Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and considered the World’s Leading Airline by World Travel Awards is is expanding check-in options in Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain, and Dubai this summer, and offering each passenger the 5kg additional baggage allowance.

Passengers using the facilities can drop their baggage and collect their boarding pass from 24 to 6 hours before flying, which enables passengers to enjoy a more relaxed travel day.

Passengers travelling with only hand luggage can use Etihad Airways’ online check-in service up to 24 hours before flying. They can print boarding passes straight away, saving significant time at the airport. More information can be found by visiting etihad.com.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The summer is Etihad Airways’ busiest season at Abu Dhabi Airport and we will see thousands of UAE residents heading home to visit family and friends.

“Every year Etihad Airways introduces new options to assist the travel experience of our guests and the additional check-in options and baggage allowance now being offered will certainly help ease the pressures that can arise when going on summer holidays.”

Etihad Airways is also advising passengers to book their summer flights as soon as possible to avoid disappointment as the peak summer period approaches.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline has seen a significant increase in bookings to several of its key destinations, particularly in Europe and North America, as customers from the Middle East organise their summer travel.

Etihad Airways will operate 94 flights a day out of Abu Dhabi this summer, an 8 per cent rise on the 87 daily flights that operated during the same season in 2012.

Etihad Airways now offers flights to 92 passenger and cargo destinations across an expanded network that includes the recently launched flights to Washington D.C., Amsterdam and Sao Paulo.