Etihad goes daily on Abu Dhabi -> Dallas flight

Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways has announced plans to increase frequency on its route to Dallas/Fort Worth from early next year.
The airline will fly daily to the US destination from February 2, 2017 in response to increased demand on the route, it said in a statement.
Etihad, which launched the non-stop route in December 2014, will add four new flights each week to support the existing Wednesday, Friday and Sunday services.
Flight EY 161 will depart Abu Dhabi at 09.20 and arrive in Dallas/Fort Worth at 15.55 while the return flight, EY160, will depart from Dallas/Fort Worth at 19.20 and arrive in the UAE capital the next day at 20.15.
The airline will continue to operate a Boeing 777-200 aircraft featuring eight first class seats, 40 business and 191 seats in economy class on the route.
The additional frequencies will also provide 96 tonnes of more cargo capacity each week to facilitate the movement of international freight to and from Dallas/Fort Worth.
Kevin Knight, Etihad Aviation Group chief strategy and planning officer, said: “Since launching our Dallas/Fort Worth service less than two years ago, the response from our guests travelling between Dallas/Fort Worth and our home Abu Dhabi and beyond, has exceeded expectations.
“The increased frequency will provide greater convenience and more options to business and leisure travellers throughout the Texas region, and will also cater to the huge travel market from India and the subcontinent to and from our Dallas/Fort Worth gateway and beyond.”
Etihad Airways currently offers 45 return flights each week between Abu Dhabi and six American cities including Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York JFK, San Francisco and Washington DC.
All the guests flying to the US on the airline are also processed through pre-clearance US Immigration and Customs facilities at Abu Dhabi International Airport, arriving in the US as domestic passengers to avoid lengthy arrival formalities.
Earlier this year, Etihad said that the airline – along with its equity partner airlines – will support 108,000 jobs across the US and contribute $10.7bn to its national economy in 2016.
The airline is expected to operate over 4,700 flights to and from the US and carry around 1.2 million passengers this year.
Gulf Business