Award flight · one-way
Abu Dhabi → Istanbul on points: 12 options across the alliance backbones our cards can reach. Aeroplan books Star partner metal at a fixed 3,039 km distance band, AAdvantage prices the oneworld routing off its region chart, and Flying Blue covers SkyTeam dynamically. The verified charts crown THE PLAY; the dynamic row is shown as an honest estimate.
The play · economy
Which card mints this?
+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →
One of your cards is in those 7 — see it in the funnel →
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan the play | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (3,039 km) | 15,000 | — | ₹15,000 | the play |
| Etihad Guest | Etihad Airways own metal from AUH, distance-band award (total distance flown) | ~15,000 est. | — | ₹15,000 | 1.0× |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Turkish Airlines own metal from IST, region award | 18,000 | — | ₹18,000 | 1.2× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Royal Jordanian via AMM, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT | 20,000 | — | ₹20,000 | 1.3× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — Saudia via JED | ~25,000 est. | — | ₹25,000 | 1.7× |
The play · business
Which card mints this?
+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →
One of your cards is in those 7 — see it in the funnel →
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan the play | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (3,039 km) | 22,500 | — | ₹22,500 | the play |
| Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles | Turkish Airlines own metal from IST, region award | 28,000 | — | ₹28,000 | 1.2× |
| Etihad Guest | Etihad Airways own metal from AUH, distance-band award (total distance flown) | ~35,000 est. | — | ₹35,000 | 1.6× |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Royal Jordanian via AMM, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT | 42,500 | — | ₹42,500 | 1.9× |
| Air France-KLM Flying Blue | SkyTeam metal, Flying Blue (dynamic) — Saudia via JED | ~55,000 est. | — | ₹55,000 | 2.4× |
The play · first
Which card mints this?
+7 more ways in — the full funnel, ratios and ₹/mile side by side →
One of your cards is in those 7 — see it in the funnel →
| Program | Metal / routing | Points | Surcharge | All-in ₹ | vs play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan the play | Star Alliance partner metal, Aeroplan distance-band award (3,039 km) | 40,000 | — | ₹40,000 | the play |
| American Airlines AAdvantage | oneworld partner metal, AAdvantage region award — or Qatar via DOH, or Royal Jordanian via AMM, or Qatar Airways via DOH, or Oman Air via MCT | 62,500 | — | ₹62,500 | 1.6× |
All-in ₹ = points × the program's house value (valuation index) + the sourced one-way surcharge; a dash means the carrier doesn't publish it and the ranking counts it ₹0 — the row's note carries the caveat. That surcharge is the airline's own cash charge on an award — YQ, as the notes below call it — and it is not the fuel-surcharge waiver your credit card advertises: that one hands back a hundred rupees or two at a petrol pump, this one runs to tens of thousands and decides whether the award is worth taking at all. “Dynamic” and estimated (~… est.) rows never compete for the play — the crown is always a verified, bookable price. Feed-ins come from the same transfer data as the optimizer, multi-hop chains included.
Chart-priced, not live seats. These prices are read off each programme’s published award chart and valued at our own house ₹/point. 37% of the 39,855 priced options on the board are stated estimates for programmes that publish no chart; they are marked ~ est. and never crowned the play. Nobody here can see whether a seat exists on your date — confirm the space with the programme before you transfer. Points that leave your issuer do not come back.
The cash on top of the miles. Etihad Guest and Air France-KLM Flying Blue state that a carrier-imposed surcharge is charged on an award. American Airlines AAdvantage makes you liable for one if the operating airline levies it, without saying whether it does. Air Canada Aeroplan states it adds none on its own metal. Government taxes and airport charges are payable in every case. Almost no programme publishes the amount, so the desk carries each one’s policy in its own words — on its programme hub — rather than a number nobody published. 1 other programme priced here publishes nothing the desk could read.
Star Alliance
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN. This row is the direct great-circle band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.
Feed it: 7,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 15,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 37,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways own-metal Abu Dhabi→Istanbul. Etihad's carrier-imposed surcharges are real but materially lighter than Emirates' — the cash side on an Abu Dhabi award is usually tens of dollars plus destination taxes, not hundreds of pounds, which is most of why Etihad Guest out-values Skywards on the same corridor. Etihad Guest is fully dynamic: eco/biz are the fixed-rate Promo/Saver Award starting levels for the route's one-way distance band (the structure Etihad last published, still the working estimate in 2026), and the ranges run up to the 'any available seat paid with miles' standard prices you'll actually see when the cheap inventory is gone. Fixed-rate space is limited — treat the low end as a target, not a quote. first appears only on the five routes Etihad currently flies the A380 with First Apartments (LHR, CDG, SIN, YYZ, NRT); Bangkok joins on 25 Oct 2026 and is deliberately left without a first price until it flies. New York lost the A380 in June 2025, so JFK has no First. Shanghai, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Auckland and Dubai are absent because Etihad does not fly them from Abu Dhabi today. A valid Etihad Airways routing is assumed.
Estimate Dynamic/unpublished-chart program — estimate is the typical one-way economy level Abu Dhabi→Istanbul (range 15k–32k); not a fixed chart price, never THE PLAY.
Feed it: 7,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 15,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 37,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Turkish Airlines Star Alliance
Turkish Airlines own-metal Abu Dhabi→Istanbul. Turkish passes heavy carrier-imposed surcharges on its own metal — recent Turkish-operated transatlantic award searches run roughly US$200-250 in taxes and surcharges each way, and Gulf/Far East long-haul is not much kinder. Cheap in miles, not in cash. A valid Turkish Airlines routing is assumed.
Feed it: 9,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 45,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 54,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
Qatar AirwaysRoyal JordanianOman Air oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 120,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 40,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Saudia SkyTeam
Flying Blue prices dynamically — no fixed chart. Air France/KLM pass carrier (YQ) surcharges on own metal — typically €90–110 economy / €200–300 business one-way long-haul; intra-region SkyTeam ~€15–40. Typical one-way economy runs 20k–35k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is the typical one-way level for this region-pair (range 20k–35k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 25,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 12,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 25,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
Star Alliance
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN. This row is the direct great-circle band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.
Feed it: 11,250 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 22,500 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 56,250 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Turkish Airlines Star Alliance
Turkish Airlines own-metal Abu Dhabi→Istanbul. Turkish passes heavy carrier-imposed surcharges on its own metal — recent Turkish-operated transatlantic award searches run roughly US$200-250 in taxes and surcharges each way, and Gulf/Far East long-haul is not much kinder. Cheap in miles, not in cash. A valid Turkish Airlines routing is assumed.
Feed it: 14,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 70,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2) · 69,000 Amex Membership Rewards (2.46:1 via Marriott Bonvoy)
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways own-metal Abu Dhabi→Istanbul. Etihad's carrier-imposed surcharges are real but materially lighter than Emirates' — the cash side on an Abu Dhabi award is usually tens of dollars plus destination taxes, not hundreds of pounds, which is most of why Etihad Guest out-values Skywards on the same corridor. Etihad Guest is fully dynamic: eco/biz are the fixed-rate Promo/Saver Award starting levels for the route's one-way distance band (the structure Etihad last published, still the working estimate in 2026), and the ranges run up to the 'any available seat paid with miles' standard prices you'll actually see when the cheap inventory is gone. Fixed-rate space is limited — treat the low end as a target, not a quote. first appears only on the five routes Etihad currently flies the A380 with First Apartments (LHR, CDG, SIN, YYZ, NRT); Bangkok joins on 25 Oct 2026 and is deliberately left without a first price until it flies. New York lost the A380 in June 2025, so JFK has no First. Shanghai, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Auckland and Dubai are absent because Etihad does not fly them from Abu Dhabi today. A valid Etihad Airways routing is assumed.
Estimate Dynamic/unpublished-chart program — estimate is the typical one-way business level Abu Dhabi→Istanbul (range 35k–74k); not a fixed chart price, never THE PLAY.
Feed it: 17,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 35,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1) · 87,500 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Qatar AirwaysRoyal JordanianOman Air oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 127,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 255,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 85,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Saudia SkyTeam
Flying Blue prices dynamically — no fixed chart. Air France/KLM pass carrier (YQ) surcharges on own metal — typically €90–110 economy / €200–300 business one-way long-haul; intra-region SkyTeam ~€15–40. Typical one-way business runs 45k–70k; award space and travel date drive the real number.
Estimate Dynamic program — estimate is the typical one-way level for this region-pair (range 45k–70k); not a fixed chart price, and never crowned THE PLAY.
Feed it: 55,000 HDFC Reward Points (1:1) · 27,500 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 55,000 HSBC Reward Points (1:1)
Star Alliance
Aeroplan prices Star partner awards by total distance FLOWN. This row is the direct great-circle band; a connecting routing that flies farther can land in the next band up. A valid Star routing (nonstop or via a Star hub within the maximum permitted mileage) is assumed.
Feed it: 20,000 Axis EDGE Miles (1:2) · 40,000 SBI Travel Credits (1:1) · 100,000 Axis EDGE Reward Points (5:2)
Qatar AirwaysRoyal JordanianOman Air oneworld
AAdvantage prices partner awards on a fixed region-to-region chart. A valid oneworld routing is assumed.
Feed it: 187,500 Amex Membership Rewards (3:1 via Marriott Bonvoy) · 375,000 RBL Reward Points (6:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy) · 125,000 RBL Reward Points (Nova/Lumière) (2:1 via Club ITC → Marriott Bonvoy)
Flying back? Istanbul to Abu Dhabi on points (IST–AUH). Or take the whole region: every corridor we price into Europe — 532 of them. Or pick any two hubs — 2,450 corridors priced.