ETIHAD BAGS TRIO OF AWARDS AT TRAVEL OSCARS
(Posted 06th May 2015)
New brooms are supposed to sweep better but alas, not always is that the case and I had to rely on my trusted Kenyan Semahouse PR source to get the hottest news updates from Etihad, the latest kid on the Entebbe block as the local PR agency is still coming to terms that aviation is a fast business and today’s news are only news today and no longer tomorrow when everyone else has told them.
Now flying daily between Abu Dhabi and Entebbe, has the airline just bagged a trio of awards at the World Travel Award Ceremony last weekend at the Four Seasons resort in Dubai.
It is an unprecedented nine years in a row that Etihad claims one or the other top award in a global selection of the best of the best, often dubbed the Travel Oscars.
Named ‘The Middle East’s Leading Airline’ at the World Travel Awards Middle East for the ninth consecutive time did Etihad Airways also scoop the awards for ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline – First Class’, and ‘Middle East’s Leading Cabin Crew’.
Peter Baumgartner, the Chief Commercial Officer of Etihad Airways, said when releasing the information: ‘We are delighted that travel industry professionals across the region have once again voted us as the Middle East’s leading airline. 2014 was a momentous year for Etihad Airways. With the introduction of our new A380 and B787 flagship aircraft, we launched the most luxurious and innovative cabins in the sky, ushering in a new era of reimagined flying.These accolades are testament to the hard work of our employees, the support of the travel and tourism industry, and the unwavering loyalty of our guests’.
Ugandans will as the second country in the East African Community have a chance to sample this award winning service after flights commenced on the 01st of May, following in the footsteps of Nairobi which the airline also serves in codeshare with Kenya Airways. Dar es Salaam will follow as third destination in December this year.
From Abu Dhabi, where at the airport work is ongoing to complete a new ‘Central Terminal’ aimed to rival the new Dubai World Central airport in neighbouring Dubai or the glitzy Hamad International Airport in Doha, does Etihad now serve a growing number of global destinations, using state of the art aircraft from the giant Airbus A380 over the B787-9 Dreamliner to the B777 and other aircraft types.
Entebbe is served with an Airbus A320 offering 16 seats in business class and 120 seats in economy class. Attractive launch fares have been put on the market to capture passenger numbers as the airline now competes with their Gulf neighbours Emirates, Qatar Airways and FlyDubai all of which have responded to the market entry of the third major Gulf airline with special offers of their own.
What it means for Ugandans and foreign visitors coming to Uganda, is that there are yet more choices of airlines and departure times available for them, which should keep fares down and by doing so spur demand.
For regular and breaking aviation news from Eastern Africa look no further but this space.
