VIPs join Etihad to celebrate early success of loyalty reward programme

Since unveiling the programme on 30 August, Etihad has already received 8,000 online applications and more than 50,000 requests from Guests at Etihad's destination airports, flights and sales offices.

The success was celebrated at a VIP gala dinner, held on Wednesday night at Abu Dhabi's, prestigious Emirates Palace Hotel.

Etihad senior management were joined at the gala dinner by international dignitaries, key industry speakers, representatives from the regional media, and trade partners.

"The global response we have had since launching Etihad Guest has been incredible. We have created a programme that offers flexibility, transparency, and convenience which is exactly what airline passengers have been craving for many years,"

said Peter Baumgartner, head of marketing for Etihad Airways.

Also attending the event in Abu Dhabi was Randy Petersen, who is widely considered to be the world's leading expert on airline frequent flyer programmes.

Mr Petersen, editor of InsideFlyer, commented: "The Etihad Guest programme has benefits for every type of flyer because, regardless of how many miles a member has, they can redeem an award. Therefore every member has an incentive to save miles, and this is unseen in any programme throughout the globe."

The membership applications come from more than 70 countries around the world, with the United Kingdom, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Canada providing the top five most popular markets.

"Many of our new members are based in countries that Etihad does not yet fly to, which illustrates how widely the Etihad brand is known throughout the world. These new members are clearly anticipating the continued growth of the airline in which we aim to double our network of destinations by 2010," added Geert Boven, Etihad Airways' acting CEO.