Etihad Airways starts mobile boarding passes

The new program offers increased check-in options, reduces paper wastage, eliminates the risk of boarding pass loss, and enables the storage of multiple boarding passes on one mobile device.

Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer, Etihad Airways, said: “Our aim is to simplify and streamline the departure and boarding experience.”

The new mobile boarding passes will contain the same information as traditional passes including guest name, seat number, flight number, gate number and a barcode which will be scanned by an electronic reader at the departure gate. Guests will now be able to receive their mobile boarding passes directly to their smart phone, saved using the Passbook feature on iOS operated devices, or saved and sent to an email address.

The number of Etihad Airways airport gateways equipped with the mobile boarding pass readers will steadily increase as the airline installs the new technology across its global network.

Alitalia deal close to final

Etihad Airways on Thursday said that its agreement with Alitalia was the latest step in a process which could lead to the finalisation of a proposed transaction.

The two airlines have agreed the principal terms and conditions under which Etihad Airways will acquire a 49 per cent equity stake in Alitalia. Further steps will include: completion of the transaction documents; finalisation of the conditions precedent; application for regulatory approval; and final shareholder and board approvals. These next steps will be worked through over the coming months.

Etihad Airways flies to 103 existing or announced passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 100 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and more than 220 aircraft on firm order.

Etihad Airways holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Seychelles, Virgin Australia, Aer Lingus, Air Serbia and Jet Airways.

Iata safety workshop

Etihad Airways hosted a global airline safety workshop on behalf of the International Air Transport Association (Iata) this week.

The three-day event concluded at the new Etihad Airways Centre in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, with officials from Iata and a number of its airline members discussing the importance of moving toward an Integrated Management System (IMS) to enhance the safety standards of airlines.

Introducing such a system would help to ensure compliance with global regulations, including the Iata Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) annexes, while also consolidating key airline management systems to create a single platform that covers areas such as health and safety, security, environment and personnel.

Paolo La Cava, Etihad Airways Vice President Corporate Safety and Quality, said: “Safety is our number one priority. We are delighted to host this workshop on behalf of Iata, and pleased to have been part of the productive discussions with our airline colleagues from across the world.”

— business@khaleejtimes.com