Etihad says 'thank you' to Kolkata with more inflight comforts, amenities

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of UAE, is betting big on the Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara psyche of the young, upwardly mobile travellers to increase its reach-outs with more comforts, more amenities and luxury.

- RITWIK MUKHERJEE

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of UAE, is betting big on the Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara psyche of the young, upwardly mobile travellers to increase its reach-outs with more comforts, more amenities and luxury. This is not to say that the airline is losing focus on business passengers, leisure tourists, traditional tourists and the Indian diaspora living in UAE and other parts of the world, said Arik De (photo), Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer, Etihad Airways.

With this in view, the Abu Dhabi-based airline is set to enhance its Kolkata service with the introduction of the next-generation Airbus A321LR, reinforcing its commitment to the Indian market.

Kolkata happens to be the first city in the world where this will be introduced. It is in the process of introducing game-changing A321LR features: luxury First suites and lie-flat Business seats, next-generation Economy with 4K touchscreens with high-speed WiFi underlining Etihad's commitment to the Indian market.

Quite significantly, the airline is not doing it for incremental passengers or revenue, but as a 'thank you' gesture to a city, from where they are running at a 90 percent occupancy rate, said De.