Etihad Airways and SAUDIA have signed a new reciprocal loyalty agreement, expanding their current codeshare agreement. Guests of both airlines can now enjoy mutual “earn and burn” loyalty benefits when flying either carrier.
On Wednesday (May 19, 2021), Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, announced the signing of a new reciprocal loyalty agreement with SAUDIA, the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Under the new agreement, members of the Etihad Guest and ALFURSAN loyalty programs can now earn and redeem miles on flights across both carriers’ networks. Members can also earn Tier Miles and Tier Segments, providing the opportunity to progress to the next level faster.
In Wednesday’s announcement, Etihad Airways Executive Director – Guest Experience, Brand & Marketing, Terry Daly, said,
“As the aviation industry begins to restart and guests return to the skies, this partnership strengthens the airlines’ commitment to growing inbound business and tourism in their respective markets. It complements Etihad’s existing codeshare agreement with SAUDIA and opens more destinations for Etihad Guest members to earn and spend their miles through travel.”
Also commenting on the expanded partnership, SAUDIA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Khalid Al-Bassam, said,
“We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with Etihad through this latest agreement, which further builds on our shared history of successful collaboration. By offering our guests more opportunities to earn miles we are bringing greater value, flexibility and convenience to their travel experience, which will help fuel growth in demand and contribute to our goal of enhancing the Kingdom’s aviation and tourism sectors.”
In addition to reciprocal loyalty benefits, the carriers are re-launching their codeshare partnership beyond their hubs. Over the past two years over 110,000 customers have taken advantage of the codeshare partnership. Saudia has added their ‘SV’ code to 15 destinations on the Etihad network in Saudia Arabia, Asia, the U.S. and Europe, while Etihad has added their ‘EY’ code to SAUDIA destinations in the Kingdom and Pakistan. Etihad Airways Engineering has also been collaborating with SAUDIA since 2016, providing MRO services from their Abu Dhabi facility.
Etihad Airways has offered service to Saudia Arabia since 2004 and prior to the pandemic offered up to 77 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah and Medina. Currently, Etihad offers direct service to Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah, and guests transiting through Abu Dhabi will enjoy access to Etihad’s USA pre-clearance, the only U.S. Customs and Border facility in the Middle East. The service allows passengers bound for the United States to process all immigration, customs and agriculture inspections in Abu Dhabi before boarding their flight to Chicago, New York or Washington D.C.
Source(s): Etihad Airways, SAUDIA