Etihad Guest, Etihad Airways' award-winning loyalty program, will expand to become a multi-airline program in June 2012.
The new development will see Seychelles Plus, the Air Seychelles frequent flyer program, becoming fully integrated into Etihad Guest's loyalty platform.
The change will be effective from Saturday 16 June and all Seychelles Plus members will automatically receive a new co-branded membership based on Etihad's loyalty program.
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' Chief Commercial Officer, said: "The integration of Seychelles Plus into Etihad Guest continues the exciting partnership expansion between Etihad Airways and Air Seychelles.
"The new development marks a major milestone for Etihad Guest as it evolves from being a program that supports one airline, to one that supports multiple airlines."
Some of the features that are available to airlines supported by the Etihad Guest program include:
- Immediate rewards - with the 1MileRedemption feature, fly once and enjoy instant rewards.
- No blackout periods - GuestSeats are available on all flights. If a seat is available, guests can book it.
- Anytime availability - all seats on a flight, including the very last seat, are available at any time. OpenSeats can be redeemed at a mileage cost equivalent to the commercial price of the seat.
- The widest choice - redeem for flights, products or services using the exclusive Etihad Guest Reward Shop that features over 3,000 miles redemption opportunities.
- The widest choice - using the Miles+Cash feature, redeem flights using a mix of miles and cash and even earn miles on the actual cash spent on redemption flights.
- Expanded partner network - earn and redeem miles on over 3000 routes worldwide with Etihad Airways, Air Seychelles, and a total of 15 partner airlines, including airberlin, Virgin Australia and American Airlines.
Also, as an Etihad Guest member, guests will automatically be able to earn and redeem Etihad Guest Miles with the entire Etihad Guest partner network worldwide, which includes international hotel chains, car hire companies and retailers as well as hundreds of brands and thousands of products for miles redemptions in the program's Reward Shop.
As part of the integration of Air Seychelles, the existing tier status of Seychelles Plus members will be carried over to new Etihad Guest memberships. For example, Seychelles Plus Gold members will automatically be enrolled as Etihad Guest Gold members.
For guests with memberships of both programs, the accounts, including mileage balances, will be automatically merged.
Cramer Ball, Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer, said: "I am thrilled to offer improved benefits, services and flexibility for our valued and loyal guests. Our partnership with Etihad Guest will yield tangible benefits for our loyalty program members, opening up accrual and redemption abilities across the globe via their acclaimed program.
"Best of all, our guests not only keep their existing tier status, but also get eight Etihad Guest Miles for every Seychelles Plus point, ensuring that this integration is rewarding from the onset."
The Seychelles Plus program will cease operation on June 15. Retrospective claims for flights on Air Seychelles will be honoured on or before June 30, 2012.
In January, Etihad Airways acquired a 40 per cent stake in Air Seychelles and the two airlines now operate eight return services a week between Abu Dhabi and the Indian Ocean archipelago - four by Air Seychelles and four by Etihad Airways.
About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, began operations in 2003, and in 2011 carried 8.3 million passengers. From its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad serves 86 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, with a fleet of 66 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and 100 aircraft on order, including 10 Airbus A380s, the world's largest passenger aircraft. Etihad Airways also owns nearly 30 per cent of airberlin, Europe's sixth largest airline, and 40 per cent of Air Seychelles. For more information, please visit: www.etihadairways.com.
About Etihad Guest
Etihad Guest has more than 1.4 million members. Etihad Guest Miles can be used to redeem for flights on Etihad Airways and its wide partner network, to purchase more than 3,500 products on the Etihad Airways Reward Shop or can be converted to make cash payments in more than thirty million retail outlets worldwide with PointsPay - an unmatched loyalty proposition. At the recent Freddie Awards in New York - the 'Oscars' of the Loyalty Program world - Etihad Guest was placed first in Best Redemption Ability, Best Elite Program and Best Loyalty Credit Card categories and was runner-up in all remaining 4 categories.
About Air Seychelles
Air Seychelles was established in 1978 and began long-haul service in 1983. The airline currently offers international flights to Abu Dhabi, Johannesburg and Mauritius, operated by its new A330-200 aircraft. Air Seychelles also offers more than 160 domestic scheduled flights a week throughout the archipelago, as well as domestic charter services. As the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, Air Seychelles is a pillar of tourism, the island nation's strongest and growing economic sector. The airline maintains a strategic partnership with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and 40 per cent stakeholder. For more information, please visit: www.airseychelles.com.
© Press Release 2012
