Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their interline agreement to provide more options to passengers visiting UAE. With this MoU the passengers visiting UAE will be able to experience more than one destination in a single itinerary.
The passengers will now be able to purchase a single ticket to fly into either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, with a seamless return via the other airport. The new agreement also provides travellers planning to explore the UAE with the flexibility of one-stop ticketing for their full journey and convenient baggage check-in.
In the initial stages of the expanded interline, each carrier will focus on attracting visitors to the UAE by developing inbound interline traffic from select points in Europe and China. The open jaw arrangement will allow visitors to cover as much ground as possible when exploring Abu Dhabi, Dubai or any other emirate, saving time by removing the need to fly home via their arrival airport.
Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline said: "Emirates and Etihad are leveraging on our strengths to expand our respective customer offerings and boost UAE tourism. We believe this new agreement provides a strong foundation to develop further opportunities between both airlines and is an example of our commitment to the UAE’s vision for continued economic diversification."
Customers travelling into the UAE also have the option of ‘multi-city flights’, with the choice to travel from one city on both carriers’ networks, and conveniently returning to another point served by either Emirates or Etihad.”
Delighted to partner with Emirates Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, commented: “With two world-class airlines supporting UAE tourism, our interline agreement will make it more convenient for our guests to experience the best of Abu Dhabi and Dubai on one single ticket while promising to deliver an exceptional flying experience whether they fly with Etihad Airways or Emirates. It’s a win-win proposition for travellers to the UAE."
This first of its kind MoU aims to capitalise on the UAE tourism from key market sources to boost UAE tourism.