UAE’s Etihad Airways will increase the frequency of its new service to the US city of Dallas/Fort Worth to daily from April 16, 2015 to meet growing demand from business and leisure travellers on the ultra-long-haul route.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will increase the frequency of its new service to the US city of Dallas/Fort Worth to daily from April 16, 2015 to meet growing demand from business and leisure travellers on the ultra-long-haul route.

The Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) route will be introduced into Etihad Airways’ global route network on December 3 with an initial three flights per week service, prior to the upgrade. It is the airline’s sixth route in the US, alongside New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, which launches on November 18.

A Boeing 777-200LR aircraft will be operated on the route, offering a total of eight seats in First Class, 40 seats in Business Class, and 177 seats in Economy Class.

The increased frequency will lead to enhanced travel connections between the US and key markets worldwide, including the GCC region and 12 cities served by Etihad Airways and its partner Jet Airways across India.

Etihad Airways also plans to offer convenient connections with its codeshare partner American Airlines on a number of domestic routes from Dallas/Fort Worth to major centres across the US.

James Hogan, president and chief executive officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Our Dallas/Fort Worth service was announced at the end of last year and the market response has been extremely strong. To meet the needs of travellers flying into and out of Texas, we will increase our frequency sooner than expected on the route, with daily flights commencing from April 2015.”

“Our service offering will be enhanced as a result, with the convenience of a more frequent operation and improved connections for guests in both directions, through Etihad Airways’ fast-growing international network and the networks of our airline partners, such as Jet Airways in India and American Airlines, which has its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth.

“The increased frequency also reinforces our commitment to the US and will strengthen the country’s deep commercial and bilateral ties with the United Arab Emirates,” he added.

Sean Donohue, CEO of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, said: “DFW Airport welcomes the news that Etihad Airways will be expanding to a daily service between DFW and Abu Dhabi next April, just a few months after their planned start date in December of this year.”

“With over 62 million customers a year who travel through DFW, the daily flights will be appealing to both business and leisure customers and today’s announcement is an important commitment to markets served by our two global hub airports. As the fastest growing region in the United States, the DFW region is a strong regional and connecting market and the increase in service will provide customers with even more options,” Donohue added. – TradeArabia News Service