You can now Bid for Etihad Upgrades Using Miles
Previously, I had posted about the best redemption strategy for your Etihad Guest Miles. There were some great opportunities to maximize value. You can read them here:
Part 1 – Upgrades on Etihad flights
Part 2 – Direct Redemption on Etihad flights
Part 3 – Redemption on Etihad partner airlines
However, upgrades on Etihad flights was probably the least rewarding. You would have to book an Economy Saver or Economy Classic fare. Further, the miles needed to upgrade an Economy Saver fare are nearly the same as miles required to book a direct redemption.
Now it seems, things have changed.
Bid Miles for Upgrade
Etihad just announced that you can bid to upgrade your seat using miles or money (earlier it was only money). This makes Etihad one of the few to accept miles as bids. Almost any airline I can think of accepts cash bids. However, many of them do not provide lounge access, priority queues etc. Etihad, it seems, will be providing the full experience. This includes
- Priority check-in and boarding
- Lounge access
- 10% bonus miles in addition to those earned from regular booking
- Dine-on-demand
The process seems completely online. As I had noted before, Etihad customer care has vastly improved. But if you find anything amiss, I think Twitter (@EtihadHelp) is the fastest and most efficient way to reach them.
Bidding will conclude 6 hours before departure and winners will be notified.
Terms & Conditions
- Redemption tickets, free tickets, multi-flyer tickets and staff tickets are excluded
- Economy Deal and Business Saver fares are excluded
- You will have to fly at least Economy Saver or Business Classic fares
- Valid only on Etihad operated flights (Ticket numbers starting from 607)
- Flight needs to be booked at least 3 days before the travel date
- You have to change or cancel your bid at least 6 hours before the departure time
- New bids have to be placed at least 10 hours before the departure time
- Only one-step upgrades permitted i.e. No Economy -> First upgrades
You can find the full terms here (link). However, it seems they have not been updated for the cash & miles change.
Process
Looking at the terms & conditions, it feels like a live auction starting from 24 hours and ending at 6 hours before departure. Many airlines do a silent auction wherein you place your bid without knowing what others have bid at.
I am no game-theory expert so it will be impossible to suggest which one is better. But it does seem like you will be checking your e-mails / Etihad app/ Etihad website a lot in case of a live auction.
It is also not clear on whether miles and cash will be considered in the same auction and what conversion rate will be used to find out the highest bidder.
If you have an upcoming booking with Etihad you want to upgrade, I would strongly suggest contacting the customer care.
Conclusion
Anything that makes your miles more useful is a welcome move. I would expect more clarity on this in the coming days.
