Etihad Airways has become the latest carrier to join the Worldwide by EasyJet connections platform, enabling the two airlines’ passengers to seamlessly connect between their respective networks.
The agreement, effective immediately, will initially allow passengers to purchase tickets on EasyJet’s website to fly from the 68 cities in the low-cost carrier’s European network to Abu Dhabi and beyond, via 10 Etihad gateways.
These include Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Geneva, Madrid, Manchester, Milan Malpensa, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Rome and Zurich. More destinations will be added in the future, the two airlines state.
The platform, which launched in 2017, is powered by Dohop’s flight search engine technology. Etihad says IATA’s new distribution capability (NDC) platform has made the partnership possible, and it plans to add more airlines to its NDC portfolio this year.
“The ability to provide end-to-end booking capabilities through our NDC platform will provide customers with one-stop solutions for seamless travel with partners, whether legacy or low-cost, through Etihad’s global gateways,” says Etihad vice-president alliances and partnerships Ali Saleh.
The agreement with EasyJet will enable the Middle Eastern carrier to “increase the breadth of our continental reach to and from Abu Dhabi”, adds Saleh.
Other airlines that have signed up to the EasyJet platform include Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Norwegian and WestJet.
