Etihad's revolution continues. After the airport and planes, here is the new Etihad Guest

Starting June 1, the new life of Etihad Guest will begin, that is, the loyalty program of the UAE flag carrier. We are not talking about a devaluation or new benefits, but a real revolution that rewrites (almost) from scratch all aspects of the Abu Dhabi-based airline's frequent flyer program.

Etihad 2.0

What Is in place with Etihad is a post downsizing revival. If the second decade of this millennium saw an attempt to chase Emirates' cousins by also targeting operations such as Alitalia, Air Berlin, Air Serbia, and Jet Airways, a bubble burst before the Covid and which the pandemic has only accelerated, it also gave the carrier a chance to make strategic decisions during a difficult period, but one full of opportunities.

Today we are in a completely different scenario. Etihad has a new home At Abu Dhabi's new airport, a hub opening in late 2023. and which now also has a new name. Abu Dhabi International Airport has become Zayed International Airport, in honor of the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The fleet has been overhauled and is set to grow again after being reduced in numbers and destinations, the A380 this summer will return to fly not only to London but also to New York, but it is not certain that the larger planes in EY's fleet will remain operational for much longer.

The New Etihad Guest

As mentioned, it has been rewritten almost from scratch. Mark Potter, managing director of Etihad Guest, ad Executive Traveller, the changes that have been in the works for almost a year concern: "three main pillars: simplification, rewarding our members for their loyalty, and personalization."

And reading the interview, it seems that Potter was inspired by the work of Ben Smith, i.e., the CEO of Flying Blue, check out program with which Etihad Guest has recently entered into a very important partnership.

Many aspects will change from how status is obtained to the cost of award tickets, there will be new benefits and even a new "Diamond" status that can only be obtained by spending at least 150k euros in a year aboard EY flights.

Talking about how the Potter status race will change explained that it will be a hybrid model where the cost of the ticket will be parameterized to the cabin, probably therefore a system similar to ITA's, rather than just tied to ticket price as in pure revenue schemes.

All the news is explained in detail in the section dedicated to the relaunch of loyalty progrmma on Etihad website.

Award tickets will cost less

Unbelievable, but true, or rather we will have to see from words will also come deeds,but what Potter explained is that "About 70-80% of our destinations will see a reduction," but those reductions will not be distributed equally across all routes or even all cabins.

For example, Potter says an economy ticket from London to Abu Dhabi will drop from 32,000 miles (plus tax) to 30,000 miles, while business will always remain at 70,000 Guest miles. In contrast, business class for flying to Sydney will increase from 110,000 to 120,000 miles.

The most loyal passengers will be able to choose their own card number

Among the new features announced is a true ode to passenger vanity. Those who reach at least the Platinum level, that is, the level before the new Diamond, will be able to choose their own personalized card number. So like a license plate, one will be able to dial one's own loyalty card number, a way to show off to other poor Gold users something that no one else will be able to show off.

The miles will (almost) never expire

All Etihad Guest members will be able to earn and spend their miles on flights with the airline and more than 20 partner airlines, extending the validity of their Etihad Guest Miles by 18 months. This means that all it will take is one qualifying flight to renew the validity of miles, a significant step forward from today.

In conclusion

An operation really in the deep end, not a mere putty and wig. With this update, Etihad's loyalty program becomes really interesting especially when we consider how slowly the destination network is starting to grow again.

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