Etihad Airways is to train up a team of ‘Wellness Ambassadors’ as part of its expanded health and hygiene programme in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The carrier says that the specially trained ambassadors will be introduced at Abu Dhabi International airport, and on Etihad flights “once travel restrictions to and from the UAE are lifted, and the airline resumes an expanded network of international flights”.
The multi-lingual team will also be available by email at [email protected], and the service is also set to be expanded to include a web-chat option.
According to the airline the ambassadors will be able to “offer reassurance to customers by sharing advice on travel wellbeing and details of the health and sanitisation measures being implemented throughout their journey”.
The team is part of a newly branded ‘Etihad Wellness’ programme, which provides information on all aspects of the carrier’s operations, from culinary hygiene at the airline’s catering facilities and food testing laboratory, to aircraft cabin deep-cleaning, check-in, health screening, boarding, inflight experience and product, crew interaction, arrival, and ground transportation.
Fellow UAE carrier Emirates recently launched a number of new ground and inflight and safety and hygiene measures, including complimentary travel hygiene kits for passengers, containing masks, gloves, antibacterial wipes and hand sanitiser.
Commenting on the initiative Tony Douglas, group chief executive officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said:
“Providing for our guests, and their wellbeing, is one of Etihad’s core values, and we have a responsibility to protect them, to keep them fully informed, and to provide even greater levels of genuine warmth and personal care. We must guarantee they can travel assured in the knowledge that we have every aspect of their journey with us covered, while still providing a top-quality travel experience.
“The Wellness Ambassadors will play an important role in delivering this. For us it is not simply about dealing with a new normal – this level of genuine and innovative customer care has always been part of Etihad’s DNA since our inception.”
“The wide-ranging measures we are taking are a strong reflection of those already in place across the emirate of Abu Dhabi. When restrictions are fully lifted and travellers can once again enjoy the best our wonderful home has to offer, they can rest assured their trip will be to one of the cleanest and most well-maintained destinations in the world.
“This will of course also apply to those transiting onwards through the capital. We are grateful to our partners, including Abu Dhabi Airports, and the Department of Culture and Tourism, for their close cooperation in this far-reaching programme.”
