Etihad launches Etihad Escapes to take the journey beyond the flight

Etihad launches Etihad Escapes to extend booking beyond flights; platform due in October

Etihad Airways today unveiled Etihad Escapes, a new travel platform designed to let guests plan and book elements of their trip beyond their flight. The service, announced at Arabian Travel Market 2026 in Dubai, will launch in October and initially enable passengers with an Etihad flight booking to add hotel accommodation directly through Etihad.com. Etihad says the platform is the first phase of a broader multi-year rollout that will integrate flights, hotels, loyalty and ancillary travel services into a single digital experience through 2027 and beyond.

“This is about building a much deeper relationship with our guests beyond the flight,” Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said. “Over time, Etihad Escapes will bring together flights, hotels, loyalty and other travel experiences in one place, creating a simpler and more personalised way to travel.”

At launch, Etihad Escapes will let customers who already hold an Etihad flight booking add hotel accommodation without leaving Etihad.com, removing the need to assemble trips across multiple platforms. Subsequent phases will allow customers to search and book hotels independently, combine flights and hotels in an integrated booking flow, and progressively introduce personalisation, Etihad Guest loyalty integration, and a wider range of travel experiences and ancillary services via the Etihad app.

• Technology and inventory partners named for the initial launch include Expedia Group B2B for hotel inventory and Juniper Travel Technology for the platform infrastructure.
• Miral Destinations will join as a launch partner to help curate Abu Dhabi experiences and travel packages around the emirate’s leisure destinations.

Etihad frames Etihad Escapes as both a customer experience enhancement and a commercial growth engine. The carrier points to the global holiday market, valued at approximately US$2.7 trillion and forecast to grow at an annualised rate of 6.5% to 2030, as a major opportunity to capture travel spend “beyond the flight.” The airline also tied the platform to Abu Dhabi’s tourism ambitions, referencing the Tourism Strategy 2030 target of 39.3 million visitors and AED 90 billion in tourism GDP by 2030.

Neves emphasised the strategic intent to convert network growth into greater destination spend: “By connecting the scale of our network with a broader travel offering, and some of Abu Dhabi’s leading visitor experiences, we can bring more visitors to the emirate, help them experience more of Abu Dhabi and support Abu Dhabi’s ambition to welcome 39.3 million visitors and generate AED 90 billion in tourism GDP by 2030.”

The platform is being developed using a combination of Etihad’s in-house capabilities and the named strategic partners, with plans to onboard additional travel suppliers and partners as Etihad Escapes evolves. Longer-term integration will include the Etihad app and Etihad Guest loyalty programme, enabling greater personalisation and a unified servicing experience across booking and travel.

For Etihad, the initiative represents a way to capture a larger share of customer spend while enhancing route economics for Abu Dhabi through increased visitor numbers and destination expenditure. The October rollout will mark the first commercial availability of the service, with broader functionality and partner expansion scheduled through 2027.