In just four years, the Abu Dhabi-based airline has exceeded all its targets. Now Etihad plans to extend its new style of service to yet more destinations. Sheron Crossman reports Seven-star hotels, man-made islands, shimmering skyscrapers, grass strips in the desert, and where all that glistens really is gold – yes, it's the Middle East, dripping with wealth and buzzing with business deals. And home to some of the highest levels of service and comfort in the world. So it's little surprise that Etihad Airways, set up in July 2003 with funding from the government of Abu Dhabi, follows the opulent trend. Its aim from the start was to reinvent the way an airline works, with the intention of creating new standards in hospitality. Etihad's passengers are referred to as ‘guests’; its classes – Diamond (First), Pearl (Business) and Coral (Economy) – are ‘guest zones’. The airline has also created new standards in route expansion and is rapidly transforming Abu Dhabi into a global hub. Etihad's first service, from Abu Dhabi to Beirut, was launched in 2003, and by June 2006, it had added 30 destinations in 30 months. At the last count, in July this year, it operated flights to 44 destinations worldwide and aims to have 70 by 2010. In September it will launch non-stop flights three times a week from Abu Dhabi to Singapore, the airline's fifth destination in the Far East alongside Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. It's a shrewd move; the UAE was the second-largest Middle East investor in Singapore last year, with trade totalling US$7.69 billion (€5.56 billion), and the two countries share strong links in education, transport, oil and gas, and tourism. On June 29 this year, daily flights started from Abu Dhabi to Sydney, a boost from the schedule of three flights a week. “Prior to the launch of the Sydney service (in March) we knew it would be popular with business and leisure customers, but the demand has outstripped all expectations,” says Etihad's chief executive James Hogan. He adds that the airline is keen to expand its Australian network and is currently examining several potential new destinations. Doing business from Ireland to the Middle East also became a whole lot easier in July with the introduction of a four-flights-a-week service from Abu Dhabi to Dublin, operated by an Airbus A330-300 with 10 seats in Diamond, 26 in Pearl and 164 in Coral. Major expansion has also extended to India. In May, Etihad launched flights from Abu Dhabi three times a week to Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) in the southern state of Kerala, as well as a daily service to New Delhi. These were in addition to new flights to Kochi (Cochin), unveiled in April. The new services push Etihad's India operations up from 10 to 21 flights a week, which will rise to 28 in October when the Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram flights go daily. And this, Hogan promises, is just the start. To handle its rapid route expansion, Etihad has placed a US$2.2 billion (€1.6 billion) order with Airbus for 12 wide-body aircraft, including four A340-600s and five A330s, scheduled for delivery between 2008 and 2011. This increases the airline's fleet to 42 aircraft. But delivery of four Airbus A380s ordered in 2004 has been deferred. Giving a hint as to long-term expansion plans, Hogan says: “We have agreed to defer the A380 delivery date until 2013 when our business model and global route network will be better suited to competitive commercial opportunities offered by this aircraft.” In July, Etihad took delivery of its first three-cabin Airbus A340-600, the world's longest commercial passenger aircraft, the first of four scheduled for delivery in 2007. Configured to carry 286 passengers, 12 in First, 30 in Business and 244 in Economy, it can carry 46 more than the A340-500 on long-haul routes like Sydney and New York. What you get in Pearl Zone (Business Class)
Seat: latest seat on the A330-200, A340-500 and Boeing 777-300s reclines 180º into a fully flat, 6ft bed with an 88-inch pitch and direct access to the aisle. It includes an individual reading lamp and built-in massage facility
Cabin amenities: newspapers and magazines, Aigner amenity kits
In-flight service: champagne or fruit juice before take-off, extensive wine list and choice of four entrées for main meal, large selection of religious and dietary menus if ordered in advance
In-flight entertainment: 350 hours of video-on-demand, 15-inch personal LCD screens. Plug-and-play feature to view your own videos, an audio player that lets you create your own play lists, wide range of interactive games. Seats are equipped with in-flight telephony, power access, USB ports and an RCA socket for laptops
On the ground: complimentary chauffeur service at both ends of the journey (in the UK up to 100 miles from the airport), dedicated check-in at all airports, city check-in facility at Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Etihad Premium lounges available at 37 of the airline's destinations, featuring hi-speed internet access, phones and faxes, drinks and snacks
Frequent flyer programme: three membership tiers of Guest, Silver and Gold. Frequent flyers quickly become eligible for Silver, which offers a wide range of benefits and rewards. One Etihad guest mile is earned for every mile flown with the carrier. Fly in Pearl Zone and gain 50% more miles, or 100% in Diamond Zone. Benefits include waitlist priority, a guaranteed Coral seat if booked 48 hours in advance, even if the flight is full; 10kg excess baggage allowance.
Website: www.etihadairways.com
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