Face-to-Face: Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Airways
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Q1/. Etihad has announced plans to launch a new first class product. Can you tell us a little more about this?
A/. The brand has a good starting or reference point as it’s already well known as a Luxury brand, we want to be known as that Premium brand in all classes, not just first. The seating is full leather from Poltrona Frau (leather manufacturer) and we want to create a benchmark for service and luxury at a 5 star hospitality level.
The high level of quality of the on board Food and Beverage is real and not just a marketing ploy. A lot of time and money has been spent on researching how and where to source the very best in everything from the fluffy pillows, support for back and legs, thought has gone into every detail including the quality of the stitching in the leather before a choice was made.
The airline employed focus groups from around the world to find out what it was that people wanted at the luxury level and we went out and found it and delivered what the high end customer wanted.
Q2/. How much is the growth of Etihad aligned with the growth of Abu Dhabi as a cit or hub?
A/.Etihad aligns itself very closely with the city’s development and in fact sees itself as a major vehicle to drive that development and growth as a major hub. It’s a matter of working in sync with the Abu Dhabi Inc, Tourism Authority and the Investment arm of Abu Dhabi.
Q3/. Etihad’s strategy includes connecting some previously under served cities, including Minsk and Almaty. To what extent is this strategy succeeding and what load factors are we seeing on these new routes?
A/. Etihad successfully serves Minsk and Almaty with narrow-body A320 aircraft. In May 2009 we added an additional service to Astana, the Kazakhstan capital. These destinations are not only proving to be a key part in improving commercial ties between the UAE and Belarus and Kazakhstan, but also growing tourist destinations popular with customers of Etihad Holidays.
Q4/. What future plans do you have for he next 12 months and what excites you about the airline?
A/ The airline is only 5 years young; it’s been built from scratch and everyone is committed to ensuring it is the best premium brand in the world. We have 9 more aircraft orders in place for delivery by end of this year making a total of 53 and we expect to have first A380 by 2012 giving the airline a mix of wide and narrow bodied aircraft.
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