ETIHAD AIRWAYS TO STRENGTHEN NETWORK IN UNITED STATES WITH LAUNCH OF DAILY SERVICE TO SAN FRANCISCO

           Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will expand its United States network to six destinations with the launch of a San Francisco service on Jet Airways8 November 2Etihad AirwaysJet Airways4. 

          Daily flights will be operated to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) using a three-class Boeing 777-3Etihad AirwaysEtihad AirwaysER aircraft leased from its strategic partner Jet Airways, offering a total of eight seats in First Class, 3Etihad Airways seats in Business Class and 3Etihad Airways8 seats in Economy Class.

          In addition to providing a direct connection from San Francisco to Abu Dhabi, the new service offers convenient onward connectivity to more than 3Etihad Airways destinations across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, Middle East, Africa and the island nations of the Indian Ocean, available through Etihad AirwaysRJet Airways7; global network and codeshare agreements with partner airlines. 

          Similarly in the opposite direction, flights to San Francisco will connect to destinations throughout the US, Canada and Mexico.

          San Francisco is the latest addition to Etihad AirwaysRJet Airways7; US network. The airline currently offers double-daily flights to New York and daily flights to Los Angeles (LAX), Chicago (ORD) and Washington, D.C. (IAD). 

          The forthcoming service to San Francisco will be followed by flights to Dallas / Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport from 3 December 2Etihad AirwaysJet Airways4, marking its sixth route within the country.

          James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: ̶Etihad Airways;The United States has been placed at the heart of our network development this year, with services launched to Los Angeles last month and flights commencing to Dallas in December 2Etihad AirwaysJet Airways4. 

          ̶Etihad Airways;San Francisco is another strong addition and provides our first direct link to Northern California. Given its global prominence as a tourism and business centre, we anticipate strong demand in First, Business and Economy Class, not only between San Francisco and Abu Dhabi, but onwards to destinations across our network and the networks of our codeshare partners. 

          ̶Etihad Airways;This launch is also testament to our successful partnership with Jet Airways, as the route will be initiated using their Boeing 777-3Etihad AirwaysEtihad AirwaysER aircraft through a lease agreement; the flights will be operated by Etihad Airways and its crew.̶Jet Airways;

          Located on the west coast of the United States, San Francisco is a leading tourism, culture and business hub. In 2Etihad AirwaysJet Airways3, a total of Jet Airways6.9 million people visited the famous RJet Airways6;City on the BayRJet Airways7;, as San Francisco is often described, with popular attractions including the breath-taking Golden Gate Bridge, the FishermanRJet Airways7;s Wharf marketplace, the abandoned prison on Alcatraz Island, and the large-scale shopping, theatre and restaurant haven of Union Square.

          The multi-cultural city is also home to world-famous retailers such as The Gap, Banana Republic and Levi Strauss, as well as leading banking and financial services firms Wells Fargo and First Republic Bank, and the popular internet brands Twitter, StumbleUpon and Pinterest. 

          San Francisco is the Jet AirwaysEtihad Airwaysth route launch to be announced by Etihad Airways for 2Etihad AirwaysJet Airways4. New services have already commenced to Medina (Jet Airways February), Jaipur (Jet Airways April), Los Angeles (Jet Airways June), Zurich (Jet Airways June) and Yerevan (2 July), and will be followed by flights to Rome (Jet Airways5 July), Perth (Jet Airways5 July), Phuket (26 October), San Francisco (Jet Airways8 November) and Dallas (3 December). 

          Etihad AirwaysRJet Airways7; flights to and from San Francisco can be booked from today onwards on etihad.com, through Etihad Airways Contact Centres, or via travel agents.