[Anonymous]

[Swissdiver]

BT (http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/etihad-to-develop-regional-european-network) as well as many others reported Etihad’s intention to re-brand the Swiss Darwin Airline into Etihad Regional. It is probably only a first step. Will AirSerbia, and Aer Lingus also become Etihad branded? Not sure the idea would please Irish and Serbians…

[MarkivJ]

I just read it. I actually don’t see how it would help someone from Cambridge as he still has to make 2-3 stops to get to SE Asia or Australia. The only perceived advantage is for those who want to avoid LHR…but doesn’t Schipol already offer some of these connection advantages anyway?!

[LuganoPirate]

I wonder what Swiss will make of this? Darwin provide them a lot of feeder traffic, booked via the Swiss website, and the flight is often Swiss in all but the plane, right down to the chocolates passed around during the flight.

As Etihad will now fly ex ZRH to where will that feeder traffic be directed or will it be as now with the addition you can book via the Etihad website? I’d say at least 95% of the LUG traffic is feeder as the time saving over the train door to door is so small.

This must be a very worrying development for both Swiss and Lufthansa since one of the big bugbears for those of us living in Lugano is lack of carrier choice. For me to fly BA for example, means two seperate tickets, LUG – ZRH, then ZRH to wherever via London on BA metal.

This will be interesting for sure?

[AMcWhirter]

Hello MarkivJ

As you say, the advantage in using Cambridge is to avoid all the bother of reaching LHR from East Anglia. Another advantage would be a shorter check-in time (compared to LHR) and much cheaper car parking.

I could have chosen any of dozens of other destinations served by Etihad via AUH.

I merely opted for Australia because KLM hasn’t flown there for many years and the other options would be unlikely to interline with Darwin/Etihad so you would lose the benefit of a through fare.

[AMcWhirter]

Well, Etihad hasn’t wasted much time. One day after announcing the deal, the airline appoints its own Chief Financial Officer at Darwin.

http://www.aviator.aero/press_releases/14717?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

[Swissdiver]

So it looks like this: http://www.etihadregional.com/images/banners_home/ethiad_it.jpg…

[MarcusUK]

Etihad certainly have a different approach, developing financial stakes in other Airlines, and codeshares with others.

They fly into AUH -AMS, with codeshares with KLM, and if you book for Australia on the KLM website, it partners with flights to from AUH and into SYD on EY. Soon Qatar will join EK and EY operating out of AMS, and doubling of services on each is ahead.

The matching together of the FFP’s that was promised has not happened yet, which again makes it confusing to earn on two different different programs. Booking via KLM.com, costs more, but on the Etihad site fares are cheaper, still mixing the flights.

They signed a long term commitment with AF/KLM for 10 years, pity these reciprocal programs or codeshares are not polished off a little, and the benefits and partnerships would be simpler and promote both Airlines more positively .Perhaps Garuda entering Skyteam, would also improve the poor Skyteam flights from Asia down to oceania, and with the Asia region, as they have a lack of partners that way.

[AMcWhirter]

Hello Swissdiver

There’s more information here:

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/100147/etihad-regional-launches-in-zurich

As for Aer Lingus … well it’s already jointly marketing EY’s forthcoming double-daily service ex-DUB. Twitter @AerLingus

https://twitter.com/AerLingus/status/426656576552701952/photo/1

[rjhcambs]

Living just outside Cambridge, I was really pleased when Darwin now Ethiad Regional started flying from CBG last September. I flew with them to CDG during their second week of operation and it was by far the best of my 25 flights in 2013. As Alec said in an earlier post the short check-in and cheap parking is an incentive for us locals to avoid LHR and STN when flying via AMS or CDG but I don’t think I would be bothered if also transiting AUH.
Why was it my best flight of 2013? Speedy check-in, use of the executive lounge at CBG, 25mt walk to the plane, only 3 pax on 50 seater Saab 2000, very short taxi, much more comfortable than the Flybe equivalents I have flown on around the Scottish islands, light but well presented breakfast but the advantage of flying from a small regional aiport was shown by the service shown to my two fellow passengers. They had not arrived ten minutes before departure time. I was walked out to the plane, door closed and was chatting to the F/A when the pilot came through and said the couple had turned up and could he open up again to let them on! Flight time was just over one hour and then the slow passage through CDG and RER into Paris meant the total time was similar to train to Kings Cross and Eurostar into the centre of Paris and cost was cheaper than the train. Hope this encourages other East Anglians to give them a try and help keep a service from Cambridge.

[Prakton]

Etihad and the other two Emirates and Qatar Airways, they are always trying to snatch the market share from other established airlines for years.There way of doing business is in the limelight. Etihad owning 49% shares in Air Serbia with Etihads main intention to make a one stop from Abu Dahbi to US destinations. With there way of running business in a subsidised hidden business with the unions have no rights to complain what so ever.The US airlines and the the US government has seen through this and will deny them to fly codeshare from Zagreb to USA. When they donot have enough direct traffic from there own hubs they keep constantly grabbing customers from there hubs from Asia,Australia,Africa and whereever they can lay there hands on…..!!?

[AMcWhirter]

Etihad Regional, which has only officially been flying for a few days, suffered its first incident this morning.

A Saab 2000 operating between Leipzig and Paris CDG had to touch down with non-functioning front landing gear.

None of the 16 passengers and three crew members on board were injured. The plane was taken out of service.

The report, the first I’ve found, is posted on the German aviation website aerotelegraph.com

http://www.aerotelegraph.com/saab-2000-etihad-regional-darwin-bruchlandung-paris-charles-de-gaulle

[LuganoPirate]

Ouch!

Here’s the report on Aviation Herald.

http://avherald.com/h?article=46f32909&opt=0

[Swissdiver]

I guess we will see the first impacts (not referring to the recent incident!) in the coming March schedules. How Swiss will react will be interesting.

[TominScotland]

I see that Etihad Regional is pulling the plug completely from Cambridge – so much for a regional alternative to LHR……..

http://airlineroute.net/2014/03/12/f7-cbg-s14cxld/

[Author]

Posts