Etihad Airways and Air Seychelles merge loyalty programs

Air Seychelles today announced that it would integrate its loyalty program, Seychelles Plus, into Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty program of Etihad Airways, effective June 16.

Air Seychelles today announced that it would integrate its loyalty program, Seychelles Plus, into Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty program of Etihad Airways, effective June 16.

Members of the Air Seychelles Plus program, numbered at nearly 18,000, will automatically receive a new Etihad Guest membership.

For every Seychelles Plus point in current accounts as of June 15, members will earn 8 Etihad Guest miles. Existing tier status will also be carried over to new Etihad Guest memberships. For example, Seychelles Plus Gold members will automatically be enrolled as Etihad Guest Gold members.

For guests with memberships of both programs, the accounts, including mileage balances, will be automatically merged.

On becoming an Etihad Guest member, guests will enjoy more benefits and rewards, including:

– Immediate rewards โ€“ with the 1MileRedemption feature, fly once and enjoy instant rewards.

– No blackout periods โ€“ GuestSeats are available on all flights. If a seat is available, guests can book it.

– Anytime availability โ€“ all seats on a flight, including the very last seat, are available at any time. Redeem OpenSeats at a mileage cost equivalent to the commercial price of the seat.

– The widest choice โ€“ redeem for flights, products, or services using the exclusive Etihad Guest Reward Shop that features over 3,000 redemption opportunities.

– The widest choice โ€“ using the Miles+Cash feature, redeem flights using a mix of miles and cash and even earn miles on the actual cash spent on redemption flights.

– Expanded network โ€“ redeem and earn points on over 3,000 routes worldwide with Air Seychelles, Etihad Airways, and partner airlines, including airberlin, Virgin Australia, and American Airlines.

Also, as an Etihad Guest member, guests will automatically be able to earn and redeem Etihad Guest miles with the entire Etihad Guest Partner network worldwide, which includes international hotel chains, car hire companies, and retailers, as well as 15 airline partners.

Cramer Ball, Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer, said: โ€œI am thrilled to offer improved benefits, services, and flexibility for our valued and loyal guests. Our partnership with Etihad Airways is yielding tangible benefits for our loyalty program members, opening up accrual and redemption abilities across the globe via their acclaimed program.

โ€œBest of all, our guests not only keep their existing tier status, but also get 8 Etihad Guest miles for every Seychelles Plus point, ensuring that this integration is rewarding from the onset.โ€

Barry Green, Etihad Airways Vice President Customer Relationship Management & Loyalty, said: โ€œOur program is fast-growing, with over 40,000 new members joining every month, and with good reason. We offer a product which is innovative, flexible, and, most of all, rewarding for our guests. Extending this to the guests of Air Seychelles is a natural next step in our partnership, and we look forward to welcoming them to their new program with enhanced reward opportunities.

โ€œFor Etihad Guest, this also signals a new phase of our growth, as we evolve from a loyalty program serving just one airline to one capable of supporting multiple airlines.โ€

For more information on the benefits of Etihad Guest membership, visit www.airseychelles.com/guest or call +248 4391069 / 4381016 / 248 4391366.

The Seychelles Plus program will cease operation on June 15. Retroactive claims for flights on Air Seychelles will be honored on or before June 30, 2012.

In January, Etihad Airways acquired a 40 percent stake in Air Seychelles, and the two airlines now operate 8 return services a week between Abu Dhabi and the Indian Ocean archipelago โ€“ 4 by Air Seychelles and 4 by Etihad Airways.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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