Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, based at Abu Dhabi International (AUH). From Australia it flies from Sydney and Melbourne into Abu Dhabi, with onward connections across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, India, and the Americas. Cabin classes include Economy, Economy Space, Business, and First (on select routes, including the A380 Residence and Apartment product). Book via etihad.com and activate ShopBack through the Etihad Airways merchant page on ShopBack Australia to earn cashback on eligible fares at the current published rate.

Etihad Guest is Etihad's loyalty programme. Members earn Etihad Guest Miles and Tier Miles on eligible flights, partner spend, and select credit card transfers. Tiers are Guest (base), Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Silver and above unlock lounge access at Abu Dhabi and eligible partners, priority boarding, extra baggage, and priority check-in. Etihad Guest partners with Velocity Frequent Flyer for AU-based earning and redemption on eligible flights. Verify current earning and redemption charts on etihad.com before booking a redemption.

Etihad typically runs sale windows including a Lunar New Year sale (January to February), Easter and school-holiday windows, UAE National Day (December 2, 2026), and end-of-year Black Friday (November 27, 2026) and Cyber Monday (November 30, 2026) fare drops. Boxing Day and January new-year windows sometimes surface deeper long-haul Business Class deals into Europe. Verify current sale windows and eligible fares on etihad.com before booking, and activate ShopBack via the Etihad Airways merchant page to keep cashback tracking clean.

Yes. Etihad Airways and Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer have a long-standing partnership. Velocity members can earn and redeem Velocity Points on eligible Etihad-marketed flights, and Etihad Guest members can typically earn on eligible Virgin Australia flights. Redemptions from Australia into Abu Dhabi, Europe, or Africa via AUH are often strong sweet spots for Velocity Points. Verify current earning and redemption charts on both etihad.com and velocityfrequentflyer.com before booking, since award availability and pricing vary.

Emirates has broader AU footprint with services from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide into Dubai, generally higher daily frequencies, and a larger onward network. Etihad routes through Abu Dhabi with services from Sydney and Melbourne, and partners tightly with Velocity for AU-based earning. On premium product, Emirates' A380 First and Business are strong; Etihad's A380 Residence and Business Studio are competitive at the top end. For network breadth, Emirates typically wins. For Velocity Points earning and Abu Dhabi as a stopover, Etihad often wins. Both are cashback-eligible via ShopBack.

Qatar Airways has broader AU network with services from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra into Doha, and is a Oneworld member giving Qantas Frequent Flyer earning. Etihad has services from Sydney and Melbourne into Abu Dhabi and partners with Velocity. For a Qantas Frequent Flyer holder, Qatar typically wins on Oneworld earning. For a Velocity Frequent Flyer holder, Etihad typically wins on partnership earning. Product-wise, both offer strong long-haul Business Class. Both are cashback-eligible via ShopBack when booked through their respective merchant pages.

Etihad typically allows 23 to 35kg in Economy depending on fare family (Deal, Value, Comfort, Flex), 40kg in Business Class, and 50kg in First on most routes. Piece concept applies on flights to and from North America. Etihad Guest Silver, Gold, and Platinum add extra baggage on eligible flights. Fare families and route pairs vary; verify the exact allowance on etihad.com fare rules for your specific booking before travel.

Etihad typically offers Abu Dhabi Stopover packages that bundle a hotel stay in Abu Dhabi with your onward Etihad ticket at a discounted rate on selected bookings and fare families. Packages typically include one or two complimentary nights at partner hotels, with the option to extend. Availability, participating hotels and fare types vary by season, so check the terms on etihad.com when you book. The Etihad Airways page on ShopBack shows which purchases earn Cashback and the live rate.

Open Etihad Airways from the ShopBack Etihad Airways merchant page and book on etihad.com. Go through ShopBack before you pay and the Cashback tracks to your ShopBack account. On your phone, open Etihad Airways from the ShopBack app and finish the order there. The live rate is shown on ShopBack.

Etihad's fare rules set what can be refunded or changed on each fare. Cashback is based on the trip you take: if you cancel or change a booking, the Cashback adjusts to match.

Yes. Sign up for a free ShopBack Australia account at shopback.com.au/signup before clicking through to etihad.com. Signup takes under a minute (email plus password or Google sign-in), and the account persists across future flight, hotel, and Etihad Guest bookings. Once signed in, click through from the ShopBack Etihad Airways merchant page, log in to your Etihad Guest membership to apply eligible member fares, and complete the booking as normal. Cashback appears as Pending in your ShopBack Cashback Activity within about 48 hours.