While Middle Eastern airlines are well-known for a level of luxury not offered by carriers based in other parts of the world, the difficulties around experiencing it come down not just to having the thousands of dollars it will cost for a business or even first class ticket, but also one's final destination.
Airlines such as Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways will fly between major U.S. cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles to Middle Eastern cities like Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.
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'Cities that embody experiences, adventures and opportunities'
As part of the airline's efforts to reach more customers and keep up with competitors, United Arab Emirates-based Etihad announced 10 new routes to cities across the world.
In the U.S., this means a new route between Abu Dhabi and Atlanta. The city becomes the airline's fifth U.S. destination after New York-JFK, Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C. and a sixth North American one with Canada's Toronto.
For the other nine routes, Etihad is honing in on more nearby Asian destinations such as Hong Kong, Taipei, Indonesia's Medan, Cambodia's Phnom Penh, Vietnam's Hanoi and Thailand's Krabi and Chiang Mai. The other new flights include two flights between Abu Dhabi and the North African capitals of Tunis and Algiers.
"This expansion reflects our commitment to listening to our valued guests," Etihad CEO Antonaldo Neves said in a statement. "We've carefully chosen cities that embody the experiences, adventures, and opportunities that matter to them. Whether seeking inspiring landscapes, vibrant cultural experiences, reuniting with family and friends, pursuing business growth, or educational journeys, our new routes will help make their travel dreams a reality."
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The Atlanta route will launch on July 2, 2025 and run four times a week on an Airbus A350-1000 (EADSF) . The airline typically uses these aircraft for its long-haul routes to the U.S. and Tokyo as they can accommodate 371 passengers — including 44 in business and nine in its elusive cabin-style first class.
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New routes also meant to promote Abu Dhabi as a luxury travel destination
Launching a few months sooner than the others announced by Etihad, the Abu Dhabi-Atlanta flight will offer a blow to main UAE competitor Emirates, which flies to cities such as Orlando, Chicago and Seattle in the U.S. but not to Atlanta.
Qatar Airways, meanwhile, does offer a route between Atlanta and the Qatari capital of Doha. The Etihad route will run on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays and leave Abu Dhabi at 9:30 a.m. to arrive 16 hours later at 4:30 p.m. Atlanta time.
The new routes also mark efforts to promote international travel not just to the UAE hub of Dubai but also its capital of Abu Dhabi.
The Asian routes, in particular, are being launched with the goal of upping the flow of quick city hopping-style tourism to the city from the region.
"This moment is not just about expanding our network; it’s about sharing Abu Dhabi with the world," Neves said further. "With its endless sunshine, diverse cuisine, rich culture, exhilarating family theme parks, and safe, beautiful beaches, Abu Dhabi offers something for everyone."
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