Etihad inks deal with China Eastern

Etihad Airways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China Eastern Airlines. The landmark agreement was signed at a meeting in Shanghai between president and chief executive officer of Etihad Airways James Hogan and China Eastern Airlines chairman Liu Shaoyong. The MoU will encompass joint route and schedule coordination, codesharing between the UAE and China and in time on each other’s networks and full frequent flyer reciprocity. It also covers reciprocal airport lounge access, joint product development, and technical and cargo cooperation – subject to regulatory approval. Hogan said the MoU with China Eastern Airlines was an important development in Etihad Airways’ China strategy. “The partnership with China Eastern Airlines will allow us to extend our reach into the dynamic Chinese travel market in a commercially viable and mutually beneficial way. “It will allow both airlines to offer their customers greater choice in terms of destinations and schedules and practical benefits like reciprocal lounge access and the ability to earn and burn on each other flights – so a win-win for the business and for travellers across our combined global networks. “We will explore further opportunities to expand the cooperation with China Eastern Airlines and would welcome them operating to and beyond our home base in Abu Dhabi.” Liu Shaoyong said: “The signing of the MoU has great significance in terms of further strengthening the airlines’ codesharing, on-ground agent service and frequent flyer programme benefits.”   iPad training courses Etihad Airways is one of the first airlines in the world to roll out aircraft type training courses using tablet technology. The airline is training its 200 licensed aircraft engineers with an iPad app developed by SR Technics. About 11 Etihad Airways licensed aircraft engineers took part in an initial trial, which focused on type training for the airline’s fleet of 11 Airbus A340 aircraft.  Now, Etihad Airways is using aircraft type training course tablet technology for its complete range of technical type training. Etihad Airways senior vice-president technical, Werner Rothenbaecher, said, “This offers real added-value to our aircraft engineers, by providing a richer learning experience from a single delivery point.”