News

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, is introducing a new fare structure for its customers from September 14 this year that will offer them more choice and convenience when it comes to booking flights. The new ‘Fare Choices’ will offer eight different fare structures to travellers, which will allow them to make their reservations by keeping their individual needs in view.

Furthermore, a new luggage policy has been introduced which will enable travellers to enjoy a more standardised luggage allowance structure on all the partner airlines of Etihad Airways, together with special discount on excess luggage on most routes.

All the reservations that will be made from September 14, 2015 will be segregated into different fare choices. The Economy Class fare structure will comprise of Economy Breaking Deals, Economy Value, Economy Freedom and Economy Saver. Business Class structure will comprise of Business Breaking Deals, Business Freedom and Business Saver, whilst First Class travellers will only get one family structure – Freedom.

Talking about the new ‘Fare Choices’, the Chief Commercial Officer of Etihad Airways, Peter Baumgartner said that ultimately it is about offering more choice to customers. He said that in most industries customers are allowed to tailor their experience and they have done exactly the same. According to him, when it comes to reserving a flight, the need of every passenger is different. For instance when it comes to luggage, some passengers prefer to travel light.

As part of the new luggage policy, the cost of excess luggage has been significantly reduced. In fact, on some routes the charges of purchasing an additional baggage of 23kg will be slashed down by up to 90%. Customers can enjoy a further discount of up to 30% if they pre-purchase the piece directly from Etihad Airways at least 24 hours before the flight.

The new luggage policy is also likely to come into effect from or after September 14, 2015 while the new flexible fare structure will be made available at all the booking channels of Etihad Airways, including the official portal, retail outlets and travel agencies.