Etihad Airways has come up with a novel approach to tempt residents of the UAE nervous about travelling in the current climate to start booking tickets again. The airline is offering a chance to win a return trip for two in The Residence.
The spread of COVID-19 has hit the travel sector and airlines in particular hard. The demand for air travel has plummeted. Many companies have banned work travel and a lot of individuals are putting off leisure trips until the situation has stabilised.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has grounded 60% of its fleet. Locally, Emirates is encouraging staff to use up accrued leave and offered some the opportunity to take unpaid time off during the slow down.
Airlines have started taking various measure to encourage travellers to keep parting with their money again. In the US, Jetblue, Alaska and American Airlines have all introduced policies to waive change fees on even the cheapest tickets. Etihad is offering a chance to experience the airlines crown jewel, a chance to experience The Residence.
What is The Residence?
The Residence is the three-room suite including a living room, en-suite shower and separate bedroom onboard Etihad’s A380 aircraft. The Residence comes with a personal butler as well as the attentions of the in-flight chef onboard.
Etihad currently flies the A380 between Abu Dhabi and London, New York, Paris, Sydney and Seoul. My advice to the winner would be to choose a trip to either New York or Sydney. That would maximise their time onboard. Both New York and Sydney are around 14 hours flying time from Abu Dhabi. That’s enough time for a couple of good meals as well as a good sleep.
How to enter
To be eligible to enter you need to book a flight between 20 February 2020 and midday on 20 March 2020 for travel up to 30 June 2020. One entry per PNR is permitted. You can submit your entry here after booking.
Even tickets booked with Etihad Guest Miles are valid to enter the competition. If you need some inspiration on where to book, Etihad is adding extra capacity to London Heathrow from the end of March.
The offer is clearly aimed at UAE residents. Only bookings made in the UAE and originating from Abu Dhabi are eligible for the promotion.
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The Expat Flyer aims to help expats in the UAE make the most of their airline miles, loyalty points and travel. If you found this post helpful please subscribe below to receive all new posts by email.
You can expect lots of information about Etihad Guest as well as Skywards, the loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai. I also plan to share my thoughts on the best credit cards for points and miles earning in the UAE.