Tag Archives: Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have relaunched their codeshare partnership to provide their customers with greater access to both airlines’ trunk routes between the UAE and Pakistan, and on Etihad services across its global network. The codeshare flights will be open for sale on November 13, 2019, with the first travel date from November 26. The partnership will see Etihad Airways place its ‘EY’ code on PIA services to and from Abu Dhabi to the Pakistani cities of Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar. PIA will place its ‘PK’ code on Etihad services from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore to Abu Dhabi and vice versa, and also onwards from the UAE capital to Amsterdam, Bahrain, Colombo Chicago, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Madrid, Moscow, Washington D.C, and Zurich. Robin Kamark, Etihad Airways Chief Commercial Officer, said, “The UAE and Pakistan share strong historical, commercial and cultural links and this partnership with PIA is a natural progression for both carriers. It enables us to cater to the strong customer demand for both point-to-point business and VFR travel between the UAE and major cities in Pakistan.” Nausherwan Adil, Chief Commercial Officer of Pakistan International Airlines, said, “This is indeed a great opportunity for PIA to join hands with Etihad Airways connecting Pakistan to UAE and around the globe, expanding reach to more destinations for the convenience of our valued passengers.”

Etihad Airways announced its partnership with Tourism Malaysia to attract visitors from Europe and the Middle East to Malaysia, via the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub. The agreement was signed at the World Travel Market in London, attended by representatives from both organisations and trade partners. The agreement between the two organisations will support the tourism board’s Visit Malaysia 2020 marketing campaign which has been developed to encourage tourism from Europe and the Middle East to Malaysia. Etihad Airways began flying to Kuala Lumpur in 2007 and has since flown 2.7 million passengers to the Malaysian capital. Today, Etihad Airways operates a daily flight to Kuala Lumpur which is operated by the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Hareb Almuhairy, Senior Vice President Destination and Leisure Management, Etihad Aviation Group commented, “Tourism Malaysia has been a proud partner of Etihad for many years and Kuala Lumpur remains one of the most important destinations in our global network. The Southeast Asian country continues to be a popular choice for travellers in the UK and Europe as well as the Middle East, and visitors will benefit from the convenient connection through Abu Dhabi.” Datuk Musa HJ Yusof, Director General, Tourism Malaysia, said, “The campaign aims to welcome tourists from Europe, Middle East and beyond to Malaysia as well as to promote the Visit Malaysia 2020 initiative, which seeks to attract 30 million tourists and around RM 100 billion (GBP 18.56 Billion) in tourism receipts by the year 2020.”

Etihad Airways, United Arab Emirates, and Saudia have marked the first anniversary of their commercial partnership by announcing 12 new codeshare routes to key destinations in Asia and Europe. Since signing their agreement in October 2018, the two airlines have placed their flight codes on each other’s services between Abu Dhabi and the Saudi Arabian cities of Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh and Medina. Saudia has also added its ‘SV’ code to Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and 12 more destinations – Ahmedabad, Belgrade, Brisbane, Chengdu, Chicago, Dusseldorf, Lagos, Melbourne, Moscow-Domodedovo, Rabat, Seychelles and Sydney. Etihad has placed its ‘EY’ code on Saudia flights to Peshawar, Multan, Port Sudan and Vienna. Under the deal announced today, Saudia will progressively add its code to Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and 11 more destinations in nine countries- Amsterdam, Baku, Brussels, Dublin, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Phuket, Nagoya, Tokyo and Seoul, significantly extending Saudia’s reach. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, said, “The United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoy strong economic, diplomatic and cultural links, and the partnership between our two national carriers is a natural and productive extension of these ties. The increased collaboration we have announced today will deliver even more growth to both airlines, provide greater choice for our passengers and freight customers, and further strengthen the ties between our nations.” Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Director General, Saudi Arabian Airlines, commented, “Network growth and increased access to destinations provides our guests with greater flexibility and convenience. We are pleased to further enhance our collaboration with Etihad Airways and continue to support the growth in services and routes.”

Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, and Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the Middle East, have partnered to allow the bank’s customers to convert their credit card loyalty programme points, Plus Points, into Etihad Guest Miles. Starting from September 15, Emirates NBD customers will be able exchange 1 Plus Point for 10 Etihad Guest Miles upon converting a minimum of 500 Plus points. To celebrate the launch, Emirates NBD customers will be able to enjoy a 20 per cent bonus miles reward as well as enter a draw to win one of 20 prizes of 50,000 Miles each from September 15 to October 31, 2019. The bonus of 20 per cent Etihad Guest Miles will be credited within 15 working days, at the end of the launch campaign. Yasser Al Yousuf, Vice President Commercial Partnerships, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We provide many opportunities to use Etihad Guest Miles, such as redeeming them for flights or upgrades, using them to book over 300,000 hotels worldwide, to purchase hundreds of products online on the Etihad Guest Reward Shop, or to donate their miles to charity.” Suvo Sarkar, Senior Executive Vice President & Group Head – Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates NBD, said, “Emirates NBD’s partnership with Etihad’s award-winning Guest Miles programme demonstrates our commitment to work with leading partners to continuously enhance our customer offering.”

Etihad Airways has re-launched etihad.com as part of its continuous commitment to improve the online customer journey, making it easier for guests to plan their trip, search for information, and manage their booking. The refreshed website is now live globally on all Etihad’s site editions in 16 languages. Redesigned from scratch, guests visiting etihad.com now enjoy faster loading pages, thanks to cleaner redesigned content, images, and graphics.  An easier-to-navigate site and a reduction in the number of pages makes it simpler for people to find the information they want. Frank Meyer, Chief Digital Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Enhancing the guest experience is at the heart of what we do. Knowing travellers increasingly turn to digital channels to manage their journey, we completely redesigned our website to provide a superior digital experience.” With a larger percentage of consumers accessing etihad.com via mobile, the new website is responsive across any device, be it a smartphone, tablet or desktop, allowing guests to access information quickly and easily, before they reach the airport. Additionally, 25 per cent more guests are now accessing self-service functionalities and checking in online thanks to the newly integrated technology which supports flight tickets booked through all channels. Previously, this was only available to those that booked directly through Etihad.

Etihad Airways announced a new partnership with Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling. With a passion for aviation, quality, and precision, Etihad offers a perfect platform for Breitling, who will serve as the airline’s official timekeeper. The announcement was made by the airline during New York Fashion Week, where it hosted two exclusive VIP events celebrating three years as an official sponsor.  To celebrate the partnership, Breitling has introduced the Aviator 8 Etihad Limited Edition timepiece in black steel. The model, which has been co-designed by Etihad Airways and Breitling, is limited to 500 pieces and is the watchmaker’s first featuring the Arabic language. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “As one of the world’s most innovative and punctual airlines, we are proud to mark the launch of this great partnership between two leading brands who are world renowned for style, quality and precision. To mark our collaboration with Breitling as Etihad’s official timekeeper, we have introduced the Aviator 8 Etihad Limited Edition, reflecting our Arabian heritage, age-old traditions and focus on the future.”  Speaking at the launch event in New York, Tim Sayler, Breitling’s Chief Marketing Officer, said, “Etihad Airways and Breitling are united by a passion for aviation, as well as by their steadfast commitment to quality and precision.”

Etihad Airways will introduce the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its flights from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta, Indonesia, and will upgrade its daily morning service to Male, Maldives, to the wide-body aircraft on a seasonal basis. The airline’s two daily scheduled services from Abu Dhabi to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, will be operated on a year-round basis by a two-class Boeing 787-9. Effective October 27, the overnight service will transition to a Dreamliner operation and the aircraft will be introduced on the daytime service from December 14, 2019. The airline will also operate the next-generation aircraft on its daily morning service from Abu Dhabi to Male from October 27, 2019 to April 30, 2020. This morning service will continue to be supplemented by a second overnight departure. Etihad Airways is one of the world’s largest operators of the Boeing 787 and is introducing the aircraft to these destinations to benefit its point-to-point customers travelling to and from Abu Dhabi, as well as those connecting to and from the Etihad global network.

A state-of-the-art Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner touched down in Lagos on August 1, 2019 after its inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi. Etihad Airways flight EY673 took off from Abu Dhabi at 2.35 am and arrived on schedule at 7.10 am local time. The return flight EY674 departed Lagos at 8.30 am and touched down back in the capital at 7.10 pm on August 2. The two-class B787-9 Dreamliner features Etihad Airways’ next-generation Business and Economy cabins configured with 299 seats — 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Airways, said, “We are delighted to upgrade to the Dreamliner aircraft on the Lagos route to further enhance the guest experience and to meet the needs of the growing numbers of business and leisure passengers travelling to and from Nigeria’s largest city. Today’s modern traveller is constantly searching for comfort, innovation and convenience, and we aim to provide the highest standard of hospitality and technological advancements to make any journey a memorable one.” Etihad Airways’ service to Lagos was inaugurated in July 2012.  The route has proved very successful for the airline, recording consistently strong demand to and from both cities.

Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, has signed a frequent flyer programme agreement with Booking.com, one of the world’s major digital travel platforms. This agreement will enable Etihad Guest customers to earn Etihad Guest Miles when booking accommodation through Booking.com on a special co-branded version of the website. Depending on the accommodation booked, customers will earn between three and six Etihad Guest Miles for every USD 1 spent, starting August 1, 2019. Yasser Al Yousuf, Etihad Airways Vice President Commercial Partnerships, said, “We are always looking for new ways to add value to our loyalty programme and now through this partnership with Booking.com, we are delighted to give travellers the ability to earn Etihad Guest Miles not only when booking flights, but their accommodation as well.” “We are constantly exploring new collaborations that enable us to help connect even more travellers with their ideal stay, whether that’s a 5-star resort, a cosy B&B or chic city apartment,” said Ripsy Bandourian, Vice President of Partnerships at Booking.com. “We’re delighted to be partnering with Etihad Guest and providing additional value to our mutual customers that truly enhances their overall shopping and trip experience.” Etihad Guest Miles will automatically be awarded 8 to 12 weeks after the guests complete their stay and can be redeemed for flights and upgrades with Etihad Airways, over 20 airline partners globally, as well as electronics, fashion items and gifts from a range of over 3,000 leading brands available at Etihad Guest’s Reward Shop.

Etihad Airways will be launching a fourth year-round daily service from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow on October 27, 2019. Robin Kamark, Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group Chief, said, “The flagship Abu Dhabi to London route is tremendously popular with point-to-point business and leisure travellers, and those transiting beyond our hub and we recently boosted frequencies between the two cities to meet increased demand at peak travel times. Adding a fourth year-round flight will provide much needed capacity and optimised timings and easy connections to key destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. The new service demonstrates our commitment to the crucially important UK market, and ensures we provide our customers with all the benefits of a next-generation fleet across all 42 weekly departures to and from the United Kingdom.” The new service introduces a convenient mid-morning departure from Abu Dhabi and a late evening departure from London Heathrow and follows the introduction of additional seasonal services this summer. The airline will introduce a next-generation, two-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on one of its four daily London services. The aircraft is configured with 299 seats — 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. This complements the three other services which are operated by Etihad’s 486-seat Airbus A380s, which feature The Residence, a luxurious three-room cabin, nine private First Apartments, 70 Business Studios and 405 Economy Smart Seats. These include 80 Economy Space seats with a seat pitch of up to 36 inches. In addition to the four daily flights into the UK capital, Etihad Airways also operates two daily Boeing 787 Dreamliner services between Abu Dhabi and Manchester.