Etihad promotes award-winning business class

The offer is available to customers who book business class seats on selected routes up until Saturday, 16 May. All outbound travel must be completed by 25 June, 2009 and journeys completed by 30 June, 2009.

The business class promotion applies to more than a dozen routes across Etihad's global network, with return flights (excluding taxes, fees and charges) starting from Dh 1,000.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' chief commercial officer, said:

"Recent global awards, such as Skytrax, show that Etihad's business class cabin is considered by air travelers to be the best in the world. This promotion aims to celebrate this fact and give many thousands of lucky travelers an opportunity to sample our award-winning premium service at very affordable prices."

Last week, Etihad Airways won the award for best business class at the Business Traveler Middle East awards. It was the second top award for business class in a matter of weeks.

In April, Etihad won the Skytrax World Airline Award for best business class following a global poll by 16m air travelers. The airline won also the world's best business class catering award.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline has recently completed a major service upgrade to its premium cabins across its fleet. The new 'Inspired Service' style is now available across the airline's global network of more than 50 destinations.

This includes the introduction of a new cabin crew position called the onboard food and beverage manager, responsible for championing the quality, presentation and delivery of food and beverages on board, ensuring it is consistently to the highest standards. Passengers can eat whenever they wish during the flight, from a la carte fine dining menus or opt for kitchen style snacks.

Etihad offers fully-flat beds in business class as well as more than 600 hours of on-demand entertainment provided via individual wide-screen video screens, operated by touch-screen technology.