Saudia and Etihad Airways have signed a new codeshare partnership. The deal will see the two airlines eventually offering reciprocal frequent flyer benefits to Etihad Guest and Saudia Alfursan members.
Etihad Airways will be adding the EY code on Saudia flights to Abha, Al-Baha, Alula, Arar, Bisha, Dammam, Dawadmi, Gassim, Gizan, Gurayat, Hail, Hofuf, Jeddah, Jouf, Madinah, Qaisumah, Rafha, Riyadh, Sharurah, Tabuk, Taif, Turaif, Wadi-Ad-Dawasir, Wedjh, Yanbo, and Abu Dhabi. Codeshare flights to Port Sudan, Tunis, Alexandria, Sharm el-Sheikh, Multan and Peshawar are still waiting for government approval.
UAE based business travellers needing to reach smaller cities in Saudi will find the new EY codeshares particularly useful. The deal will also be good news for leisure travellers if and when the much anticipated new tourist visa scheme for Saudi is launched. The new tourist visa was due to be available from spring this year but is still awaiting government approval.
Benefits for Saudia and Etihad frequent flyers
The promise of reciprocal frequent flyer benefits is the most interesting aspect of the new partnership. The Etihad Guest and Alfursan teams are apparently still working out the details. At a minimum Etihad Guest members should be able to both earn and redeem miles on Saudia operated flights.
The reason this is exciting is that Saudia often has very competitive fares to and from Europe in both business and economy. This could present a good mile earning opportunity for Etihad Guest members. It all depends on what the exact details of the partnership turn out to be. The long haul and regional business seat product being fitted to Saudi’s newly delivered aircraft is in both cases excellent.