Does Etihad offer free stopovers in Abu Dhabi for Australia flights?

Etihad offers free Abu Dhabi stopovers on flights from Europe to Australia – but there are conditions attached.

Flying Etihad to Australia

One of the most popular airlines for flying to Australia is Etihad. The Abu Dhabi-based airline offers flights to Melbourne and Sydney from multiple European airports.

Which UK airports does Etihad fly from?

In the UK, Etihad flies from Heathrow and Manchester. In the past, Etihad has offered flights from Edinburgh, Gatwick and Stansted, but these routes are no longer operational.

Things to do in Abu Dhabi on a stopover

Abu Dhabi is also a good spot for breaking the journey from Europe to Australia. On a Abu Dhabi stopover, you can enjoy a desert safari with camel rides and a BBQ dinner, a royal palace and Sheikh Zayed Mosque tour and entry to the Ferrari World theme park. For a wide range of Abu Dhabi experiences and activities, search here. To fix up the best deals on Abu Dhabi accommodation, hunt here.

Free stopovers in Abu Dhabi?

But does Etihad offer free stopovers in Abu Dhabi, or does it cost significantly more to spend a few nights in Abu Dhabi before heading on to Australia?

At the time of writing, Etihad does offer free stopovers in Abu Dhabi. In fact, there are three separate Abu Dhabi stopover schemes.

Free transit hotels in Abu Dhabi

The simplest of these Abu Dhabi stopover schemes is for travellers with a long connection time – between ten and 24 hours. Travellers are given a free hotel room, with early check-in, at one of three hotels.

The free transit hotels in Abu Dhabi are the Premier Inn Abu Dhabi International Airport Hotel, the Premier Inn Abu Dhabi Capital Centre Hotel and Aloft Abu Dhabi.

This free transit hotel offer is subject to hotel availability, however, and there are blackout dates.

Free Abu Dhabi stopover hotels

The second Abu Dhabi stopover scheme is called Stopover On Us. This gives free stays for up to two nights at selected three and four star hotels if you are connected to and from Etihad flights, book the hotel via the Etihad website and are eligible for visa on arrival.

There’s 24 hour check in, and free WiFi included at the hotels. Again, there are blackout dates around major events, and you can only take advantage of the offer in one direction.

The eligible hotels for this free Abu Dhabi stopover are:

Centro Al Manhal.
Premier Inn Abu Dhabi International Airport Hotel.
Premier Inn Abu Dhabi Capital Centre Hotel.
Ramada by Wyndham Abu Dhabi Downtown.
Traders Hotel, Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi.
TRYP by Wyndham Abu Dhabi.

Best of Abu Dhabi stopover

The third Etihad Abu Dhabi stopover scheme is not free, and will be less enticing for most travellers. The Best of Abu Dhabi stopover gives you 40% off at selected four and five star hotels, with buffet breakfast included.

Under this Etihad stopover scheme, you can stay in Abu Dhabi for up to four days.

For more information on all three schemes, visit the stopover section on the Etihad website.