Etihad Business Class from Singapore to Europe for $3,154 return

Etihad A380 Business Class
Etihad A380 Business Class. Photo: Etihad.

A couple of weeks ago, I explained how I fly to Europe in comfort for considerably less than the cost of a Business Class ticket all the way from Australia. My strategy is to use points or a cheap cash ticket to get from Australia to an intermediate point in Asia, then to buy a relatively cheap Business Class ticket from Asia to Europe.

There are often good premium cabin airfares available from Asia to Europe on full-service airlines, particularly from places like Jakarta, Bangkok and Manila. There are also currently some very good Business prices available out of Singapore, which is a popular stopover point and particularly easy to get to from Australia.

Break up your trip to Europe with a stopover in Singapore, or elsewhere in Asia
Break up your trip to Europe with a stopover in Singapore, or elsewhere in Asia. Photo: Matt Graham.

Etihad and Turkish Airlines both currently have sale fares available in Business Class from Singapore to Madrid, the capital of Spain, for just over AUD3,000 round-trip.

Etihad Business Class sale fares from Singapore to Madrid

For example, you could fly Etihad Business Class for $3,154 return:

Example of an Etihad sale fare from Singapore to Madrid on Google Flights
Example of an Etihad sale fare from Singapore to Madrid on Google Flights.

These flights are via Abu Dhabi in both directions. On some days of the week, the transit times in Abu Dhabi are just a few hours. On other days, the transits are much longer – so check the schedule before booking. You can book on the Etihad website.

Etihad currently flies a Boeing 777-300ER on its Singapore-Abu Dhabi route, but will upgrade this to the Airbus A380 with an on-board bar and lounge from February 2025. It uses a Boeing 787 between Abu Dhabi and Madrid.

Etihad's new Boeing 787-9 Business Class
Etihad’s new Boeing 787-9 Business Class. Photo: Etihad.

The Etihad Business sale fare from Singapore to Madrid is available for departure dates between now and 28 February 2025. You’d need to book by 30 November 2024. Note that these prices aren’t available every day as they are subject to availability in Z class.

No stopovers of more than 24 hours are permitted in Abu Dhabi, and you can stay in Madrid for as little as two days or as long as four months.

You can earn Virgin Australia Velocity points and status credits with Etihad Airways… at least, for now. This could change in the future if the Australian government approves the expanded tie-up between Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways, as Qatar Airways would become Virgin’s exclusive Middle Eastern and European partner.

Cheap Turkish Airlines Business Class from Singapore to Madrid

Turkish Airlines also has a few seats available for approximately AUD3,325 round-trip, via Istanbul. These prices aren’t as widely available as the Etihad deal, as they book into J class and Turkish Airlines has limited availability in that fare bucket.

Nonetheless, as an example, we found this itinerary on the Turkish Airlines website (priced here in Singapore Dollars):

Turkish Airlines SIN-MAD Business class fare on the airline's website
Turkish Airlines has some good airfares from Singapore to Madrid as well on its website.

The fare rules state that these Turkish Airlines fares can be booked until 29 November 2024.

Turkish Airlines Boeing 777 at Istanbul Airport
A Turkish Airlines Boeing 777 at Istanbul Airport. Photo: Matt Graham.

Getting between Australia and Singapore

To get from Australia to Singapore and back, you could simply book another ticket with a different airline. For example, you could book a cheap Economy ticket with Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Scoot or Jetstar. You could even go ScootPlus or Jetstar Business Class for a bit of extra comfort.

If you have Qantas points, you could use those to fly Qantas or Jetstar to Singapore, including in Business Class.

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Or, you could use Virgin Australia Velocity points or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles to book Singapore Airlines in Economy, Premium Economy or Business.

Singapore Airlines flight attendant offers champagne to premium economy passenger
You could book Singapore Airlines Premium Economy from Melbourne or Sydney to Singapore using Velocity points or KrisFlyer miles. Photo: Singapore Airlines.
The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
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Oh, meant to post that the other day. Especially noting the A380 coming back online.

A good SR for VFF before the program turns to sh$t.

Reply 3 Likes

I have been looking closely at those fares over the last few days. Am close to pulling the trigger on 2 x J tickets for May/June next year to Frankfurt. They would cost around S$6,440 (A$7,360) for the two of us. We had been intending to fly into Paris but that was about A$1,000 dearer and that can buy a lot of train fares. For the same dates on QR out of Perth to Frankfurt the price is around A$15,400 on 'special'.

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Prevarication has taken its toll. The Frankfurt fare has jumped up S$600 today. Now Brussels is cheaper - hmm?

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There is also a very good fare on Etihad, from Manila to Copenhagen return in business:

I just did a dummy booking 4-11 December and the fare was AU$2744 net of the Amex discount.

Reply 2 Likes

There is also a very good fare on Etihad, from Manila to Copenhagen return in business:

I just did a dummy booking 4-11 December and the fare was AU$2744 net of the Amex discount.

The Manila deal is often there. It's good and I would happily use it.

I think some people though prefer to stopover in Singapore and/or find it easier to get to Singapore from Australia than Manila. 🙂

Reply 3 Likes

The Manila deal is often there. It's good and I would happily use it.

I think some people though prefer to stopover in Singapore and/or find it easier to get to Singapore from Australia than Manila. 🙂

Especially with the option to combine with a cheap daytime flight back to Australia, with most/ all (?) ex MNL flights being overnight.

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Especially with the option to combine with a cheap daytime flight back to Australia, with most/ all (?) ex MNL flights being overnight.

And the hassle of Manila airport and fewer flight options.

Reply 1 Like

The Manila deal is often there. It's good and I would happily use it.

I think some people though prefer to stopover in Singapore and/or find it easier to get to Singapore from Australia than Manila. 🙂

Plus MNL often has the horrible 777

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Plus MNL often has the horrible 777

I actually think the 777 is OK (old but quite comfortabe, for me at least). I prefer it to the 787's with the yin-yang seating in business. What was EY thinking?

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I actually think the 777 is OK (old but quite comfortabe, for me at least). I prefer it to the 787's with the yin-yang seating in business. What was EY thinking?

I love the EY 787 seating personally and my preference is to have a rear facing seat.

Reply 1 Like