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Etihad Airways is cutting costs as the airline has lost about $ 5 billion over the past three years. In order to reduce costs, they obtained funds from the airlines in which they had invested (airberlin, Alitalia, Jet Airways, etc.), but they also tried to reduce costs and increase revenues from their own operations. products.
For example, they started selling extra leg seats in economics, they started selling food and drinks in economics, and so on.
The airline has announced the next leg of his trip. I guess they take notes of American as to what they are doing for their integrated product.
Let's look at the details of these changes:
Etihad eliminates televisions on the A320 / A321
Between August and August, Etihad will transform the economic cabins of 23 of its Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft (for the moment, they have 32 in total).
As part of this renovation program, they will install new low-profile seats from the British company Acro, and these new seats Etihad will not be equipped with personal TVs.
Etihad will allow passengers to broadcast wireless entertainment on their smartphones and tablets. They will offer more than 300 hours of free entertainment via the Panasonic eXW system. To view a wider range of content, customers can download the E-BOX STREAM app before traveling.
Etihad says they will not remove the TVs from their jumbo jets. As a result, these changes will only occur on planes flying within five hours of Abu Dhabi.
It is therefore not surprising that Etihad presents this as an "improvement". He describes them as "modern renovated cabins" with "industry-leading seats".
Etihad did not say what the new step would be, nor how many seats they could install as a result of these changes.
They claim that the seats "will provide more room for the knees and are intelligently designed around customers' digital devices with fast charge USB points and an adjustable phone and tablet stand".
Personally, I think it is safe to say that they will significantly increase the number of seats, and that passengers will not find these seats extremely comfortable.
As there is no mention of the addition of wifi, I imagine that this does not happen.
Etihad adjusting the economic restoration
Etihad also introduces a "redesigned and improved" economic restoration concept.
Here's what's changing for economic restoration:
- The main course of the free meal will be a bistro-style meal, "of superior quality, focused on fresh seasonal ingredients and more focused destination choices."
- The new cutlery will be 85% lighter to reduce the weight of the plane and fuel consumption
- On flights of more than three hours, the dessert will be served separately with the tea and coffee service after the meal, which will reduce the clutter of the tray during the main meal (on shorter flights, it will always be served with the main meal).
Etihad has long been offering a menu for purchase, but the program continues to expand. Their "sweet or savory" retail menu will be greatly expanded and will also include more options for kids.
What the CEO of Etihad says
Tony Douglas, CEO of the Etihad Group, said the following about these changes:
"Etihad has always been a challenger brand, shaping the future of the journey according to the ever-changing market. We bring long-standing business leadership and innovation to our award-winning Business, First and The Residence cabins.
As part of our "Choosing the Right" promise, we enable our customers to better control their travel experiences through onboard digital transformation, enhanced choice and redesigned cabs and products.
As the leading full service airline, Etihad adapts to meet the specific needs and requirements of all travelers, offering more of what they really want to enjoy flying. This not only offers more choice and customization, but also ensures that we continue to provide a superior, commercially viable and sustainable service offering. "
Bottom line
Although Etihad sees the seat changes as positive, I think it's quite obvious that it's a cost-cutting initiative. Televisions increase fuel consumption because of their weight, not to mention that they are expensive to install. Etihad instead installs extra-flat seats, which will allow them to integrate more rows in the same space.
I totally disagree with the airlines who think that streaming entertainment replaces entertainment at the back. This is especially true when you consider:
- You need to download the Etihad application to get all the options and many people do not have data when traveling abroad.
- I guess Etihad carries a lot of people who do not have devices that can stream continuously; I hate to say it, but many of them are "imported" workers in the UAE, and Etihad knows they have no control over the airline they serve. So I am not sure that they care about it.
With respect to the changes in catering, we will have to wait to see how important they are. They will continue to have free meals, although I imagine that whatever changes they make will save them money, which makes me skeptical.
Are you surprised to see these changes of Etihad?
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