Etihad Airways To Launch Dallas-UAE Flights in 2014
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Etihad Airways said Thursday that beginning in a year it will offer three round-trip flights per week between the United Arab Emirates and Dallas, making it the fifth U.S. city served by the Persian Gulf carrier.
"This new flight from Etihad Airways demonstrates that the Dallas/Fort Worth region continues to grow as one of the most vital business and tourism centers in the world, and it demonstrates the continuing benefit of having a world-class airport to help drive international growth," said Sean Donohue, Chief Executive Officer of DFW Airport. "We are confident the combination of DFW Airport and Etihad Airways will create an outstanding travel experience for customers."
The airline plans to use 237-passenger Boeing 777 jets to fly between Dallas and Abu Dhabi. The planes will include eight seats in first class, 40 in business class and 189 in economy.
Like Middle Eastern competitors Emirates and Qatar Airways, Etihad has been expanding service to the United States, raising objections from some U.S. airlines. Qatar announced last week that it will begin daily nonstop flights between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Doha next July.
Etihad said that its Dallas flights would begin Dec. 3, 2014, and depart on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The airline expects many passengers to come from the oil and gas industry.
The addition of Etihad Airways further extends DFW's record expansion of air service, in which the Airport has added 23 new international services and ten new airline partners in the past three years. With this announcement, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport now serves a total of 206 destinations, with Abu Dhabi set to become DFW's 58th international destination.
Etihad already flies to New York, Washington and Chicago and plans to add Los Angeles in June.
(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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