Etihad Airways extends Business Connect\' programme

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has extended BusinessConnect, its loyalty programme for business professionals, to eleven new markets, including Bahrain, Belarus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Philippines, Qatar and Thailand. The mileage earning programme is targeted at the Small to Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) sector, offering huge opportunities and benefits for companies who fly with Etihad Airways. As part of the award-winning Etihad Guest Loyalty Programme, registered BusinessConnect customers are able to earn Etihad Guest Miles every time one of their employees takes a flight. Etihad Guest Miles can be earned on all Etihad Airways tickets booked on etihad.com, through Etihad Contact Centres, or by appointed travel agents. There are also no blackout periods when redeeming miles against upgrades, free flights, or the thousands of products from the Etihad Guest Reward Shop. The points can even be converted to cash via PointsPay to spend at thirty million outlets worldwide. Commenting on the announcement, Etihad Airways\' Chief Commercial Officer, Peter Baumgartner, said, \"BusinessConnect is the smartest and most rewarding loyalty scheme for SMEs. It\'s a fantastic way for companies to optimise their travel spend, whilst adding convenience and value to the business and corporate travel experience. In short, it makes business sense all round.