“With greater choice now available, more flexibility across both our schedules, and world-leading products and services, together, we now fly approximately 150 guests per day across each other’s networks. Our plan is to grow this number considerably through expansion of the codeshare agreement in the coming months, and to deliver more benefits to our customers.”

The codeshare agreement has seen ‘EY’ and ‘SV’ codes already placed on 14 routes with the addition of Vienna this week. In the coming months, Etihad will place its ‘EY’ code on, Tunis, Sharm El Sheikh and Alexandria. At the same time, Saudia will place its ‘SV’ code on Etihad flights to Tokyo, Nagoya, and Baku. Phase two for the ‘EY’ code will include Algiers, Dhaka and Erbil. And Phase two for the ‘SV’ code will include Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Moscow, Dusseldorf, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Lagos, Minsk, Rabat, Astana, and more points in India.

Director General of Saudi Arabian Airlines His Excellency Engineer Saleh Al-Jasser commented on the agreement: “The codeshare partnership with Etihad Airways enables greater connectivity and access to destinations for our guests. By leveraging each of our networks, we are able to provide a wide array of choice and convenience that lends itself well for business and leisure travellers alike.”

On average, Etihad carries approximately 1.3 million passengers a year to and from the Kingdom. Etihad Cargo carried more than 23,200 tons of cargo between the two countries last year. In November 2018, Jeddah became the first destination on the airline’s network to be operated by Etihad’s Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner. The airline marked last year’s Saudi National Day with a special Year of Zayed A380 flight between Abu Dhabi and Jeddah.

Etihad commenced flights to Riyadh in 2004 with just three flights a week. Today, the airline currently operates 84 flights per week to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: three return flights a day to Riyadh, three return flights a day to Jeddah, four return flights a day to Dammam, and twice daily to Medina.

Corporate Traveller General Manager Oz Desai takes a look at six of the most exciting industry innovations business travellers can look out for during their next trip.

1. Micro hotels and airport sleep capsules

When hotels decided that travel had become needlessly complicated, they introduced micro hotels for travellers wanting a small yet comfortable place to rest their head.

Last year, Yotel opened outposts with rooms as small as seven square metres in Istanbul’s Airport. Similar micro-hotels are popping up around the world.

Airport operators seem to believe business travellers could benefit from even smaller sleeping areas with a new prototype airpod sleep capsule being trialled in Europe in 2018, aimed at travellers needing a power nap when flights are delayed or when facing a long layover.

The units feature ergonomically designed seats that convert into beds, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, air conditioning and air purifiers, power sockets, luggage storage and flight status screens.

• Plastic-free flights
  
  

Companies are becoming creative to help reduce the amount of plastic they use, introducing alternatives such as bamboo straws, paper grocery bags and reusable water bottles.

The travel industry is no exception. At the end of 2018, the world witnessed the first ‘plastic-free’ flight when Portuguese airline, Hi Fly, said it could “no longer ignore” the impact single-use materials have on the environment. The airline replaced plastic cutlery and containers with bamboo and compostable alternatives made from recycled materials.

It doesn’t end there. Ryanair has pledged its flight will be (single-use) plastic-free by 2023, part of a five-year plan to become “the greenest airline” and to eliminate non-recyclable plastics from both its aircraft and company offices.

• A suitcase that follows you around

Do you hate dragging a heavy bag around the airport? Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the rescue!

A Chinese company has invented the first AI-powered suitcase, dubbed Rover Speed, that follows passengers around. The creation uses obstacle-avoidance technology that prevents it from crashing into things and sends a message to a registered smartphone when it finds itself more than two metres away from its owner.

Whether you’re roaming through the duty-free store for deals or rushing to catch a flight, this self-driving suitcase will be right there with you.

• Electric aircraft

Rolls-Royce is working on a design for the world’s fastest all-electric aircraft.

The ACCEL will be a zero-emissions plane that’s capable of speeds of 300 mph, which would make it the speediest all-electric aircraft in history. A team of British designers, engineers, and data specialists recruited from Rolls-Royce and other companies are working on the plane, which they hope will be ready to make its debut in 2020.

• The rise of the robot hotel concierge

The dawn of the robot butler has arrived. Several hotel chains have been testing the technology for a few years now and, the overriding consensus is, robots provide a positive experience for guests.

Last year, Hilton introduced Connie, named for Hilton’s founder Conrad. Connie is a concierge that is able to inform guests about nearby places of interest, plus she provides dining recommendations and general information about the hotel.

The Henn-na Hotel in Japan has taken the technology a step further. At check-in, a velociraptor greets guests at the front desk. Check-in is performed using a touchscreen, while a female Android bats its eyelashes at visitors. In the room, by face recognition, another robot named Churi San can be used to control heating, lighting, provide a weather forecast, and sing at a guest’s request.

• A chatbot at your beck and call

Imagine the following scenario: You are about to fly to France, your boss has asked for a draft of the presentation you thought you would complete on the plane. But you still have a sales meeting to attend, your partner wants to go out for dinner, and you haven’t packed yet.

At this point, a chatbot comes alive on your phone: “Air France is open for online check-in. Would you like your reference number?” The chatbot automatically populates the mobile check-in with your data and gives you a handy weather update: it’s unseasonably cold in Paris.

SAM, or the Smart Assist Mobile application, is a chatbot developed by FCM Travel Solutions that can do just that.

SAM and other AI solutions are still evolving, and there is some way left to go. Still, this friendly travel bot is already simplifying and enhancing the travel experience for corporate travellers today.

These innovations are a clear testament to the fact that the corporate travel world is in constant flux as travel companies are embracing innovations, new technologies and new services.

Desai explains that some innovations, such as robot concierges and automated suitcases, are exciting and fun developments for road warriors, but technological innovations are not limited to just this.

Says Desai: “We can expect technological innovations to continue to have a profound and far-reaching impact on business travel in the years ahead. Advances in technology have unlocked a deeper understanding of how people search, book and experience travel and have therefore made business travel more streamlined and more personalised. A professional travel management company such as Corporate Traveller can help companies and business travellers navigate this fluctuating innovation landscape.”

The latest generation Airbus A330neo and A350 aircraft, will be delivered to Emirates starting from 2021 and 2024 respectively.

In addition, Airbus and Emirates reached an agreement on outstanding A380 deliveries. The airline will receive 14 more A380s from 2019 until the end of 2021, taking its total A380 order book to 123 units.

Commenting on the agreement on A380 deliveries, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “After many months of discussions, we have come to an agreement with Airbus and Rolls-Royce.

“Emirates has been a staunch supporter of the A380 since its very inception. While we are disappointed to have to give up our order, and sad that the programme could not be sustained, we accept that this is the reality of the situation. For us, the A380 is a wonderful aircraft loved by our customers and our crew. It is a differentiator for Emirates. We have shown how people can truly fly better on the A380, and Emirates has set the standards for that by introducing customer experiences that are unique to the A380 like our Shower Spas and Onboard Lounge. The A380 will remain a pillar of our fleet well into the 2030s, and as we have always done, Emirates will continue to invest in our onboard product and services so our customers can be assured that the Emirates A380 experience will always be top-notch.

On the decision to purchase A330Neos and A350s, HH Sheikh Ahmed said: “Emirates’ fleet strategy to operate a young, modern, and efficient all-wide body fleet remains unchanged. The 40 A330neos and 30 A350s that we are ordering today will complement Emirates’ fleet mix, support our network growth, and give us more flexibility to better serve seasonal or opportunistic demand. Both the A330neos and A350s will play an important role in our future fleet and network plans.”

The A330neos will be deployed on Emirates’ regional destinations, and also enable the airline to serve smaller airports and thereby open new routes and connectivity for its global network. The A350s will supplement Emirates’ long-haul operations, providing the carrier with added flexibility in terms of capacity deployment on 8 to 12 hour missions from its Dubai hub.

Once the changes take effect, the airline will fly all 28 weekly services to China’s four main gateways – Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai and Hong Kong – with the next generation Dreamliner aircraft.

The 787-9 service to Chengdu will feature Etihad Airways’ next-generation Business and Economy cabins, configured with 299 seats – 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. The upgrade of aircraft will also see an increase in belly-hold cargo capacity of four tonnes.

The 787-10 service to Shanghai will be configured with 336 seats – 32 Business Studios and 304 Economy Smart. Belly-hold cargo capacity will be increased by two and a half tonnes.

Robin Kamark, Etihad Aviation Group Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are delighted to include Chengdu to our growing list of Dreamliner destinations. The move marks a milestone for Etihad as all our Chinese gateways will now be served by these technologically advanced aircraft, ensuring our guests experience the latest in-flight product innovations. We are equally pleased to be upgrading our Shanghai flights to our 787-10 aircraft.”

“China is an incredibly important market for Etihad and we have significantly grown our presence there since launching services to Beijing in 2008. Abu Dhabi’s non-oil trade shows that China is among the top-five countries with key trade relations with the emirate. We look forward to building on these strong foundations and for our guests to experience our 787 Dreamliner product on their flights to and from China.”

Etihad Airways recently celebrated 10 years of direct flights between Abu Dhabi and China, the capital-capital airlink was launched in 2008. Since 2008, the airline has carried over four and a half million passengers between Abu Dhabi and China.

The airline has witnessed significant yearly growth in passenger numbers on its services to and from China, further boosted by codeshare agreements with partner airlines and the mutual visa-exemption policy between the UAE and China, implemented in January 2018.

Smooth skies

Even frequent fliers won’t enjoy turbulence.

According to a cabin attendant on Quora, there is less chance of turbulence during a morning flight and thunderstorms generally occur later in the day.

However, Paul Williams, a Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, told Business Insider the very first flight of the day should generally be avoided: “Avoid flying on the first flight, the first departure from any airport on any route, simply because that airspace has been unexplored overnight and we generally have no idea how turbulent that atmosphere has been,” he said.

Avoid delays

A delayed flight can be critical for business travellers on a tight schedule. Save time by ensuring that you check in online and make it to the airport on time.

A ‘rolling delay’ occurs when a flight’s arrival or departure time is recurrently pushed back and is deemed unknown. This is not always the airline’s fault and often occurs in periods of bad weather.

While cancellations can have serious knock-on effects, some research suggests the earlier the fight, the less likely of a delay.

Based on data gathered by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the best time to fly might be between 06h00 and 07h00. Flights scheduled to depart in that timeframe arrived on average 8.6 minutes late. Those that took off before 06h00 or between 07h00 and 08h00 were also fairly punctual.

Sweeping cancellations and rolling delays often occur during hurricane season and in snowy winter months, when icy conditions can have a serious impact on airport operations.

Cost savings

Just like popular routings, preferred flight times can cost a premium.

Mid-morning and mid-afternoon flights usually cost more, while early morning flights and late-night departures can be found cheaper. If you are on a tight schedule, consider a flight that leaves around noon, as lunchtime trips are generally cheaper. Chances are that the morning’s traffic will have cleared by the time you leave for the airport, too.

The Association of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA) reveals the truth behind some of the most convincing travel myths of all time.

Myth 1: Jetlag is caused by a lack of sleep

While popular belief would have it that jetlag is caused by lack of sleep, it has much more to do with the physical shock to our bodies’ circadian rhythms as we travel across various time zones.

So, even if you pop a sleeping tablet to get some shut-eye on your next long-haul flight, you’re not really helping to mitigate the impacts of jetlag.

For more on jetlag, read our article here

Myth 2: Airplanes are the breeding grounds for viruses

There is a common misconception that travelling in the confined space of an aircraft combined with the recycled air circulating throughout is the ideal breeding place for illnesses and diseases.

While it is true that air might be recycled, it is also true that it is filtered. More often than not while travelling, fatigue and a change in environment contribute to your sudden susceptibility for minor illnesses such as colds and flu. The golden rule is to keep hydrated by drinking lots of water and washing your hands regularly.

Myth 3: Organised tours only offer a less authentic experience

There’s a perception that guided tours are the domain of more mature travellers, that they are inflexible and that you will be travelling with individuals with whom you’re likely to have little in common.

Experiencing a destination on your own terms can be exciting, but the experts who put together these guided tours specialize in finding interesting elements and experiences you would not necessarily discover on your own.

If you want to experience a city in-depth, consider doing both? Spend a few hours’ free time in a city exploring yourself, but let the experts take care of all the other details so you don’t have to by joining a guided tour.

Myth 4: Planes are the fastest way to travel

Travelling at speeds of up to 1000km/h, it may seem like a no-brainer that travelling by plane is the quickest way to get around.

Well often yes, but not always. In Europe especially, if you factor in the time, effort and money spent just to get to the airport, good old train travel may prove to be a quicker and more stress-free experience.