Etihad boosts South Asia, North America connectivity

Etihad Airways has made a number of schedule changes to the airline’s flights between its Abu Dhabi hub and Chicago, New York, and Toronto, which will start on Sunday 29 March 2015.

The move will provide convenient schedule options for UAE passengers travelling to North America, enhance overall connectivity for flights to and from the Indian Subcontinent (ISC), and establish new connections to key markets such as Dhaka, Kathmandu, and Kolkata.

The new times also all connect with key Etihad Airways’ ISC destinations which include Colombo, Delhi, Karachi, Lahore, and Mumbai.

The daily EY151 flight to Chicago will move from a 9.30am departure to 3.40am and the three flights a week Toronto service, EY141, will depart at 2.50am rather than the current time 10.25am.

Return flight EY150 from Chicago will arrive in Abu Dhabi at 12.20pm, and EY140 from Toronto will arrive at 12.05pm, which will allow for faster connection times through the hub at a non-peak period.

The new schedule will see the return flight from New York, EY102, depart JFK three hours later than it currently does to ensure its arrival in Abu Dhabi to meet the early afternoon bank of flights to the ISC.

Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, said: “Demand for travel between the Indian Subcontinent and North America continues to grow year-on-year and we’re delighted to change our schedule in order to support this requirement and to increase the travel options for our guests.

“The new schedule will create a more even balance of Etihad Airways’ flights to North America across the early morning and mid-morning banks. This will result in fewer passengers transiting through the hub at peak periods and will enhance the customer experience.”

Passengers on the retimed outbound Chicago flight will continue to be processed through United States Preclearance at Abu Dhabi Airport, following the recent expansion of the facility’s hours of operation to include early morning flights to the US.

US Preclearance allows passengers to conveniently pass through all required checks including US customs, immigration and security while in Abu Dhabi before they board their flight, enabling them to avoid queues on arrival in the US and arrive as domestic passengers.

Passengers on all Etihad Airways flights from Abu Dhabi to the United States, which also includes Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York JFK, and Washington DC, are processed through US preclearance.

The schedule changes for Chicago and Toronto have been made in conjunction with Etihad Airways’ key partners, American Airlines and Air Canada in North America, and Jet Airways in India.

The partner airlines will implement new codeshare flights as well as re-accommodate guests who are affected by the new schedule.