
I would like to know if I issue a return ticket from Lahore to Abu Dhabi, am I eligible to avail the offer?
Lahore – auh – Lahore
The T&Cs clearly say a transit of more than an 24 hours at Abu Dhabi. Also says that Offer is not available for guests whose final destination is the United Arab Emirates.