Etihad Airways and SAA have announced a major expansion of their strategic partnership – the second phase of the airlines’ closer cooperation.
As part of the next step, SAA will launch direct daily flights to Abu Dhabi from Johannesburg, starting March 29. The flights complement Etihad’s existing flights, offering a combined double-daily frequency on the route. The airlines have also doubled the number of routes in the codeshare agreement from 24 to 49.
The Etihad flight will depart from AUH at 09h30, arriving in JNB at 16h00. The return flight will depart JNB at 20h30 arriving in AUH at 06h50 the next morning.
The SAA flight will depart JNB at 10h50, arriving in AUH at 20h25. The return flight will depart AUH at 02h50, arriving in JNB at 08h15.
More than 1 000 connections will be offered each week over Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub to key markets, including the Gulf region, Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, south east and north Asia.
In addition, Etihad Guest and SAA Voyager members will enjoy more loyalty options to earn and redeem miles across both networks. To celebrate the launch, Etihad Guest and SAA Voyager are offering an opportunity to earn double miles for travel from April 15 to May 31 as follows:
This is good news for the aviation, and travel industry at large, says Chris Zweigenthal, CE of AASA. “Any development that assists in the sustainability of the industry is good news. SAA is critical to the industry and this development is a positive move in the right direction.”