Customers recommended to book summer flights early

The Abu Dhabi-based airline has seen flights to several of its key destinations fill up quickly and is advising UAE residents to book soon in order to avoid disappointment later.

Etihad Airways now offers flights to 55 global destinations on an expanded network that now includes new cities such as Istanbul in Turkey and the Greek capital, Athens. Flights to Larnaca in Cyprus will launch on 14 June.

Flights to key Etihad cities which are selling fast, include Cairo, Beirut, Amman, New York, Toronto, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Geneva, London and Munich. Many of these destinations are the home city of UAE expatriate communities and are therefore very popular in the summer months.

A total of 900 weekly Etihad flights will operate this summer, a 20% rise on the 750 weekly flights which operated during the same season in 2008.

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

"Although the start of 2009 has proved challenging for everyone in the airline industry, Etihad will be very busy during the summer months. We're encouraging customers to book early to avoid the disappointment of not getting their preferred flight destinations and dates of travel."

"We are starting to see a flurry of bookings being made for key destinations during June, July and August as many residents, both expatriate and Emirati, look to take a break from the heat whether it's to Europe, the Far East, North America or Australia," he added.

To support its drive for a smooth summer period Etihad has been communicating with its customers about the best ways to save time and fuss when they travel. This includes taking advantage of Etihad's online booking facility on its website and arriving at the airport in plenty of time for their flight.

This summer will also be the first in which Etihad customers will travel through Abu Dhabi airport's Terminal 3. Equipped with world-class duty free shopping, an array of food and beverage outlets, as well as award-winning lounges for premium passengers, the new terminal offers a wealth of options to Etihad customers.

The introduction of flights in June to Istanbul, Athens and Larnaca, as well as increases in frequency to Brussels, Geneva, Milan and Moscow, means that Etihad will offer its customers a choice of 98 weekly flights into 14 European countries.

Etihad will also strengthen its North American network later this year with the launch of flights to Chicago's O'Hare airport on 2 September, which will become a daily non-stop operation from 1 October.

Chicago joins Etihad's established North American routes to New York and Toronto and boosts capacity to the continent by 35%.