Etihad's new service more than just another non-stop flight

Chicago: Few of the approximately 200 guests at Etihad's reception to celebrate the launch of its new non-stop route to the Windy City could pronounce the airline's name correctly.

"This Etti…Etta…This party is something," said one woman.

All around the city's business elite congregated in small groups. It was classic.

Appetisers were served to the crowd as some were introduced to Etihad's new business and first class seats, models of which were set up on the perimeter of the ballroom of the chic downtown hotel. Others gathered near the set-up for the live band that would entertain them later that night.

This was not the first party Etihad has thrown. After all, the airline has opened 56 non-stop routes in less than six years of existence, the equivalent of adding one destination every 40 days.

"This reminds me of the opening of the Melbourne route," said one Etihad employee, recalling the glamour of the Emirates Palace reception last March.

But something was different about this chilly night in mid-October.

Chicago O'Hare was not just another non-stop flight. It was a rite of passage, almost. It signalled this airline was no longer just a new entrant with massive government backing that allowed it to brush aside the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression.

The study and preparation that went into launching this route proved it was not just a prestige stop. Since the first 15-hour flight took off from Abu Dhabi in early September, the average load factor has reached 75 per cent with some flights operating at 90 per cent capacity, according to Etihad figures.

The airline has increased the route's frequency from just one weekly flight in September to four and plans to offer a daily service beginning in January.

"We look at Chicago [O'Hare] as a hub," Etihad's chief executive officer James Hogan said of the second-busiest airport in the world in 2008 by passenger volume.

Sheer volume

According to Airports Council International, a non-profit representative body of world airports, Chicago O'Hare handled 69.3 million passengers in 2008, 2 million passengers more than London Heathrow and almost 20 million more than John F. Kennedy International in New York.

"That presents a huge range of opportunity for connecting traffic," said Hogan. "With our code-share with American Airlines, it means we can feed traffic from Middle America into Chicago."

Hogan added the Chicago route will prove even more successful for the airline as it provides one-stop access into the city for South Asian travellers who now pass through Paris and London.

Earlier that morning, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) signed a "twinning agreement" with Chicago O'Hare.

The agreement calls for the setting up of working groups to study improving safety, security and customer service in both locations. It also means ADAC employees will soon receive training in Chicago.

"This is just the beginning," said Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who visited Abu Dhabi last February to strengthen economic ties.

The mere presence of Daley at the event signified how much the city stands to benefit from the direct connection with Abu Dhabi.

As one of the US's largest and hardest hit cities by the recession, unemployment has hovered around ten per cent since April, hitting a 26-year high of 11.3 per cent in June, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

Etihad's entrance to Chicago means more work for hotels, caterers and ground transportation companies that have suffered during the recession from declining domestic and international air traffic.

"This is very good for us," said Elena Djourovd, a native of Bulgaria and limousine driver for 20 years. Her company, Empire CLS, signed a contract with Etihad to provide ground transportation for the airline's first and business class passengers.

Excitement

Back at the reception, immaculately dressed Etihad stewardesses continued to welcome guests and point out features about the airline's new onboard products. As Daley's entourage headed out, the party continued.

Demand for the gourmet seared salmon, vegetable sambusa and lamb riblets soared.

The excitement was still there. Some attendants even began to ask where Abu Dhabi was on the map as they gradually figured out the pronunciation of the airline's name.

"I'm pretty sure it's Eti-had," said one attendant who had earlier in the night been wondering "what [he] was doing here."