Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, has introduced a series of sustainability-focused initiatives to reward members for making ‘green’ choices and providing options to reduce their own carbon footprint.
Conscious Choices, the new range of sustainable initiatives offered by the Etihad Guest programme, has been created to support Etihad’s overarching sustainability ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, and halve 2019 emissions by 2035.
Travellers wishing to fly and spend more consciously and sustainably can now earn Tier Miles, and other rewards, for making sustainable choices such as carrying less baggage on board. They can also offset their flights’ carbon emissions using Etihad Guest Miles.
When they are not flying, members can earn Tier Miles by offsetting everyday emissions such as driving, with options ranging from one month to one year’s worth of offsets, as well as emissions such as cooling your home or cooking your dinner for a month up to a year; donating miles to a green cause; and by purchasing sustainable products from the Etihad Guest Reward Shop in partnership with Collinson and CarbonClick.
Members can also choose to ’go green’, by opting for a digital membership card instead of a physical one.
Etihad says it is the first airline in the world to reward frequent flyers for being more sustainable in the air and on the ground.
Over the last two years, Etihad has introduced several CO2 reduction initiatives under its Greenliner sustainability programme. These include adopting thousands of mangroves, using sustainable fuels, reducing contrails, flying optimised flight paths, operating more electric vehicles and working with partners who share its vision for cleaner skies.
In October, Etihad operated its most sustainable flight ever, leveraging the learnings and efficiencies developed over the last two years to reduce carbon emissions by 72 per cent in absolute terms compared to the equivalent flight operated in 2019.
The EY20 Sustainable Flight is an example of what the future of commercial air travel looks like. The fact that sustainability has stayed on the agenda during the pandemic is testament to just how important the topic is to Etihad.
Throughout 2021, Etihad expanded its carbon offset programme to support Peru’s Cordillera Azul National Park project and Indonesia’s Katingan Mentaya Project in partnership with Respira, Shell and CarbonClick. At the same time, Etihad offset the emissions of its signature Greenliner aircraft for the entire year, the equivalent to approximately 80,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
