Etihad Airways has announced a new travel platform called Etihad Escapes, unveiled at Arabian Travel Market 2026 in Dubai, that is intended to extend the airline’s commercial relationship with passengers well beyond the flight itself.
The platform launches in October with a single initial function: guests who have booked an Etihad flight will be able to add hotel accommodation directly through Etihad.com, removing the need to use separate booking tools.
From there, Etihad plans to build out the platform through 2027, eventually supporting independent hotel search, combined flight and hotel bookings, loyalty integration with Etihad Guest, and broader travel experiences and ancillary services.
“Our guests already choose Etihad to take them to some of the world’s most exciting destinations. With Etihad Escapes, we want to make the rest of their journey just as easy. This is about building a much deeper relationship with our guests beyond the flight. Over time, Etihad Escapes will bring together flights, hotels, loyalty and other travel experiences in one place, creating a simpler and more personalised way to travel. It also creates an important new growth platform for Etihad and for Abu Dhabi. By connecting the scale of our network with a broader travel offering, and some of Abu Dhabi’s leading visitor experiences, we can bring more visitors to the emirate, help them experience more of Abu Dhabi and support Abu Dhabi’s ambition to welcome 39.3 million visitors* and generate AED 90 billion in tourism GDP by 2030,” Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways said in a statement.
Neves also framed the platform as a tool for Abu Dhabi’s tourism ambitions. The emirate has set targets of welcoming 39.3 million visitors and generating AED 90 billion in tourism GDP by 2030, and Etihad sees Etihad Escapes as a way to direct more of its network traffic toward in-destination spending.
Three partners are involved at launch. Expedia Group B2B will supply the hotel inventory, Juniper Travel Technology is handling the technology infrastructure, and Miral Destinations joins as a launch partner to connect Etihad guests with Abu Dhabi leisure experiences and travel packages. Etihad says it plans to add further suppliers as the platform develops.
The commercial rationale is straightforward. Etihad cites the global holiday market as being valued at approximately US$2.7 trillion, with forecast growth of 6.5 per cent through 2030, and argues that a meaningful share of travel spending happens after the flight is booked. The platform is positioned to capture a portion of that spend from within Etihad’s existing customer base, rather than ceding it to third-party travel sites.
