Etihad Airways and American Airlines strengthen ties
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and the world’s leading airline, and American Airlines have announced that they will build on their existing codeshare relationship by offering their passengers the opportunity to earn frequent flyer miles on flights booked on each other’s networks.
Starting 1 June 2011, members of the Etihad Guest frequent flyer programme and American Airlines’ AAdvantage programme will be able to earn miles on eligible American Airlines flights and eligible Etihad Airways flights, respectively. The airlines plan to expand this agreement later this year to include mileage redemption across the two airlines’ networks.
The codeshare agreement between Etihad, which was voted “World’s Leading Airline 2010” and “Middle East’s Leading Airline 2011” by World Travel Awards, and American, in place since August 2009, delivers a combined codeshare network of more than 50 destinations worldwide.
James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, said: “A key strength in Etihad’s growth has been the strategic development of our airline partnerships. American Airlines has a wide-reaching destination network and a highly loyal customer base, making them an ideal partner for us in expanding our global reach for our customers beyond the destinations we serve directly, while offering new services to our partner’s customers.
“Through our new frequent flyer agreement, I look forward to providing a more rewarding travel experience for AAdvantage members on our network, as well as offering more opportunities to earn miles for the valued members of the Etihad Guest programme.”
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“We are very pleased to announce our frequent flier partnership with Etihad, an airline that offers our customers the choice of flying to destinations across the Middle East,” said Virasb Vahidi, American’s Chief Commercial Officer.