Middle Eastern airline Etihad Airways is offering business class flights from European cities to almost any Indian destination for roughly €1,500. You can also reach cities in Pakistan for the same price. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are part of the sale, too.
The fares include 40 kilos of checked luggage, lounge access and mileage. You can also add a stopover in Abu Dhabi for a little extra. However, this great deal expires soon (March 25, 2024), so you don’t have much time left to think about it.
You can reach the following destinations (exemplary prices from Paris):
- Bengaluru, India at €1,502
- Delhi, India at €1,502
- Male, Maldives at €1,503 (long layovers)
- Thiruvananthapuram, India at €1,504
- Kozhikode, India at €1,504 (long layovers)
- Kolkata, India at €1,504
- Mumbai, India at €1,505
- Kochi, India at €1,505
- Lahore, Pakistan at €1,505
- Karachi, Pakistan at €1,505
- Islamabad, Pakistan at €1,505
- Chennai, India at €1,506
- Hyderabad, India at €1,507
- Colombo, Sri Lanka at €1,504
- Seychelles at €1,703 (overnight layovers)
- Johannesburg, South Africa at €1,705
Departures are possible from the following airports (exemplary prices to Bangalore, India):
- Copenhagen at DKK 11,188 (~€1,500)
- Rome at €1,503
- Milan at €1,502
- Madrid at €1,502
- Barcelona at €1,502
- Paris at €1,502
- Amsterdam at €1,502
- Brussels at €1,502
- Frankfurt at €1,502
- Munich at €1,502
- Lisbon at €1,502
- …and more
Tickets departing from the United Kingdom are roughly €200 (~£171) more expensive than from mainland Europe, except flights to Delhi and Mumbai:
Our availability will forward you to Etihad with your selected flight route and dates. You can also check what OTAs have to offer, as they sometimes sell these tickets up to €80 cheaper. You can find these low fares for flights for departures before April 30, 2024.
Etihad Airways likes to switch airplanes on it’s flights to India, varying between jets with recliner seats and lie-flat-seats. As an example, the airline operates two daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Bangalore:
EY 216/217departs at 21:45 fromAUHand at 04:20 fromBLR. It is operated by a Boeing 787-9 with lie-flat seatsEY 238/239departs at 14:00 fromAUHand 19:20 fromBLR. It is operated by an Airbus A321 with recliner seats
That leaves you with the choice of arriving and departing in India in the middle of the night or spending a good portion of your journey in a less desirable business class seat. To make matters worse, Etihad switched equipment on both flights several times in the past days.
Here is a list of the planned equipment on flights to India:
Etihad business class equipment to India:
The following airports receive a mixture of Lie-Flat and Recliner seats:
- Bangalore: Twice daily. 1 x Lie-Flat (787), 1 x Recliner (A321).
- Delhi: 4 x daily. 2 x Lie-Flat (777,787), 2x Recliner (A320)
- Hyderabad: Twice daily. 2 x Lie-Flat (787).
- Mumbai: 4 x daily. 2 x Lie-Flat (777,787), 2x Recliner (A320)
These airports only receiver narrow body service:
- Chennai: Thrice daily. 3 x Recliner (A320,A321)
- Kochi: Thrice daily. 3 x Recliner (A320,A321)
- Kolkata: Once daily. Recliner (A320)
- Kozhikode: Once daily. Recliner (A320)
- Thiruvananthapuram: Once daily. Recliner (A320)
Flights from Europe to Abu Dhabi are operated by Eithad’s Boeing 787 fleet, except for the nighttime time rotation to Rome, which features Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
Search & Book
According to the fare rules, this fare will expire on March 25, 2024. There is a minimum stay of 2 days and there’s a maximum stay of 4 months. You can find availabilities between February 15 and April 30, 2024.
You can use our calendar above that will show you availabilities. Once you select your dates, it will forward you to either Etihad’s website or to the Skyscanner with your preselected flight dates. With all its disadvantages, it may be worth it to book through online travel agencies (OTAs), since they offer prices of up to €85 cheaper. You can also search more specifically on Google Flights (instructions) for example by setting filters. You can then use our Go2 browser extension to book your flights.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
While we already showed you the most attractive options, you can find more offers on Etihad’s country specific landing pages:
Add an Abu Dhabi Stopover (or Mini-Stopover)
Etihad Airways has a really interesting stopover programme. If you book a flight with at least 24 hours in Abu Dhabi, but no more than two nights, you can get a free 3* or 4* hotel or 40% off from 5* hotels. However, you must book on Etihad’s website.
If you wouldn’t like to spend more but would avoid a red-eye flight, Etihad gives you a free hotel on a mini-stopover. If you have a layover in Abu Dhabi lasting between 10 and 24 hours, you can get a free hotel stay in Abu Dhabi using their Transit Connect service.
To add a stopover or a mini-stopover, just use our availability calendar above, select dates for a round-trip and press the button for Etihad. On the airline’s website, a banner will offer you the stopover option. Click on “Change” and select how many days you want to spend in Abu Dhabi. Mini-stopovers will be offered automatically.
Mileage
Etihad issues these tickets in booking class Z. This is what a trip from Copenhagen to Bengaluru, booked on Etihad’s website would earn you:
- 12,242 Award Miles on American AAdvantage
- 12,242 Award Miles on Asiana Club
- 12,242 Award Miles + 2,000 Tier Miles on CSA OK Plus
- 12,242 Award Miles + 14,124 Tier Miles on Etihad Guest
- 12,242 Award Miles on Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles
- 12,242 Award Miles on Hainan Fortune Wings Club
- 12,242 Award Miles on Oman Air Sindbad
- 12,242 Award Miles on Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- 12,242 Award Miles on Saudia Alfursan
- 12,242 Award Miles on Flying Blue
- 11,770 Award Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 11,770 Award Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 10,828 Award Miles on SriLankan FlySmiLes
- 9,416 Points on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
You can calculate your own earnings with the help of our mileage calculator. We also have a status calculator, which can help you decide which status should you aim for or which status does your next trip helps achieve. Or use our program mileage calculator that calculates your earnings based on your current status and routing:
See instructions on our status calculator‘s page.
Destination
Hotel prices in India usually start at roughly €20, depending on the hotel category. Whichever category and hotel you opt for, make sure to get the best price! Our recommendation is to search on booking.com, or even on our own Travel-Dealz hotel search:
Information & Tips for India
India is billed as a “subcontinent” not only for geographical reasons. The argument can be made that there is no region on the entire planet as culturally different as India. For example, it is home to as many vegetarians as the rest of the world. But its unique cuisine is just one of reasons to go there – India has a lot to offer. You can finde paradise like beaches in Goa and Kerala. Buzzing metropoles like Delhi and Mumbai invite you as well as and extravagant buildings and palaces like the world famous Taj Mahal. In conclusion, a country as huge as India is full of possibilities.
Visa & Entry
EU citizens need a visa and a passport to enter India. The easiest way is to apply for an eVisa, that will grant you two entries and a stay up to 60 days. It costs around 30€ on the government’s official site. With it, you can enter the country at almost any international airport.
Transport infrastructure
Flag carrier Air India and a bunch of smaller LCCs connect the airports of Delhi and Mumbai to almost any noteworthy city in the country. For a country its size, India has an excellent railway network. This allows for extremely cheap ground transportation. Renting a car is possible, but incredibly dangerous due to poor road conditions and reckless driving habits.
Currency
Official currency is the Indian rupee. €1 buys roughly ₹89.
→ All Dealz for India
Comment (1)
Thank you, Miklós!