UAE national carrier Etihad Airways has launched a loyalty program for businesses, BusinessConnect, in seven new markets including Bangladesh, Belgium, France, Indonesia, Ireland, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

BusinessConnect is the airline’s free mileage earning program for companies with between two and 50 business travellers which do not have an airline corporate contract.

The program is built on the same platform as its Etihad Guest frequent flyer scheme, allowing registered BusinessConnect customers to earn Etihad Guest miles every time one of their employees takes a flight, said a statement from the UAE airline.

The benefits of BusinessConnect include: the traveller earning Etihad Guest miles for themselves as normal, and in addition, his/her company earning a percentage of those miles as a bonus.

Etihad Guest miles can be earned on all Etihad Airways tickets, and there are no blackout periods when redeeming miles against upgrades, free flights, or the thousands of products from the Etihad Guest Reward Shop, it added.   

Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer, Peter Baumgartner, said: "We are delighted to be able to introduce the smartest and most rewarding loyalty scheme for small and medium sized enterprises to these new markets, targeted at companies which are looking for ways to optimise their travel spend whilst adding convenience and value to their business travel experience."

"Yet again, it is another demonstration of the added value we are bringing to corporate travel across the globe," he added.-TradeArabia News Service