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MANGALURU: For a globetrotting businessman like Praveen D’Souza, who travels to Canada once every 60 days, the commencement of Jet Airways to Abu Dhabi and code share with its strategic partner Etihad Airways has come as a boon. For him, this service will not only save time but also substantial amount of money, when he travels to Canada next.

Jet Airways, with Etihad Airways, will commence its operations to Abu Dhabi from March 29. This service will literally connect this coastal city to the rest of the world. The commencement of this operation will enhance international travel experience from a non-metro city providing global connectivity.

"Earlier I used to fly via Mumbai-Brussels-Toronto. Now I can fly direct from Abu Dhabi to Toronto which will save me at least 10 hours plus Rs 10,000. My current expense on one-way ticket is roughly around Rs 82,000 to Rs 84,000. Jet-Etihad will give me better fares at Rs 70,000 to Rs 72,000,’’ he said.

Passengers travelling from Mangaluru International Airport now can seamlessly connect to Jet Airways codeshare flights on the Etihad network via Abu Dhabi to European destinations, including Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Manchester, Munich and Dublin. This code-share partnership offers passengers the benefit of a large network and significantly greater choice of schedules and connectivity across both airlines.

But the USP of this partnership is that guests can get their Border Security Clearance done at Abu Dhabi, which means that the check-in baggage can be collected at the final destination unlike earlier by guests with other airlines. However, passengers travelling to the United States will have to identify their baggage at customs, fill up the declaration form, and go to the designated gate to board the flight without collecting the baggage.

There will be a layover time of five hours at Abu Dhabi airport while flying to US through this code-share arrangement, giving enough time for passengers to complete the formalities required to fly to European or US destinations. Hitherto, the passengers had to travel via Bangalore/Mumbai for their onward connection to USA, Canada, Europe and other parts of the world. The new route will cut down the travel distance drastically and will also be a boon to travellers.

The code-sharing arrangement is applicable to Middle East destinations like Doha, Dammam, Muscat and Riyadh, offering passengers the convenience of not having to pick up their luggage midway while changing aircraft.

Passenger-friendly
The USP of this partnership is that guests can get their Border Security Clearance done at Abu Dhabi, which means that the check-in baggage can be collected at the final destination unlike earlier by guests with other airs.