Etihad and airberlin are now running joint flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane through to Berlin and Dusseldorf.
The codeshare arrangement will see passengers from Australia's three largest cities fly with Etihad to Abu Dhabi and then transfer to airberlin's daily service through to Berlin and Dusseldorf.
The transit time at Abu Dhabi is around 2.5 hours, which you can spend at Etihad's Pearl Lounge if you're flying in business class.
Airberlin is Germany's second largest airline after Lufthansa, and is currently refitting its business class from old-school recliners to angled lie-flat seats over the next few months.
Here's the recliner option, which will be disappearing:
The new airberlin business class is a 170cm angled lie-flat seat, similar to what you'll find on many airlines' regional business class -- Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Qantas' first-generation Skybed, and so on.
If you're flying business class with airberlin you'll enjoy a complementary limousine service that's good for trips within 40km of Berlin-Tegel and the new Berlin Brandenburg airport when it opens in June, or in a 60km radius in Dusseldorf.
Travellers can choose to earn points and status on either the Etihad Guest or airberlin topbonus frequent flyer programmes.
For added versatility you can choose to collect Virgin Australia Velocity points and status while flying with Etihad, and funnel the airberlin points to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account (as airberlin is now a member of the oneworld alliance).
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
19 Nov 2011
Total posts 243
Considering that we have to purchase tickets in either EY, AB code. How can we earn Qantas Frequent Flyer and Velocity points?
I believe there is a rule that you have to fly in the actual metal owner to earn points. So, from Sydney - Berlin, Sydney - Abu Dhabi will be EY flights with AB codeshare, and then Abu-Dhabi to Berlin on AB flights. So, can QFF earn AB codeshare on EY planes?
Or Sydney - Abu Dhabi will be EY flights with VA codeshare and VA does not extend from Abu Dhabi to Berlin... help please?
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