Travelstart welcomes Etihad Airways to the Street as we celebrate this world class airline and all it can offer you – the traveller from South Africa. Firstly I’d like to clear up a little known fact – Etihad is the national carrier of the UAE (that’s the United Arab Emirates) and has its headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
Etihad’s Airbus A340-500 graces the skies
Taking to the skies in 2003, Etihad is a fairly young airline but they’ve accomplished much in global aviation over the last eight years winning many accolades along the way including the World’s Leading Airline in 2009/10 and more recently Best First Class Airline in the World.
As one of the fastest growing commercial airliners in the world, Etihad Airways has become a major player connecting South Africa (flights from Cape Town & Johannesburg) to America, Europe and Asia via the Middle East.
Abu Dhabi as a Stopover Destination
Abu Dhabi makes a great stopover destination, especially on those long haul flights from South Africa to New York and beyond. Ferrari World immediately springs to mind as a reason to visit Abu Dhabi. This state-of-the-art theme park is a must see and you don’t have to be a Ferrari fanatic to enjoy the world’s largest indoor entertainment complex.
Book flights on Etihad.
Etihad Business Class
Wouter in Etihad’s Pearl Class on his way to New York City
Travelstart’s Wouter Nel recently flew Etihad on his trip to New York and he ran me through the highlights of his Etihad business class experience.
“Etihad’s business class is called Pearl. The cabin layout really impressed me as they’ve used the space really well maximizing privacy and staggering window seats so that you’re never ‘climbing over’ one another.”
When it comes to naming their cabin classes, Etihad has given a really interesting twist. Below is a short guide to Etihad classes:
- Coral – Economy Class
- Pearl – Business Class
- Diamond – First Class
- Crystal – Etihad Airways Cargo
Find out more about Etihad’s award winning Business Class.
Book flights on Etihad.
Fly to Dubai with Etihad
Here’s a hot tip if you want to fly to Dubai from South Africa on Etihad. Passengers flying Etihad to Dubai (DXB) will arrive in Abu Dhabi. Because the 2 cities are so close together (about the same distance apart as Johannesburg & Pretoria), Etihad has provided a complimentary bus service that moves between the two Emirate cities. The Etihad Express is included in the price of your flight ticket with the code XNB.
Arabian Style – The Etihad Express connects Abu Dhabi to Dubai when you fly Etihad from South Africa
Etihad South Africa Images: Wouter Nel, Etihad Airways