Which airline offers the best value for redeeming miles on an Airbus A380?

Summary

Emirates offers better value for miles than Etihad Airways on many routes.
Emirates has an extensive network with over 260 aircraft and competitive mileage rates.
Both airlines have partnerships, but Emirates Skywards Miles are valid for longer and offer more flexibility.

Emirates is one of the largest and most well-known airlines in the world. It is based at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and operates a fleet of over 260 aircraft to more than 150 destinations worldwide. The airline is the largest operator of the Airbus A380 and its extensive route network extends as far west as Los Angeles (LAX) and as far east as Auckland (AKL). Emirates’ loyalty program is called Skywards.

From its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), Etihad Airways, the UAE’s second national carrier, flies to nearly 80 destinations worldwide, including regional flights to Bahrain (BAH) and Cairo (CAI) as well as much longer flights to destinations such as Sydney (SYD) and Chicago (ORD). The airline’s loyalty program is called Etihad Guest.

Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock

The latest data from ch-aviation shows that Etihad Airways currently has 103 aircraft in its fleet, with a further 96 aircraft yet to be delivered. Unlike Emirates, the Abu Dhabi-based airline operates a mix of wide-body and narrow-body aircraft. Its diverse fleet consists of aircraft ranging in size from the Airbus A320 to the Airbus A380.

Although Etihad Airways’ Airbus A380 fleet has a much smaller footprint than Emirates’, this mixed fleet allows it to serve smaller markets where a wide-body aircraft could not be fully staffed, such as Mykonos (JMK) and Jaipur (JAI).

Emirates Skywards vs Etihad Guest

To find out which of the two airlines currently offers the best value for money when redeeming miles, Simple Flying has made mock bookings for return flights departing from the UK on 5 October 2024 and returning two weeks later on 19 October 2024. The routes were chosen to provide a cross-section of the airlines’ networks with flights operated primarily on the Airbus A380.

In the UK, Etihad Airways connects its hub in Abu Dhabi with London Heathrow (LHR) and Manchester (MAN), while Emirates has a much larger overall presence, flying to London Heathrow (LHR), London Gatwick (LGW), London Stansted (STN), Birmingham (BHX), Manchester (MAN) and Glasgow (GLA). Services to Edinburgh (EDI) are also due to begin later this year, using the Airbus A350.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy flying

For comparison purposes, the cheapest option in each travel class has been selected, but it is important to remember that in addition to the fare in miles shown below, passengers must also pay all applicable taxes and fees, which can be up to £1,200 ($1,562) for a round-trip Business Class ticket from London to Melbourne.

London Heathrow (LHR) – Mumbai (BOM)

Winner: Emirates

	Emirate	Emirates
Economy class	45,000 miles	86,000 miles
Premium economy	95,000 miles	–
Business class	110,000 miles	200,000 miles
First class	207,500 miles	–

London Heathrow (LHR) – Kochi (COK)

Winner: Emirates

	Emirate	Emirates
Economy class	50,000 miles	90,000 miles
Premium economy	115,000 miles	–
Business class	130,000 miles	210,000 miles
First class	245,000 miles	–

*The Dubai – Kochi and Abu Dhabi – Kochi sectors are not served by the Airbus A380.

Emirates vs. Etihad Airways vs. Qatar Airways: Which airline wins in India?

The rankings vary considerably.

London Heathrow (LHR) – Melbourne (MEL)

Winner: Emirates

	Emirate	Emirates
Economy class	70,000 miles	118,000 miles
Premium economy	230,000 miles	–
Business class	256,000 miles	793,000 miles
First class	480,000 miles	–

*The Abu Dhabi – Melbourne sectors are not served by the Airbus A380.

London Heathrow (LHR) – Bangkok (BKK)

Winner: Emirates

	Emirate	Emirates
Economy class	60,000 miles	93,000 miles
Premium economy	135,000 miles	–
Business class	150,000 miles	265,000 miles
First class	282,500 miles	–

*The Abu Dhabi – Bangkok sectors are not served by the Airbus A380.

Etihad Airways opens reservations for 3-class A321LR on the Phuket route

Etihad Airways plans to offer three different routes to Phuket, Thailand, with one of the flights being operated by an Airbus A321LR.

In the four examples above, Emirates is the clear winner when it comes to the number of miles required to purchase a round-trip flight in economy and business class. Although Etihad Airways does not offer a premium economy cabin, at the time of writing it was not possible to purchase a first class ticket with miles on the above routes.

Interestingly, there is often very little difference between the number of Emirates Skywards Miles required for Premium Economy and Business Class tickets. However, the airline’s redemption structure is such that the only Premium Economy option available is completely flexible, while the cheapest Business Class option is more restrictive in terms of changes and cancellations.

Worldwide airline partners

Neither Emirates nor Etihad Airways are part of an airline alliance, although both airlines have partnerships with several other airlines around the world, offering members of their loyalty program more ways to earn and redeem miles. These partnerships include:

Emirate – flydubai, Air Canada, United Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Malaysia Airlines, Korean Air, Jetstar and Azul Linhas Aéreas.
Emirates – Air New Zealand, Air Canada, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Hainan Airlines, JetBlue, Oman Air, Virgin Australia and SriLankan Airlines.

Photo: Ryken Papy | Shutterstock

It’s also worth noting that Emirates Skywards miles are valid for three years and can be used to purchase flights and upgrades on Emirates, as well as flights on flydubai and other partner airlines. The airline’s Cash+Miles program allows members to reduce the cost of their bookings by purchasing their tickets partly with miles. However, Etihad Guest miles expire after just 18 months, giving members a much shorter period of time to book reward flights.