Etihad is offering more reduced "deal" fares for travellers not checking in luggage.
Etihad's hand-baggage-only fares give travellers flying in economy class the option of booking a cheaper ticket to select destinations when travelling light.
Previously, the fare was only available on flights to destinations in the GCC, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Azerbaijan.
From today, the national airline of the UAE is introducing similar fares on 14 other destinations for flights in July and August.
Countries that now have economy deal fares are Belarus, Greece, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Turkey.
At the time of publishing, the rates for the deal fares were unavailable on Etihad's website, but The National has contacted the airline for details of the reductions.
Cheaper tickets and 12kg allowance
Coronavirus restrictions mean that travellers booking these deal fares will be able to check their hand-baggage in, free of charge, as currently only personal items are allowed in the cabin. Travellers can also take a personal item on-board, such as a handbag, laptop bag or backpack, with a 5 kilogram weight limit.
Effectively, this means that travellers booking these reduced deal fares will be able to fly with a total of 12 kilograms of baggage (7kg of "hand-baggage" and 5kg as a personal item) which is more than enough for a short break.
“Following its success within the GCC region, we are excited to include more destinations that are six hours or less from Abu Dhabi to our ‘Deal Fare’, giving our guests more options to pack light when travelling for business, weekend getaways or day trips," said Robin Kamark, chief commercial officer at Etihad.
“Due to current government restrictions in place while travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic, guests are only allowed to bring 5kg of personal hand luggage on board while the complimentary 7kg carry-on baggage allowance attached to the ‘Deal Fare’ will be checked in for free until restrictions are lifted," explained Kamark.
Travellers who are Etihad guest members can get take even more luggage with them for free. Frequent flyers who purchase "deal" fares are allowed an additional checked baggage allowance ranging from 10 kilograms for silver members to 20 kilograms for Platinum.
Etihad is resuming flights across its network and currently has services scheduled to 58 destinations to, from and through Abu Dhabi.
Travellers flying with the Abu Dhabi airline can also book at-home Covid-19 tests if travelling to a country that requires them to have this. Etihad has partnered with Mediclinic to provide this service.
Etihad is Flying to These Destinations
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
- English Premier League
- Spanish Primera Liga
- Italian, French and Scottish leagues
- Wimbledon and other tennis majors
- Formula One
- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
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