Hi all,
First time poster here.
After seeing this post on Ozbargain earlier, I was disappointed to find it was for UK origin flights only. This afternoon I spotted this deal that seemed very similar to the previous UK only deal, but for Australian bookings instead.
This article doesn't really mention anything about the Silver status you got for booking an economy return flight in the previous UK deal, but it looks quite similar so I wouldn't be surprised if Etihad is offering that as well somewhere. My searches of the Etihad site didn't turn up much for a Silver / Economy instant status deal, but I couldn't find this deal anywhere on the Etihad site either so it may not be something they promote everywhere.
T's and C's are:
Book a Business or First Class return Etihad Airways flight during the promotion period and earn an instant upgrade to Etihad Guest Gold membership. Allow up to 10 working days for the status to reflect on the individual traveller Etihad Guest account. If the travellers are not already members of the Etihad Guest program, travellers will need to join the Etihad Guest program and provide their membership number to their consultant before the upgrade will be awarded. It is the responsibility of the individual traveller to review the requirements to maintain an Etihad Guest Gold membership. Full terms and conditions of the program can be found at www.etihadguest.com. A maximum of 200 Gold membership upgrades nationwide are available and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. This promotion is not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. The membership is valid for 12 months, at which time if the Guest has not earned the applicable miles to retain it, they would revert back to Silver or Basic level of membership.
200 is a pittance.