Etihad Airways: flights, cabins and points from Canada

Etihad Airways links Canada with Abu Dhabi and onward destinations. Compare the cabin, connection, and issuing program’s conditions before choosing your ticket.

This guide was checked on October 28, 2026. Confirm schedules, aircraft, and award availability for your travel dates.

Etihad Airways from Toronto and Calgary

Etihad sells Toronto–Abu Dhabi flights. Check the schedule and aircraft for your date, along with any connecting segments.

In its October 26, 2026 announcement, Etihad confirms the arrival of its inaugural Calgary flight. The airline announces four weekly Boeing 787 services. This operational confirmation supersedes its earlier planned launch date.

Use the Calgary–Abu Dhabi page to search your date. Confirm the exact flight, operating days, and status before departure.

At Abu Dhabi, compare connection times and arrival schedules. A single ticket and separate bookings provide different protection after a delay.

Cabins: A380, A350, and 787 products vary

Etihad describes several products in its Business Class overview. Your flight’s seat map identifies the planned product.

The Residence or First Apartments on part of the fleet do not establish availability on every Canadian route. A Business label alone does not guarantee a suite door.

Review aisle access, seating for two, and bed type. Your flight beyond Abu Dhabi may have a different product in the same travel class.

Aircraft substitutions remain possible. After a schedule change, review the seat map and assignments before buying extra services.

Baggage and fares: check your itinerary

Use Etihad’s baggage information and tools for the exact journey. Allowances may be expressed by weight or pieces depending on the route.

The fare name alone does not establish every included service. Compare:

Baggage: cabin and checked bags, dimensions, and excess charges.
Seats: included selection or additional charges.
Changes: any penalty and fare difference.
Cancellation: refunds, credits, and ticket conditions.

For an award, the issuing program sets change and cancellation rules. Services included in an Etihad cash fare do not automatically apply to every partner award.

Lounges: watch Business Value conditions

Etihad’s official FAQ excludes Business Value from complimentary lounge access based on the Business ticket. Read the fare family as well as the cabin.

Eligible Etihad Guest status may provide another route under its conditions. Paid access has separate rules and remains subject to availability. Check the specific lounge, guests, and children.

Our Abu Dhabi Terminal A Business Lounge review, published in December 2023, describes a historical visit. Recheck current opening hours, services, and access conditions.

A Canadian card’s lounge visits follow a different network. They do not guarantee Etihad lounge access.

Booking Etihad through Aeroplan

Etihad is an Aeroplan partner. Our partnership announcement from June 2020 documents its arrival, but its historical examples are not current award quotes.

The June 2026 Aeroplan chart includes Etihad among select partners. Avoid applying another partner’s fixed award rate automatically.

Search your dates, party size, and desired cabin in Aeroplan. Cash seats sold by Etihad may be unavailable to the partner program. Points requirements and booking options can differ substantially by date.

Check every segment. A Business label does not guarantee that cabin throughout. Include taxes and fees before comparing with cash.

Etihad Guest: a separate balance and rules

Etihad Guest is the airline’s own program. Its inventory, pricing, and refund rules differ from Aeroplan.

An official Amex Canada notice announced the end of Etihad Guest transfers effective June 20, 2026. We therefore do not present that transfer as a current Canadian option.

If you already hold miles, compare the complete Etihad Guest award with Aeroplan and cash. Review cancellation charges before moving or buying miles.

Etihad Guest also offers selected partner awards. Our Condor guide from Canada covers eligible DE-coded flights and other ways to pay for the ticket.

Canadian cards for Aeroplan bookings

Cobalt: using Aeroplan

The American Express Cobalt Card earns Membership Rewards. Check the Canadian Amex directory for Aeroplan transfers, then book an Etihad award only if Aeroplan offers it.

This route does not fund Etihad Guest or guarantee a seat on a flight Etihad sells.

Compare

American Express Cobalt^® Card

American Express Amex Membership Rewards

Annual fee: $191.88
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$255Total$255Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.: $255
Welcome offerGet 1,250 points after $750 in purchases per month for 12 months: Up to 15,000 points

The American Express Cobalt^® Card is a versatile American Express card, whether you want points for travel or cash back.

American Express Cobalt^® Card welcome offer

The welcome bonus is paid out monthly over your first 12 months. You earn 1,250 Membership Rewards points for each monthly billing period in which you charge $750 in net purchases to your card, in any category (1X, 2X, 3X or 5X). That adds up to 15,000 Membership Rewards points over the year, a welcome offer valued at $255.

Earning the full bonus means $9,000 in net purchases spread across 12 monthly billing periods. This offer rewards steady monthly spending rather than one large purchase.

You can use these points as statement credits on everyday or travel purchases, at the same rate either way: 1,000 points = $10.

You can also transfer them to Aeroplan, Avios (British Airways and Qatar Airways), Flying Blue, Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors. With the full welcome bonus, that is a choice between:

15,000 Aeroplan points
15,000 Avios points
15,000 Flying Blue Miles
18,000 Marriott Bonvoy points

American Express Cobalt^® Card benefits

Here is what the card gives you, starting with the benefits cardholders use most.

5X points on eligible eats and drinks in Canada: groceries, restaurants and bars, and home food delivery. A spend cap applies.
3X points on eligible streaming subscriptions in Canada.
2X points on eligible gas, public transit and ride sharing purchases in Canada.
1 additional point on eligible hotel and car rental bookings made through American Express Travel Online.
1X point per dollar on everything else, with no category restrictions.
Points that hold the same value either way: 1,000 points = $10 as a statement credit, or a 1:1 transfer to several airline and hotel loyalty programs.
No minimum income requirement, as with every American Express Canada card.
Additional cards at no extra cost: the first and every other supplementary card is $0.
The Hotel Collection: a room upgrade when available, 12pm check-in and late check-out when available, and up to $100 USD in hotel credit on amenities charged to the room for a stay of two or more consecutive nights, booked through American Express Travel.
Front Of The Line^® presale and reserved tickets for concerts and theatre performances, plus offers and events curated for cardmembers through Amex Experiences.
A soft credit check before you apply: you can see whether you will be approved with no impact to your credit score. This applies to American Express personal card applications.

The 5X categories and where they apply

The 5X rate is the reason most people carry this card. In Canada it covers three kinds of merchants:

Groceries: Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, Safeway, Whole Foods.
Restaurants and bars: sit-down meals, takeout and drinks.
Home food delivery.
Convenience stores (Couche-Tard, 7-Eleven): not part of 5X, 1 point per dollar.

The 2X rate covers gas stations such as Esso, Shell and Petro-Canada, along with public transit and ride sharing.

With the American Express Cobalt^® Card, you earn between 1 and 5 points per dollar:

Category	Points per dollar
Grocery (Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.)	5
Home food delivery	5
Restaurants and bars	5
Convenience stores	1
Streaming services	3
Service station	2
Transport	2
Travel	1
Other	1

That works out to a 1 to 5% return on those purchases. For example, if you spend $1,000 per month across groceries, restaurants and food delivery, you earn $50 back per month, or $600 per year from that category alone. Transfer the points to a program such as Aeroplan instead and the return can be higher.

You can also stack these categories with the hundreds of stores that offer 5x points.

American Express Cobalt^® Card insurance coverage

The card comes with a broad insurance package. The amounts below are the coverage limits; conditions, age limits and exclusions are set out in the certificate of insurance linked in the Insurance section above.

Travel insurance

Emergency medical: up to $5,000,000 for the first 15 days of a trip.
Travel accident: accidental death and dismemberment of up to $250,000 for you, your spouse and dependent children under age 23 when travelling on a common carrier (plane, train, bus or ship) and the tickets are charged to your card. Supplementary cardholders and their families are covered too.
Flight delay: up to $500 for necessary hotel, meal and sundry expenses bought within 48 hours when you are delayed or denied boarding for four hours or more and no other transportation is available. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and delayed baggage coverage.
Delayed baggage: up to $500 for essential clothing and sundries bought within four days when your outbound luggage is delayed six hours or more. This $500 is an aggregate limit per occurrence, shared with missed connection and flight delay coverage.
Lost or stolen baggage: up to $500 per occurrence for all insured persons combined, for checked or carry-on baggage and personal effects in transit, when the airline tickets are charged to your card. Within that limit, jewellery is capped at $300 per occurrence and golf clubs, including golf bags, at $250 per occurrence.
Hotel and motel burglary: up to $500 against the loss of most personal items if your hotel or motel is burglarized, when the stay is charged to your card.

Rental car insurance

Theft and damage coverage is included for a rental car with an MSRP, for its model year, of up to $85,000 excluding all taxes, for rentals of up to 48 days. To use it, decline the Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) or any similar option from the rental company and charge the full rental to your card. There is no cost for this coverage, and it replaces the daily insurance the rental company charges, usually $16 to $23 per day.

Mobile device insurance

Your device is covered for up to $1,000 per occurrence when it is charged to the card, for up to two years from the date of purchase. The payout is based on the depreciated value of the device, which falls by 2% of the purchase price for every completed month, less a 10% deductible. Theft and accidental damage coverage starts on the 91st day after purchase, because the first 90 days are covered by purchase protection.

Purchase protection and extended warranty

Eligible items charged to your card are insured against accidental physical damage or theft for 90 days from the purchase date, up to $1,000 per occurrence for all items combined. The card also extends the original manufacturer’s warranty by up to one additional year on eligible items, with indemnification limited to $10,000 per insured item and $25,000 per Cardmember per policy year for all items combined.

American Express Cobalt^® Card fees

Card fee: $15.99 per month, which equals $191.88 per year, for residents outside Quebec. Quebec residents are billed $191.88 per year.
Additional cards: $0.
Purchase interest rate: 21.99%.
Cash advance interest rate: 21.99%.
Foreign transaction fee: 2.5%.
Minimum income required: none.

Because the fee is billed monthly rather than in one annual charge, you can stop and restart the cost in step with how much you are actually using the card.

Legal

American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information, click the Apply Now link. If you apply and get approved for an American Express Card, we may receive compensation from American Express, which can be in the form of monetary payment.

Annual fee

Primary card$191.88

Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0

Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

5xRestaurants
5xGroceries
3xStreaming
2xTransit
2xGas
1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,675

2nd Year Value$799

Transfer partners

AeroplanAirline
British Airways ClubAirline
Cathay Asia MilesAirline
Etihad GuestAirline
Flying BlueAirline
Hilton HonorsHotel
Marriott BonvoyHotel

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days

Travel medical (55-64)Up to $5,000,000 / 15 days

Delayed BaggageUp to $500

Lost BaggageUp to $500

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $500

Travel AccidentUp to $250,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionUp to $1,000 / 90 days

Extended Warranty+1 years

Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 2 years

Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

TD Aeroplan: earning points directly

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card earns Aeroplan points directly. Current offers and conditions appear in the native panels below.

Benefits reserved for Air Canada flights do not automatically extend to Etihad. Compare card fees and your other uses for points.

FeaturedCompare

TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card

TD Aeroplan First-Year Annual Fee Rebate

Annual feeNo annual fee the first year: $0 $139
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,000Annual fee rebated$139Total$1,139Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.: $1,139
Welcome offerAfter $12,000 in 12 months: Up to 50,000 points

With this offer for the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you can get up to 50,000 Aeroplan points^† as well as an Annual Fee rebate for the first year^†.

Earn a welcome bonus of 10,000 Aeroplan points when you make your first Purchase with your new Card^†
Earn 15,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $3,000 within 90 days of Account opening^†.
Plus, earn a one-time anniversary bonus of 25,000 Aeroplan points when you spend $12,000 within 12 months of Account opening^†

This card also allows you to enjoy travel benefits, such as a free first checked bag for you and up to 8 travel companions on the same reservation^†, as well as a rebate on the NEXUS program application fee (up to $100 CAD per eligible cardholder) every 48 months^†.

With the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, you earn 1.5 points^† per $1 spent on:

Grocery purchases
Gas and electric vehicle charging purchases
Purchases made directly with Air Canada^® (including Air Canada Vacations^®)

You also earn 1 point^† per dollar on all other eligible purchases made with your card.

Legal

^†Terms and conditions apply.

Annual fee

Primary card$139

Additional card$75

Annual income required

Individual$60,000

Household$100,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

1.5xGas
1.5xGroceries
1.5xAir Canada flights
1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,714

2nd Year Value$425

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Up to $2,000,000 / 21 days

Travel medical (55-64)Up to $2,000,000 / 21 days

Travel medical (65+)Up to $2,000,000 / 4 days

Trip CancellationUp to $1,500

Trip InterruptionUp to $5,000

Delayed BaggageUp to $1,000

Lost BaggageUp to $1,000

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $2,500

Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded

Extended Warranty+1 years

Mobile DeviceUp to $1,000 / 1 years

Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Buying points or miles

Our buy Aeroplan points link is affiliated: Milesopedia may earn a commission. Those points remain in Aeroplan, where an Etihad award must be available.

Etihad also offers official Etihad Guest miles purchases. No direct Etihad Guest purchase affiliate link was confirmed for this guide. Check the limit, price, and conditions displayed in your account.

Before buying, add the points purchase, taxes, and fees, then compare with cash. Allow for posting delays and the possibility that the award disappears.

Compare our best credit cards for earning options.

Subscribe to our newsletter for route and program updates.

Does Etihad serve Toronto?

Etihad sells Toronto–Abu Dhabi flights. Check booking for your date’s schedule, aircraft, and connections.

Does Etihad serve Calgary?

The official October 26, 2026 announcement confirms the inaugural flight’s arrival in Calgary and announces four weekly Boeing 787 services. Check operating days and times for your date.

Can I book Etihad with Aeroplan?

Yes, when an award is offered. Etihad is a select partner in Aeroplan’s chart; search pricing and availability for your dates.

Does Amex Canada still transfer to Etihad Guest?

Amex Canada announced that partnership would end effective June 20, 2026. The route described here uses Aeroplan and does not fund Etihad Guest.

Does every Business ticket include a lounge?

Etihad’s FAQ excludes Business Value from complimentary access based on the Business ticket. Status or paid access can have different conditions.

Is The Residence offered on every Canadian flight?

No. Products depend on aircraft and configuration. Confirm the cabin on your exact flight before booking.

Does buying Aeroplan points add Etihad Guest miles?

No. The points remain in Aeroplan. They support an Etihad booking only when an award available to that program exists.

Category	Points per dollar
Grocery (Metro, IGA, Sobeys, Super C, etc.)	5
Home food delivery	5
Restaurants and bars	5
Convenience stores	1
Streaming services	3
Service station	2
Transport	2
Travel	1
Other	1