Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Etihad Airways has announced TravelPass, a travel solution targeting frequent travelers. The frequent flyers can purchase a TravelPass for a set number of trips or a predetermined period instead of booking their flight one trip at a time. The innovation is aimed at giving flyers ease of booking and making their travel more cost-efficient.

Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “The innovative TravelPass technology offers a revolutionary booking experience for corporate and frequent clients who will also be enrolled into our award-winning Etihad Guest frequent flyer program. By simplifying the travel process to just a few clicks, our guests have a seamless transaction through a platform that holds all your details in one place, gives you the flexibility to make changes to your bookings without fees and gives you the choice to pay later. We know our corporate clients are time-poor and believe this innovative addition to our digital offering will improve the travel journey for subscribers.”

Etihad TravelPass will be available to book on the Etihad website on a desktop or mobile. The hope is that customers will be able to streamline their bookings by having their information saved so they don’t have to re-enter the info again and again.

Svein Therkelsen, Chief Executive Officer, Braathens IT, said: “Etihad is going to take sophisticated digital personalization very far, everything from ease of use to customization. They are an innovative player and they will continue in that direction to improve their customers’ digital experience using TravelPass.”

We will be watching to see how this innovation seems to make booking easier and promote the loyalty of flyers. We do see some pitfalls that haven’t been addressed as if you book several flights months out and months apart will you get the chance to get your money back if the cost of the trip goes down. Also, will this subscription-only be with Etihad or will its codes carry over to partner airlines?  We will keep an eye out for more news on this in the future.