The partnership summit was chaired by James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, and brought together the leaders of Alitalia, the airberlin Group, Jet Airways, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles and Etihad Regional, and the chief officers of Etihad Airways and Alitalia.
The chief executive officers of six airlines in the Etihad Airways Partners group met in Rome to identify and progress collaborative initiatives designed to cut the carriers’ costs, increase their revenues, and expand sustainable choice for their customers.
The partnership summit was chaired by James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, and brought together the leaders of Alitalia, the airberlin Group, Jet Airways, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles and Etihad Regional, and the chief officers of Etihad Airways and Alitalia.
Etihad Airways holds minority stakes in Alitalia (49 per cent), airberlin (29.2 per cent), Jet Airways (24 per cent), Air Serbia (49 per cent), Air Seychelles (40 per cent) and Darwin Airline, which trades as Etihad Regional (33.3 per cent).
The meeting follows the conclusion last week of an innovative collective financing agreement, through which US$700 million was raised on the international markets for use by Etihad Airways, Etihad Airport Services, airberlin, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Air Serbia and Air Seychelles.
“The airline industry is global, not local,” Mr Hogan said. “Individually, we are small participants in the global market. But collectively, our partnership serves 330 destinations, flies almost 700 aircraft and carries over 100 million passengers each year, making us the world’s seventh largest grouping of airlines. We leverage the buying power, resources, relationships and influence of our participating airlines to achieve the most cost-effective and customer-friendly outcomes.”
Members of Etihad Airways Partners also work together to reduce costs and improve efficiency and customer choice through measures which otherwise would only be available through mergers or takeovers.
In addition to codesharing and joint commercial activities, the members of Etihad Airways Partners collaborate through resource sharing, adoption of best practice, and joint procurement of assets, services and supplies.
They also develop relationships between each other, or facilitate deals with external airline partners or suppliers.
Beyond last week’s joint financing agreement, the airlines also collaborate on the sourcing of IT platforms, aircraft and insurance, and share resources including pilot and cabin crew training.
A number of airlines in the group have sourced additional aircraft from each other or redeployed excess fleet to each other.
Employees have been transferred between airlines, enabling members of Etihad Airways Partners to recruit skills or provide fresh employment opportunities within the group.
Service and product of the partner airlines, in the air and on the ground, is increasingly being aligned as part of a strategy to offer customers a seamless, high quality product across Etihad Airways Partners.
Loyalty programs are also interconnected between the airlines of Etihad Airways Partners.
Etihad Airways Group has established the Global Loyalty Company, which owns the Etihad Guest program and majority stakes in airberlin’s topbonus, Alitalia’s MilleMiglia and the Jet Privilege program of Jet Airways.
Air Serbia, Air Seychelles and Etihad Regional have all adopted the Etihad Guest program, while NIKI uses topbonus.
Alitalia and airberlin are also introducing the same Business Class service and product as Etihad Airways, initially on long haul aircraft, and many more opportunities for collaboration are being explored by all of the Etihad Airways Partners airlines for both passenger and air cargo services.
Etihad Airways and Chapman Freeborn announce Airbus A380 and private jet collaboration
Etihad Airways has also unveiled a new partnership with leading global aircraft charter specialist Chapman Freeborn, to complement its exclusive The Residence and First Apartment cabins, both available on the airline’s Airbus A380 fleet.
The agreement with Chapman Freeborn is to promote and market the luxurious living spaces to its top-tier clientele, giving them the opportunity to receive the levels of luxury, discretion and technology they expect on private jet, which can now be enjoyed on Etihad Airways’ longhaul network.
Left to right: Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Marketing, and Russi Batliwala, Chief Executive Officer of Chapman Freeborn, celebrate the signing of the partnership.
Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Marketing, said: “Etihad Airways’ A380s are unrivalled for their innovation and comfort. We have elevated the travel experience for premium guests by configuring our flagship aircraft with genuine living spaces, providing the levels of privacy, technology and discreet service only found on the most luxurious private jets.
“Chapman Freeborn’s customers can now enjoy a private jet experience on the largest passenger aircraft in the world, and the infrastructure of a world-leading airline, operating to primary gateway airports. We chose Chapman Freeborn for their great experience and professionalism and we know that this partnership will showcase our beautiful cabins to the most discerning travellers.”
Russi Batliwala, Chapman Freeborn Chief Executive Officer, said: “Etihad Airways is at the forefront of the commercial aviation industry, leading the way with its Residence and First Class cabin innovations. It is therefore a perfect fit for our private jet services. We are proud to be in partnership with Etihad Airways, offering our customers a totally unique best-in-class experience which complements our private jet service perfectly.”
Etihad Airways’ A380s currently operate three daily services from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow, and one of its two daily services between Abu Dhabi and Sydney. On 1 December, Etihad Airways will deploy an A380 on one of its two daily flights from Abu Dhabi to New York JFK.
Guests travelling in The Residence and First Apartments will also be able to charter private jets through Chapman Freeborn for travel onwards from Etihad Airways’ A380 gateways, providing a point-to-point experience to their final destination.
Chapman Freeborn provides access to a large fleet of executive jets from the larger-cabin, long range aircraft such as the Gulfstream G650 and Dassault Falcon 7X, to smaller, versatile types such as the Cessna Citation X and Bombardier Challenger 350.
Measuring 125 square feet, The Residence has changed the landscape of premium airline travel, providing a private three-room cabin, including a living room, double bedroom, private bathroom, dedicated Savoy-trained Butler, and onboard Chef.
The Etihad Lifestyle Concierge team, which works closely with the airline’s Butlers in-flight, delivers a highly personalised experience, offering a range of services including dining reservations, entertainment bookings, special events, destination information and lifestyle services. On the ground, a VIP Concierge team assists guests with all check-in and security formalities, dovetailing perfectly with Chapman Freeborn’s global private jet service.
The Etihad Airways A380 is configured with nine ground-breaking First Apartments, featuring a completely private living space with a reclining lounge chair and an ottoman which converts to become a separate 80.5 inch long fully-flat bed. The onboard Chef provides First Apartment guests with superior a la carte dining, or a menu tailor-made from a larder of fresh ingredients.
Guests staying in The Residence and First Apartments enjoy full inflight connectivity, including WiFi and mobile services, advanced personal entertainment systems, and luxury chauffeur transfers to and from airports served by Etihad Airways’ A380 fleet.
Photo caption: (left to right) Bruno Matheu, Chief Operating Officer Equity Partners, Etihad Airways; Roy Kinnear, CEO, Air Seychelles; Stefan Pichler, CEO, airberlin; James Hogan, President and CEO, Etihad Airways; Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Chairman, Alitalia; Maurizio Merlo, CEO, Etihad Regional; Cramer Ball, CEO, Jet Airways; Dane Kondic, CEO Air Serbia.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
