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Etihad flight specials

Cheap Etihad Flights

Etihad Airways (EY) is based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It operates flights from Johannesburg via Abu Dhabi to most major destinations in the world. To book a cheap Etihad flight use the price comparison tool on the left to contrast its airfares, and then use our travel vouchers to further discount flight prices! (Our readers are our writers. Write about your Etihad flight and earn travel vouchers).

Awards

• 18 Jun 2013. Etihad wins the prize for Best First Class at the Skytrax awards at the Paris Air Show (and also Best First Class Catering and Best First Class Seats)

• 6 May 2013. Etihad is announced as being the "Middle East's Leading Airline" at the World Travel Awards 2013.

• 12 Dec 2012. Etihad is named the World's Leading Airline for the 4th year in a row. “The World Travel Awards reward the best travel and tourism organisations in the world. Etihad Airways has now taken home the top airline award for the past four years, a huge and well-deserved achievement. As the fastest growing airline in the history of commercial aviation, Etihad Airways has expanded rapidly as a global business yet at the same time has consistently elevated the customer experience. Congratulations to Etihad Airways on their continued success.” said World Travel Awards President, Mr Graham Cooke.

Flight routes

Wherever Etihad adds flights from Abu Dhabi, this increases the 1-stop flight options from Johannesburg to that destination via Abu Dhabi.

• Oct 2013. Etihad starts flying to Ho Chi Minh City.

• 1 Sep 2013. Etihad launches flights to Sana'a in Yemen. "The launch of direct services to Sana'a is consistent with our strategy of adding depth and scale to our network and targeting areas of growth in emerging markets. The ancestral, cultural and business ties between the two countries are significant, and we believe the new service will further facilitate Yemen's economic development in the months and years ahead." said Etihad's CEO, James Hogan.

• Etihad flights to Belgrade

• 15 Jun 2013. Etihad commences flights to Belgrade in A319 planes, with the first flight, EY71, landing at 12h15 and being welcomed by the fire engines with a water cannon salute. The photo on the right shows in the centre Belgrade's airport CFO Violeta Jovanovic and Etihad's VP Europe, Joost den Hartog, cutting a ribbon. On the same date Etihad is increasing its flight frequencies to Cairo (from 18 to 21 flights a week mainly in A320s), Amman (from 14 to 18 flights a week), Muscat (from 20 to 23 flights a week) & Islamabad (from 7 to 9 flights a week). “As we add breadth, depth and scale to the airline’s expanding global route network, Etihad Airways will continue offering its guests significantly improved connection opportunities through our Abu Dhabi home base.” said the airline's planning officer, Mr Kevin Knight

• 1 Jun 2013. Etihad increases its frequency of flights to Beirut to 19 a week.

• 1 Jun 2013. Etihad launches flights to Sao Paulo, with its inaugural flight in an Airbus A340-500 plane landing at 16h35 (Sao Paulo time).

• 1 Jun 2013. Larnaca flight frequency is increased to 4 flights a week.

• 15 May 2013. Etihad launches daily flights to Amsterdam. This allows 1-stop flights from Johannesburg to Amsterdam, via Abu Dhabi.

• 2 Apr 2013. Tokyo flight frequency increases to daily.

• 1 Apr 2013. Flight frequency to Islamabad is increased to 11 a week.

• 31 Mar 2013. Abu Dhabi to Lagos flight frequency is increased to daily.

• 31 Mar 2013. Etihad commences flights to Washington.

• 28 Mar 2013. Frequency of Abu Dhabi to Casablanca flights are increased to daily.

• 2 Nov 2012. Flights to Addis Ababa were meant to be launched on the 2nd November, but the Ethiopian CAA denied Etihad's application for an operating permit, forcing the airline to postpone the launch.  “The actions of the Ethiopian CAA ignore the Memorandum of Understanding between Abu Dhabi and Ethiopia. They are also very much against the best interests of consumers, who are being denied the opportunity to experience Etihad Airways’ service. We will continue to push for terms of the MoU to be honoured. In the meantime, we deeply regret any inconvenience caused to our customers and business partners by this delay,” Etihad said in a statement.

• 1 Nov 2012. Etihad Airways commences flights to Ahmedabad.

• 1 Oct 2012. Flights to Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, commence.

• 1 Jun 2012. Etihad Airline starts flying to Sao Paulo in Brazil.

• 31 Mar 2012. Flights to Washington DC are launched.

• 26 Aug 2012. In partnership with Alitalia, Etihad begins flying direct from Abu Dhabi to Rome.

• 1 Jun 2012. Etihad commences flights to São Paulo.

24 Jan 2012

Etihad Airways discontinues its Cape Town - Johannesburg. At the same time the airline continues to provide its 7 times per week service between Abu Dhabi & Johannesburg, but at revised times on certain days of the week. Etihad Airways has put in place a number of options for re-accommodation of guests affected by the discontinuation of service as well as the re-timing of the Johannesburg service. Guests currently holding reservations to Cape Town will be rebooked onto an Etihad flight between Abu Dhabi & Johannesburg. Guests who purchased their tickets prior to 30th November 2012 have the following options: Accept the rebooking to/from Johannesburg. Tickets should be reissued within 30 days of the notification of schedule change. Fare difference or change of reservation fees will be waived. For guests travelling to/from Cape Town only, accept the rebooking to/from Johannesburg & add flights between Johannesburg & Cape Town using local services. Rebooking & ticketing should be completed within 30 days of the original notification of schedule change. Fare difference or change of reservation fees will be waived. Booking class to be used on local services between Johannesburg & Cape Town is detailed in the table below. Change the Etihad provided re-accommodation to a new date within 7 days of the original flight date. Rebooking should be in the original RBD on Etihad Airways or the lowest available RBD within the ticketed cabin. Rebooking and re-ticketing should be completed within 30 days of the original notification of schedule change. Fare difference or change of reservation fees will be waived. For rebooking and ticketing not completed within 30 days of original schedule change notification the guest can be rebooked & ticketed at any new applicable fare. Accept a full refund to the original form of payment. For guests who have already started their journey the residual value of the fare paid can be refunded. Refunds will apply regardless of the restrictions applicable to the fare For guests who have booked prior to 30th November 2011 but are yet to purchase their ticket, the following options are available: Accept the rebooking to/from Johannesburg. Tickets purchased and issued within 30 days of the notification of schedule change will be at the original fare. For guests travelling to/from Cape Town only, accept the rebooking to/from Johannesburg & add flights between Johannesburg & Cape Town using local services. Booking class to be used on local services between Johannesburg & Cape Town is detailed in the table below. Tickets must be purchased and issued within 30 days of the original notification of schedule change at the original fare. Change the Etihad provided re-accommodation to a new date within 7 days of the original flight date. Rebooking should be in the original RBD on Etihad Airways. Tickets purchased and issued within 30 days of the notification of schedule change will be at the original fare. Rebook to any other flights or dates subject to availability at the applicable new fare for the journey.  The new Johannesburg schedule, effective Tuesday, January 24, 2012: 3 times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays Etihad flights are scheduled to leave Abu Dhabi at 22h10, and arrive in JNB at 04h45 the following day.  3 times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays flights are scheduled to leave JNB at 09h15, & arrive in Abu Dhabi at 19h30.  4 times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays flights are scheduled to leave Abu Dhabi at 10h35, & arrive in JNB at 17h20. 4 times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays flights are scheduled to leave JNB at 20h30, & arrive in Abu Dhabi at 06h45.

30 Sep 2009

Etihad starts operating flights from Abu Dhabi to Cape Town, via Johannesburg. Dan Plato, Cape Town's Executive Mayor Alderman, was on the scene to welcome the inaugural Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi to Cape Town, as was Mansoor Mohamed, Executive Director for Economic, Social Development and Tourism who said: "The introduction of another airline to Cape Town means more tourists and therefore more jobs for the people of Cape Town. The City will continue to partner with airlines such as Etihad that will help build our city into a more globally competitive business and leisure destination." James Hogan, Etihad Airways chief executive, said that "South Africa is a leading global destination of choice for tourism and commerce and we are thrilled to launch a daily service to Cape Town. "In addition to the strong demand for flights from expatriate South African nationals, business and leisure travellers, many thousands of football fans are expected to travel there next year when South Africa hosts the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The daily flights to Cape Town will operate via Etihad's current daily Airbus A330 service to Johannesburg. This service started in December 2005, and is one of the airline's most successful destinations."

Dec 2005

Etihad's inaugural flight between Johannesburg and Abu Dhabi.

Etihad Guest

"Etihad Guest" is the name of their frequent flyer program.

• Complimentary Gold Card If you're a gold tier member of another airline's frequent flyer program Etihad will, up to the 18th June 2013 and only for the first 500 applicants, give you a complimentary Etihad Guest Gold Card. Just email them a scanned copy of your miles statement, your gold card, and your Etihad Guest membership no. They'll also, for a limited period, give you double Guest Miles in business class and triple Etihad Guest Miles in First Class. T&Cs apply.

Fleet

• In late 2014 Etihad is expected to begin taking delivery of A380s, and fly them to London, New York, Melbourne and Sydney.

• 2013-06-07. Etihad announces plans to split its B787-9 fleet into a 3-class and a 2-class version:

  • The 2-class would consist of economy & business classes.

  • The 3-class would consist of economy, business and then either a premium economy or first class cabin.

• 30 Oct 2012. Two A330-200 planes are purchased for $418m. Mr James Hogan, the Chief Executive of Etihad, said that “The reliable and highly versatile Airbus A330-200 has been an integral part of our global passenger and cargo success. As our operations and network continue to grow in scale, we feel the A330-200 is the right fleet type to expand with.” The plane has a range of 14,000km.  

• May 2012. Etihad cancels an order for 6 Airbus A350-1000s.

• 15 Nov 2007. An Airbus A340-600 due to be delivered to Etihad is crashed into a wall at the Airbus Factory at Toulouse Blagnac International Airport, France. Five people were injured and the aircraft was written off.

News

• 2013-06-05. Etihad Meet & Greet Want to get a personal meeting when you land at Abu Dhabi Airport? At an initial fee of USD38 per person for the "silver package" a member of Etihad's staff will welcome you, help with collecting your luggage and move you swiftly through immigration (up to 5 pax per Etihad staff member). That not enough? Then buy the gold package for USD65 per person which has a personal porter who takes your luggage for you to your ride, and there's only one Etihad staff member per pax. Meet and greet services must be booked at least 48 hours before you fly. "We are always looking at ways to make flying with Etihad Airways easier and more enjoyable. Being met by a friendly face and helped with luggage and guided through immigration and customs makes the process a breeze. Our Meet and Greet service is further demonstration of our commitment to giving our guests a memorable experience, which is also in the tradition of our warm Arabian hospitality." said Etihad's COO, Peter Baumgartner. For more info email meetme@etihad.ae

• 20 May 2013. Etihad has purchased Abu Dhabi Airport Services, Abu Dhabi In-Flight Catering & Abu Dhabi Cargo Company.

• 2 May 2013. Etihad joins with LinkedIn to produce Etihad Mapped Out, where you can search for your LinkedIn contacts by region. There's a navigable map, which indicates the number of contacts you have in each city. If you're flying to Cape Town, then search on "Cape Town" and it shows you all your contacts there. You can filter by first order/second order connections, as well as by industry. You can also decide whether you want to see Etihad's flight routes on the map.

• 25 Apr 2013. Etihad purchases 24% of Indian Airliner, Jet Airways for USD379m (Jet Airways used to fly the Johannesburg to Mumbai route - stopped on the 12th June 2012).

• 7 Apr 2013. Etihad announces a record 2.8m passengers flown in the first quarter of 2013, an increase of 18% over Q1 2012. Etihad's Chief Exec, Mr J Hogan, says that "Our Q1 2013 results have again outstripped global trends, with our strongest ever first quarter results for passenger revenue. This performance demonstrates that Etihad Airways' strategy of organic growth, wide-ranging partnerships, and strategic equity investments is delivering for us and our partners."

• 28 Feb 2013. Etihad Airways new advert:

• 1 Jan 2013. Etihad carried a record 10.29 million passengers in 2012, up on the 8.41 million pax in 2011.

• 23 Dec 2012. Etihad acquires a majority stake in a new company which has been set up to own airberlin's topbonus frequent flyer program. "The acquisition of a stake in the new topbonus company is part of our strategic evolution to create a ‘house of brands’ loyalty management company, with global scale. The loyalty program sector is a faster growing and higher margin business than the airline industry.  This new approach allows both our companies to reap greater rewards together, with opportunities to generate sustained profits from our loyalty programs. The new company also provides an attractive vehicle for other airlines looking to generate further revenues from the fast-growing loyalty management sector." said Etihad CEO, James Hogan.

• 26 Nov 2012 Etihad Business Class. If you travel on Etihad Pearl Business or Diamond First Class before 27 November 2012, you will receive triple miles on First Class and Double Miles on Business Class.

• Oct 2012 Etihad is offering double miles to Etihad Guest Members booking flights within 30 days of the launch of the new routes to Addis Ababa, Ahmedabad, Washington DC, Sao Paulo or Ho Chi Minh City.

30 Jun 2012	Etihad establishes new passenger records, averaging 31,700 passengers per day from 26 to 30 June 2012. "Etihad Airways continues to set records for passenger bookings and passenger numbers, and we expect this to continue throughout the northern hemisphere peak summer season in 2012. These record figures demonstrate that air travellers across global markets are consistently choosing to fly with Etihad Airways , whether for business or leisure trips, and to reach those numbers, for an airline that is still less than ten years old, is a remarkable achievement. The success of these record five passenger days, as well as management of on-going high volumes of traffic to and through our Abu Dhabi hub, has been due to excellent planning and coordination by the Etihad Airways operations team and colleagues from Abu Dhabi Airport Company, Abu Dhabi Airport Services, Abu Dhabi Airport Police, and Immigration." said the CEO of Etihad, James Hogan.
June 2012	Etihad Airways purchases 200 hens and 3 beehives, to offer its first class passengers its own range of organic eggs & honey.
5 Jun 2012	Etihad reveals that it has purchased 3.96% of Virgin Australia.
16 May 2012	Etihad Guest (Etihad's frequent flyer program) partners with Seychelles Plus (Air Seychelles' loyalty program).
1 Feb 2012	Etihad offers complimentary 96-hour visas to passengers who book accommodation at the Radisson Blu Yas Island.
28 Sep 2010	Etihad Airways appoints Maurice Phohleli as new GM in South Africa.
18 May 2009	From the 18th May Etihad Abu Dhabi - Johannesburg flights will offer the option of their award-winning first class seats. From the 28th March 2009 until the 15th May 2009 the first class service will be available on selected Etihad flights. Passengers can eat anytime they want. Etihad offers daily flights between Johannesburg & Abu Dhabi. South African passport holders do not require transit visas to go through Abu Dhabi airport.
13 Apr 2009	Etihad moves a number of its flights to its new passenger facility next to Terminal 1 at Abu Dhabi International Airport, meaning that Etihad now has flights departing from both Terminal one and Terminal three. Terminal 1 provides capacity for an extra 5 million passengers per year. Flights from Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg depart from Terminal 3. Terminals Flights departing to:     Terminal 1 Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Casablanca, Chennai, Damascus, Dhaka, Islamabad, Karachi, Kathmandu, Khartoum, Kochi, Kozhikode, New York, Lahore, Peshawar, Tehran, Thiruvananthapuran.     Terminal 3 Almaty, Bahrain, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Brussels, Damman, Doha, Dublin, Jeddah, Frankfurt, Geneva, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, London Heathrow, Manchester, Manila, Melbourne, Milan, Minsk, Moscow, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, New Delhi, Paris, Riyadh, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto.

Codeshares

• 13 Jun 2013. Alitalia & Etihad extend their codeshare, so that Etihad is now selling flights from Rome to Athens (ATH, Greece), Barcelona (BCN, Spain), Bucharest (BUH, Romania), Budapest (BUD, Hungary), Frankfurt (FRA, Germany), Geneva (GVA, Switzerland), Madrid (MAD, Spain), Malaga (AGP, Spain), Malta (MLA), Milan (MIL, Italy), Munich (MUC, Germany), Sofia (SOF, Bulgaria), Tirana (ITA, Albania), Venice (VCE, Italy), Vienna (VIE, Austria) & Zurich (ZRH, Switzerland).

• 6 May 2013. South African Airways & Etihad agree a codesharing agreement. SAA will sell flights for 12 Etihad destinations from Abu Dhabi. Etihad CEO, James Hogan, said that "This strategy, of working closely with partner airlines to serve secondary cities in a market, has been highly successful for Etihad Airways around the world and we look forward to build upon our already strong relationship with the team at South African Airways to extend our footprint in the strategically critical African market". Etihad will sell SAA flights from JNB to CPT, DUR, ELS, PLZ, Livingstone Lusaka, Ndola, Harare, Vic Falls & Sao Paulo.

• 5 May 2013. Air France & Etihad extend their codeshare. You'll be able to book Air France flight on the Etihad site from Paris to Lisbon & Marseilles.

• 26 Apr 2013. Air Canada & Etihad have agreed to codeshare from the 3rd quarter of 2013, covering flights from Abu Dhabi to norther American cities served by Air Canada.

• 8 Apr 2013. Via a codeshare with Aer Lingus, Etihad is now offering 12 weekly flights to New York, 10 weekly flights to Boston, 8 to Chicago; all via Aer Lingus's base in Dublin. Passengers can pre-clear customs in Dublin, meaning they arrive as domestic passengers in the United States.

• 21 Feb 2013. Kenya Airways & Etihad sign a reciprocal codeshare agreement.

• Feb 2013. Etihad commences flights between Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, in codeshare with Air Seychelles. James Hogan, CEO, said that "Hong Kong's fast growing economy and booming middle class have brought a remarkable increase in the number of travellers in recent years. "The new service connects two of the world's leading international financial and tourism centres, a move we believe will stimulate the growth of commerce and trade between the UAE and China, the UAE's second largest trading partner. With our 40% equity stake in Air Seychelles, it makes strong commercial sense for us to work together on opportunities where cooperation is possible. The resulting synergies bring about significant efficiency benefits for both Etihad Airways and Air Seychelles."

• 28 Nov 2012. A codeshare agreement with Garuda Indonesia comes into effect.

• 8 Oct 2012. Etihad has signed a codeshare agreement with Air France-KLM.

 

Baggage allowance

(Correct at the time of writing, please check the conditions of your ticket to ensure that it hasn't changed).

Weight concept applies unless you're flying to Brazil, Canada or the United States:

• Diamond First Class:    50kg

• Pearl Business class:   40kg

• Coral Economy class:   30kg (restrictions apply on US/Canada sectors)

Piece Concept: Transportation originating from any online station to the USA/Canada.
Diamond & Pearl zones, 2 checked pieces, the sum of the three dimensions not to exceed 158cm(62ins) for each piece. The weight of each bag should not exceed 32kgs.
Coral zone, 2 checked pieces, the sum of the greatest outside linear dimensions does not exceed 273cm provided that the outside linear dimensions of each bag does not exceed 158cm & provided the weight of each bag does not exceed 23kgs.

Luggage News

• May 2013. Etihad Customers can pre-pay for excess baggage and receive a 10% discount on standard airport rates. Customers can pre-pay from the time of booking until 24 hours prior to departure.

• 6 Nov 2012. Etihad increases its baggage allowance for Coral Economy Class to 30kg. "We believe our generous baggage allowances will prove very popular with our guests across all cabins, from Coral Economy to Pearl Business and Diamond First class, while our Etihad Guest members enjoy even more baggage rewards." said COO of Etihad Airways , Peter Baumgartner.

• 1 March 2012. Baggage allowances are increased in Diamond First Class to 50kg & in Pearl Business Class to 40kg.

Contact details

Johannesburg: 0861-ETIHAD / 0861 384423 (if you're calling from within SA) or +27 11 343 9140 (if you're phoning from outside South Africa).

Cape Town: Same numbers as for Johannesburg.

Coral Class

Etihad call their economy class "Coral Class"

Flight schedule

 The new Johannesburg schedule, effective Tuesday, January 24, 2012:

• 3 times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays Etihad flights are scheduled to leave Abu Dhabi at 22h10, and arrive in JNB at 04h45 the following day. 

• 3 times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays flights are scheduled to leave JNB at 09h15, & arrive in Abu Dhabi at 19h30. 

• 4 times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays flights are scheduled to leave Abu Dhabi at 10h35, & arrive in JNB at 17h20.

• 4 times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays flights are scheduled to leave JNB at 20h30, & arrive in Abu Dhabi at 06h45.

Visa requirements

(valid at time of writing, please check with your embassy that they are still valid before leaving)

South African require a visa to enter the UAE.

Citizens of the following countries are allowed to enter the UAE without a visa prior to arrival as long as they are carrying a valid passport that will not expire within six months of their arrival date: Australia; Andorra; Austria; Brunei; Belgium; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hong Kong; Iceland; Ireland; Italy; Japan; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Malaysia; Monaco; Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway; Portugal; San Marino; Singapore; South Korea; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom; United States of America; and The Vatican. Immigration officials may grant a tourist visa, which is valid for 30 days, on arrival at the port of entry.