Travellers can spend Air Miles Middle East miles on Etihad flights

Members can exchange nine miles from Air Miles Middle East for one Etihad guest mile

Air Miles Middle East members can exchange earned miles for Etihad Guest miles. Courtesy Etihad 

Travellers looking to fly with Etihad can now book flights using miles earned with Air Miles Middle East.

Air Miles Middle East is one of the region's largest loyalty and travel consolidators. Members of the scheme earn miles which can be used to purchase travel, leisure, wellness and retail experiences. The partnership with Etihad gives members the option to convert their Air Miles directly into Etihad Guest miles.

One Etihad Guest mile can be purchased using nine Air Miles Middle East miles.

These loyalty miles can be used to book flights to any destination in the national carrier's network. Exchanged miles can also be used to upgrade existing flights to Etihad's Business or First Class cabins.

Travellers can also use guest miles to book hotels or package holidays with Etihad. Customers need a minimum of 30,000 Air Miles to exchange them for Etihad Guest miles.

“We are constantly exploring new collaborations that provide added value to travellers. By partnering with the Air Miles Middle East programme, we are proud to yet again introduce more benefits to our mutual members by offering access to Etihad Guest’s inspiring range of travel and lifestyle rewards," said Yasser Al Yousuf, vice president commercial partnerships at Etihad Airways.

Air Miles Middle East members can already exchange miles for Emirates Skywards miles. The partnership with the Dubai airline allows travellers to exchange 12 Air Miles for one Skywards Mile. Customers need a minimum of 30,000 Air Miles to process any exchange to Skywards miles.

The news comes after Etihad partnered with Bahrain's national carrier Gulf Air. The two airlines now allow passengers to earn and spend loyalty miles on each other's flights.