ETIHAD TIES UP WITH SAUDIA, EXPANDS DREAMLINER NETWORK AND STRIKES NEW LOUNGE DEAL

FREQUENT FLYERS TRAVELLING

on Etihad Airways and Saudia will have access to wider network coverage and FFP benefits following a codeshare agreement hatched last month.

Etihad will place its EY code on 25 of Saudia’s KSA flights, including Jeddah and Riyadh, while the SV code extends to Etihad’s flights to Baku, Chengdu, Ahmedabad, Nagoya, Tokyo-Narita, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh, Belgrade, Seychelles, Chicago and Abu Dhabi.

Etihad, whose Dreamliner fleet is up to 21 aircraft, will deploy its B787-9 to London Heathrow for the festive season (December 12-January 13, EY13/14), as well as Kuala Lumpur (December 20) and Brussels ( January 3). Other seasonal frequency increases are being introduced.

No.1 Lounges now manages Etihad Airways’ lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 4, which has been rebranded ‘ The House – Home of Etihad Airways and Other Leading Airlines’. Under a revenue share, No. 1 Lounges has been tasked to drive “better utilisation of the lounge and make the experience accessible to a wider market.”

Etihad’s premium passengers have priority but the lounge is open to “a

small number of other airlines”, subject to availability, and passengers from other carriers can pay for access.

Upgrades see a white-linen dining experience, more extensive bar service, including freshly squeezed juices and smoothies, world coffees and better wine list. Over the next year, the lounge will be reconfigured to include new lounge areas, bar, dining room and reading room, as well as improved showers and prayer rooms.

The airline’s lounges in Dublin, New York, Paris, Washington DC, Melbourne, Sydney and Los Angeles are expected to follow suit under the new collaboration.