Etihad reward scheme now has 500,000 members

A reward programme launched by Etihad Airways has reached the milestone of 500,000 members, it has been announced.The scheme, called Etihad Guest, was launched in 2006 and sees frequent fliers rewarded through a multitude of benefits.Mohammed Al Jurishy from Abu Dhabi was the 500,000th member and was presented with a gift of 100,000 miles for his loyalty.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad executive vice-president for marketing, said: “It is a fantastic achievement that 500,000 customers have joined the programme in a little more than two years.”

Etihad was launched in 2003 with its first flight to Al Ain and has since provided services to almost 14 million passengers going on more than 87,000 flights.

Its fleet has now grown to 39 aircraft and the company has won over 40 awards for its services.

The carrier launched a number of new services during 2008 – including flights to Chennai and Belarus – and is to begin flights to Melbourne in March next year.