It’s been a while since I’ve last posted a Business Class deal!
From now till 19 September 2021, Etihad is running an amazing sale for flights from Singapore to some European cities.
Key points to note
- Book by 19 September 2021 to enjoy these prices.
- Find these prices for outbound flights as far ahead as 15 March 2022 and inbound flights 1 month later (April 2022).
- Travel in Etihad Business Studio (latest Business Class seat) to/from some cities.
- Free unlimited date changes and destinations within the same zone, fare difference may apply.
- Tickets can be cancelled for free but it will be refunded as a credit (for future Etihad flights).
- Receive a cash refund if your flights are cancelled, if you are tested positive for COVID-19 or if there is a government travel restriction.
- Receive free insurance coverage of up to €150,000 when flying Etihad.
- No escape from 14-days quarantine in a dedicated facility upon returning to Singapore, as of today.
Cities with heavily discounted Business Class fares
These are the cities that you can fly to in Business class. Prices shown below are for round trip flights and include taxes and fees.
These fares are a whopping 50% to 70% cheaper than what we had before the pandemic. In fact, these are more-or-less Economy Class fares!
| City | Round trip fare from Singapore |
|---|---|
| Cairo, Egypt | S$1,286 |
| Vienna, Austria | S$1,391 |
| Milan, Italy | S$1,417 |
| Brussels, Belgium | S$1,490 |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | S$1,499 |
| Munich, Germany | S$1,520 |
| Rome, Italy | S$1,564 |
| Frankfurt, Germany | S$1,773 |
Although you can book these fares at a slight discount from OTAs like Expedia or trip.com, I strongly recommend getting them directly from Etihad.
Booking directly with the airline during the pandemic will save you from a lot of headaches, should there be complications to your travel plans.
Additional note: You may also book round trip Economy flights to Europe from as little as $559!
Can you avoid quarantine upon returning to Singapore?
Well, the answer to this question is ever-evolving. What you see here may be outdated next week! Check out the official SHN guidelines for the most up-to-date information.
Unfortunately, because of the unavoidable stopover in Abu Dhabi, UAE, travellers will have to spend 14 days quarantine in a self-paid (S$2,000) dedicated facility upon returning to Singapore right now. These may change in future if transiting in a third country is allowed or if UAE is placed in Category II or III.
As of now, these are the SHN rules that fully-vaccinated Singapore-based travellers will face upon returning to the city-state, depending on where they’ve been in the past 21 days.
| Country | Quarantine in Singapore (SHN) | No. of PCR tests |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (VTL) | Nil | 4 |
| Germany (non-VTL) | 7 days at home | 3 |
| Austria, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Egypt | 14 days at home | 3 |
| United Arab Emirates | 14 days in dedicated facility | 3 |
Check out articles from Mainly Miles and The Milelion on VTL travel to and from Germany.
Ticket flexibility
As mentioned above, you can make unlimited changes to your ticket dates and even to other destinations within the same zone. Fare differences may apply.
You can request for a cash refund if your flights are cancelled, if you are tested positive for COVID-19 or if there is a government travel restriction.
Otherwise, you can request for a refund in the form of Etihad Credit. This credit can be used to purchase Etihad flights in the next 2 years.
Click here to visit Etihad’s COVID-19 Travel Hub.
Seat types
A lot of these routes are being serviced by Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 aircrafts. Most of these aircrafts are featuring the latest Etihad Business Studio seat.
If you are flying in a Boeing 787-10, you will get Etihad Business Studio.
If you are flying in a Boeing 787-9, look out for a 1-2-1 seat configuration like the image below. If you do not see a seat configuration like this, you will be getting the older seats. Bleargh!
Where to credit?
Fares from this promotion book into fare class ‘Z’. You will receive 115% mileage accrual as a normal member. That’s about 15,155 miles (worth S$273) for flights to Milan. That’s enough miles to fly you one-way from Singapore to Koh Samui in Economy with Bangkok Airways in future!
If you have some Citibank miles or points lying around, you can even top up 5,000 miles to fly in Business Class.
Or better still, use them for a redemption on ANA’s First or Business Class!
New members get 500 miles
For a limited time, new members of Etihad Guest get 500 bonus miles (worth S$9) after completing 1 flight. Sign up here.
Free COVID-19 insurance
Etihad provides complimentary COVID-19 insurance for all travellers, up to €150,000. Coverage includes overseas medical expense repatriation costs and overseas quarantine allowance.
Best cards to book Etihad flights
Book using these cards to receive 4 miles per dollar.
DBS Woman’s World Card
Suitesmile card rating:
Sign-up bonus
$150 cashback
Key benefit
Earn 4 miles per dollar
for online spending
Annual fee
$192.60
(first year waived)
Min. Income
requirement
$80,000/yr
(not strict)
UOB Visa Signature Card
Suitesmile card rating:
Sign-up bonus
–
Key benefit
Earn 4 miles per dollar
for foreign currency
spending
Annual fee
$192.60
(first year waived)
Min. Income
requirement
$30,000/yr
Travelling during the pandemic
As you guys know, I left Singapore via the now-defunct Reciprocal Green Lane, 10 months ago and travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Bangkok and now Bali.
If you’ve been following Suitesmile’s Instagram stories, you would have seen the WILD ups and downs that I went through while pandemic-travelling! I’ve had no opportunity for border runs, received late visa approvals, late PCR tests results, PCR test results with wrong information, delayed flights, denied boarding, served last-minute notice to leave a hotel that closed down and even turned away from vaccination centres.
In times like these, there is no doubt that flexibility is key. There will be inconvenience. Expect setbacks. Have multiple backup plans. It is unrealistic to expect the old-normal way of travelling in the near future, from this region at least.
If you are lucky enough to have a some flexibility in your life, pandemic-travelling has plenty of advantages. I’ve enjoyed hotel stays at 60% to 70% off usual rates, received once-in-a-lifetime upgrades, had hotel facilities all to myself most of the time, breakfast delivered to the room every day as a default arrangement, flew in an empty Qatar Airways Qsuite cabin, received Hyatt Prive and Virtuoso benefits on extremely low hotel rates and enjoyed tourist spots without the usual crowd.
Of course, there is that virus-factor too. Coming from the covid-zero mindset that we Singaporeans had last year, it’s still hard for me not to get mad whenever I see hotel guests walking around without their masks on. But that’s just how it is. Countries have differing risk appetites in handling this pandemic and that’s something that you’ll have to accept, if you choose to travel right now.
Singapore is one of the safest countries in the world to be in right now, if you are not willing to take some health risks to travel.
Bottom line
Of course, it makes more sense to book tickets as far ahead as possible, in March – April 2022. Are you confident about more border-easing 6 months ahead? If all fails, you can request for a full refund in Etihad Credit for future flights.
While this deal is not entirely risk-free like the cheap overwater villas at Le Meridien Maldives, I find it a little more realistic than last year’s epic Qatar Airways Business Class hack.
These fantastic air fares are difficult to miss. You have until Sunday, 19 Sep to make this decision!