Etihad Airways simply introduced its sixth U.S. vacation spot — and it is one in all America’s busiest East Coast airports.
The Gulf provider on Friday introduced it plans to launch service to Charlotte Douglas Worldwide Airport (CLT) within the spring of 2026
The nonstop flights between the Southeast hub and Abu Dhabi will get began on Might 6 — just below a 12 months from now, so should you’re hoping to make use of miles to e-book a business-class seat, the primary few flights at the moment are open for reserving.
Including Charlotte will give Etihad a half-dozen U.S. cities, together with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Worldwide Airport (ATL), the place it is on observe to start out flying in July.
Etihad’s new Charlotte flights
Like its bigger Persian Gulf counterparts in Emirates and Qatar, Etihad can funnel vacationers to just about any nook of the globe through its Zayed Worldwide Airport (AUH) hub situated within the UAE.
Charlotte vacationers will not see the ultra-swanky, TPG Award-winning Etihad Flats first-class product discovered on the provider’s Airbus A380 superjumbos, however the airline is usually identified for a extra upscale expertise.
Learn extra: One of the best luxurious suites within the sky and how one can fly them
Etihad plans to function its CLT-AUH route with a two-cabin Boeing 787-9 that includes its lie-flat business-class product and financial system.
You may see how the itinerary will shake out, beginning subsequent Might. It is an early afternoon, 2:40 p.m. departure from CLT, with the touchdown simply after midday the next day in Abu Dhabi, with a flight time of 13 hours and 45 minutes.
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It is a 3 a.m. departure, native time, en path to Charlotte on the westbound flight, with a same-day arrival at 10:15 a.m.
Etihad will function the flights between Charlotte and Abu Dhabi 4 occasions every week as soon as the service will get began.
Learn how to e-book Etihad with factors
Vacationers hoping to e-book a seat on Etihad have a couple of choices.
The airline’s Etihad Visitor loyalty program is a switch accomplice of some main U.S. bank card packages, together with American Specific Membership Rewards, Capital One and Citi.
Plus, Etihad has loyalty partnerships with that permit redemptions via JetBlue’s TrueBlue program and American Airways AAdvantage.
It is price noting, Charlotte is filled with AAdvantage loyalists, as a fortress hub for the provider.
Etihad just isn’t American’s solely Gulf accomplice; Doha-based Qatar is a full-fledged Oneworld Alliance member.
Nevertheless, Etihad’s presence in Charlotte ought to provide an attractive new long-haul possibility for flyers.
Etihad shall be solely the second airline primarily based exterior the U.S. serving Charlotte — along with Lufthansa.
Vacationers flying on Etihad from Abu Dhabi again to Charlotte (or different U.S. locations) could make use of the U.S. preclearance facility, which permits vacationers to undergo passport management and prospects earlier than the flight, eliminating the effort afterward.
Huge Boeing order
Etihad’s new path to Charlotte got here to gentle a day after the airline introduced a large order of latest long-haul planes from Boeing.
The provider positioned an order for 28 new widebody jets, together with a mixture of extra 787 Dreamliners and Boeing’s newest era (however nonetheless yet-to-be-certified) 777X.
The plane Etihad ordered will be part of its fleet in 2028 and past, the provider stated Thursday.
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