Etihad introduces hand baggage-only 'deal' fares to 14 new routes, including India, Pakistan and Turkey

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. 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 introduces hand baggage-only 'deal' fares to 14 new routes, including India, Pakistan and Turkey

The offer allows economy passengers to book cheaper tickets when travelling with only a small amount of luggage