Passengers flying Etihad Airways to the US or Europe have been urged to check the
airline’s website for the latest on the status of their respective flight schedules, in order to minimise travel inconveniencies and delays occasioned by extreme wintry weather.
Speaking exclusively to Alrroya.com, the airline’s Vice President in charge of airport and network operations Chris Youlten, revealed that most members of Etihad’s operations team have been working round-the-clock to ensure passengers get to their respective destinations with minimal delays and disruptions.
“Continuous communication is very essential in this situation,” Youlten said, adding “Our team members have been in constant communication with affected passengers whether in Europe or New York.”
With blizzards currently bashing some North American states including New York, Boston and Philadelphia, Youlten said that the wintry weather and closure of airports serving New York has had significantly small effect on Etihad’s networks.
“Learning from history, we deal with weather-related issues virtually seven months earlier in the year, so we were well prepared to handle the situation well,” the executive said.
JFK, La Guardia and Newark in temporary lock-down
Three airports serving New York - JFK, La Guardia and Newark Liberty International Airport - and also Boston's Logan and Philadelphia International were closed for more than 16 hours and nearly 7,000 flights were cancelled on Sunday and Monday. Many flights are still experiencing severe delays because of strong winds and what remains of the snow.
“This morning, for instance, when we heard that our flight from Abu Dhabi to New York would be delayed by 12 hours, we immediately conveyed the information to our guests, and those affected have been taken care of well by being provided with the essentials they need to keep themselves warm, like meals and hotels accommodation,” Youlten said.
During the week preceding Christmas, Etihad Airways delayed all flights to London due to the closure of Heathrow airport. On December 18, two flights to London were diverted to Manchester and another to Frankfurt. The airline said that passengers on the Manchester flight were transferred to London via coach, while the passengers in Frankfurt received hotel or lounge accommodation.
“Continued focus on efficiency and delay-free services has been our guiding principle,” the executive said, adding, “Our motto has always been putting our customers first and therefore we have continued to keep our passengers informed throughout in order to mitigate the effects of the inconveniences that may arise as a result of unexpected delays.”
A quick look at the Skytrax website where air passengers post their reviews and trip reports about airlines seems to agree with Youlten’s avowal.
Australian national L. Muir who travelled on December 22 wrote: “Abu Dhabi to Heathrow was cancelled, Etihad handled the situation well and hotel was fantastic with meal vouchers.” Similarly, M. Mair, a Briton posted: “Manchester-Abu Dhabi-Bangkok in Business class. The chauffeur service makes a good start for the trip. Crew was very attentive and efficient.”
Early last week, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that it warned some airlines against mistreating their passengers during the current bad weather, saying the airlines had not met their obligations to customers, including rights such as refunds, meals and hotel accommodation. The authority however, did not name the offending airlines.
On the issue of market liberalisation, Youlten had this to say: “Liberalisation is inevitable. What the market is experiencing today is what there used to be 40 years ago, the only difference is that the script has changed."
The UAE’s plans to expand Etihad and Emirates Airlines global operations have resulted in a protracted row with Ottawa, following the latter’s denial of more landing rights in Canada to UAE’s carriers. Etihad and Emirates airlines operate six flights a week from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Toronto. Executives from Lufthansa, Air France and British Airways have also voiced their concerns, warning recently that UAE carriers could destroy their businesses if their aggressive expansion plans are not checked.
Airport security spend to hit Dh212m by 2015
Refusing to be drawn in the Canadian-UAE fiasco, Youlten said “Our operations are geared towards our organisation’s current and future expansion strategies and plans. Therefore we hope that governments open up their markets without putting restrictions.”
Emirates and Etihad have between them more than 300 wide-body aircraft on order from Boeing and Airbus, including large numbers of the biggest commercial airplanes flying today, the double-decker A-380s.
There’s no doubt that airport and airline security is a major concern right now for airlines. The current Middle East Airport Security Market Assessment Report (Measma) states that spending in this sector has increased from 2008’s Dh127.7 million. The study also estimates the region accounts for 14.4 per cent of the global Critical Infrastructure Protection Market.
With the aviation industry increasingly facing challenges due to increase in the levels of international terrorism, Youlten told Alrroya.com that airports and airlines have hard to invest in the latest security technology in order to stay on top of the game.
“At Etihad, our response to security is uncompromising. We have made significant investment in it as it’s an ever changing environment,” the executive said, adding “Security is like fuel. You’ve got to have it and make good use of it.”
Etihad operates close to 1000 flights per week with its fleet of 56 aircraft, serving an international network of 66 destinations in 43 countries, from its main base in Abu Dhabi International Airport. In Dubai, the new Al Maktoum International airport at Jebel Ali is expected to be five times larger than the current Dubai International Airport. And will handle 120 million passengers annually.
With the increase in new airport construction in the Middle East, the need to boost and modernise airport security in the region will increase spending in this sector to Dh212 million by 2015, according to the security research.
An aviation operations expert, Youlten has more than 25 years of aviation experience gained in the Far East, the United Kingdom, US as well as in his native Australia.
He joined Etihad Airways in September 2008, initially holding the position of Head of Operations Planning, before becoming Vice President Network Operations and finally assuming his current post of Vice President Airport and Network Operations.
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