Emirates and Etihad Airways, both flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates, have been surrounded by merger rumors with the two announcing a partnership. The topic of airline partnerships fuels rumors of a merger. Putting an end to all such discussions, the airlines denied any reports of a merger. However, airlines are still working closely together to improve the consumer experience. Here we explain what the interline partnership between Emirates and Etihad Airways means for travellers.
Emirates and Etihad Airways Interline Partnership
The interline agreement between the airlines marks the beginning of collaboration to benefit the network and passengers. Under the agreement, passengers of both the airlines are provided with the facility of booking through the carriers’ routes. In other words, passengers do not have to go through the hassle of booking an airline separately.
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In addition, the partnership allows the airlines to handle each other’s passenger check-in and baggage handling. Baggage will be carried from the first airline to the second, the passenger will not need to pick it up and drop it off again, and they will only need to check in once for all flights on the itinerary.
To further this collaboration, the airlines are also offering “open-jaw ticketing”. This means that passengers can fly into one city and fly out of another city. In other words, if a passenger flies from China to Emirates and wants to explore other cities, he or she can travel to another city and fly from there.
This settlement saves travelers the trouble of coming back to the city of origin and then going back to their country. For example, if a traveler comes to Dubai from China and wants to visit Abu Dhabi as well, he can do so and fly back from Abu Dhabi instead of Dubai.