Etihad, Emirates Partnership To Create 'Super Airline'? Explained

The interline partnership between Emirates and Etihad Airways provides travellers with multiple advantages by aligning the facilities provided by the two carriers.

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Emirates and Etihad Airways, both flag carriers of the UAE, are surrounded by rumors of a merger with the announcement of a partnership between the two. The topic of the airline partnership acts as fuel for rumors of a merger. Putting an end to all such discussions, the airlines denied any reports of the merger. However, the airlines are still working closely to improve the consumer experience by working closely. Here we explain what the interline partnership between Emirates and Etihad Airways means for the passengers. 

Emirates and Etihad Airways Interline Partnership

The interline agreement between the airlines marks the beginning of cooperation to benefit the network and the passengers. Under the agreement, the passengers of both airlines are facilitated with booking through the itineraries of the carriers. In other words, the passengers don't have to go through the hassle of booking the airlines separately.

Furthermore, the partnership allows the airlines to handle each other's passengers' check-in and baggage. The baggage will be moved from the first airline to the second airline without the need for the traveller to pick it up and drop it off again, and they will only need to check in once for all the flights on the itinerary.

To further aid this cooperation, the airlines are also offering "open-jaw ticketing." This means that travellers can fly into one city and take a flight out from another. In other words, if a traveller flies to the Emirates country from China and wants to explore other cities, in that case, they can travel to another city and take a flight out from there. 

This agreement saves the passengers from the hassle of coming back to the origin city and then flying back to their country. For instance, if a passenger comes from China to Dubai and wants to explore Abu Dhabi as well, then he can do so and take the flight back from Abu Dhabi instead of Dubai.