Summary Emirates offers better value for miles than Etihad Airways on multiple routes. Emirates has a wide network, served by over 260 aircraft, with competitive mileage rates. Both airlines have partnerships but Emirates' Skywards Miles last longer, offering more flexibility.
Emirates is one of the world's largest and best-known airlines. It is based at Dubai International Airport (DXB), from where it 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 wide-reaching route network stretches as far west as Los Angeles (LAX) and as far east as Auckland (AKL).
Emirates' loyalty program is called Skywards. Meanwhile, from its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), the second UAE flag carrier, Etihad Airways , flies to almost 80 destinations across the world, including regional services to the likes of Bahrain (BAH) and Cairo (CAI), as well as significantly longer flights to destinations such as Sydney (SYD) and Chicago (ORD). The airline's loyalty program is called Etihad Guest.
The latest data from ch-aviation shows that Etihad Airways currently has 103 aircraft in its fleet, with a further 96 aircraft still to be delivered. Unlike Emirates, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier operates a mix of widebody and narrowbody aircraft, with its diverse fleet made up of aircraft ranging in size from the Airbus A320 to the Airbus A380. Although it has a substantially smaller footprint than Emirates when it comes to the Airbus A380, this mixed fleet allows Etihad Airways to operate in smaller markets that would be unable to fill a widebody aircraft, such as Mykonos (JMK) and Jaipur (JAI).
Emirates Skywards vs Etihad Guest To establish which of the two airlines currently offers the best value when it comes to redeeming miles, Simple Flying carried out dummy bookings for return flights, departing from the UK on October 5th, 2024, and returning two weeks later on October 19th, 2024. The routes were selected to offer a cross-section of the carriers' networks with flights primarily operated by the Airbus A380. In the UK, Etihad Airways connects its Abu Dhabi hub to London Heathrow (LHR) and Manchester (MAN), while Emirates has a much larger presence overall, flying to London Heathrow (LHR), London Gatwick (LGW), London Stansted (STN), Birmingham (BHX), Manchester (MAN), and Glasgow (GLA), with services to Edinburgh (EDI) also due to launch later this year on the Airbus A350.
For comparison purposes, the cheapest possible option in each class of travel has been selected, although it is important to remember that in addition to the below fare in miles, passengers will also need to pay any applicable taxes and fees, which can be upwards of £1,200 ($1,562) for a return business class ticket from London to Melbourne. London Heathrow (LHR) - Mumbai (BOM) Winner: Emirates Emirates Etihad Airways 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 Emirates Etihad Airways 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 - *Dubai - Kochi and Abu Dhabi - Kochi sectors are not operated by the Airbus A380. The rankings vary massively.
London Heathrow (LHR) - Melbourne (MEL) Winner: Emirates Emirates Etihad Airways 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 - *Abu Dhabi - Melbourne sectors are not operated by the Airbus A380. London Heathrow (LHR) - Bangkok (BKK) Winner: Emirates Emirates Etihad Airways 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 - *Abu Dhabi - Bangkok sectors are not operated by the Airbus A380. Etihad Airways is planning to operate three different itineraries to Phuket, Thailand, with one of the flights being operated by an Airbus A321LR.
In the above four examples, Emirates is the clear winner when it comes to the number of miles needed to purchase a return flight in both economy class and business class. Although Etihad Airways does not offer a premium economy cabin, and 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 needed for premium economy and business class tickets.
That said, the airline's redemption ticketing structure is such that the only available premium economy is fully flexible, while the cheapest business class option is more restrictive in terms of changes and cancelations. Worldwide airline partners Neither Emirates nor Etihad Airways belong to an airline alliance, although both carriers do have partnerships with several other airlines worldwide, offering their loyalty program members more opportunities to earn and redeem miles. These partnerships include: Emirates - flydubai, Air Canada, United Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Malaysia Airlines, Korean Air, Jetstar, and Azul Linhas Aéreas.
Etihad Airways - Air New Zealand, Air Canada, American Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Hainan Airlines, JetBlue, Oman Air, Virgin Australia, and SriLankan Airlines. It is also worth noting that Emirates Skywards Miles are valid for three years, and can be used to buy flights and upgrades on Emirates, as well as flights on flydubai and other partner airlines. The carrier's Cash+Miles scheme allows members to bring down the cost of their bookings by part-purchasing their tickets with miles.
Etihad Guest Miles, however, expire after just 18 months, giving members a much shorter timespan in which to book reward flights. Awards can be booked with Etihad Guest Miles, plus through several other loyalty programs..
