Etihad Airways has won the 2008 ‘WebAward’ for outstanding achievement in website development and in recognition of industry-wide praise for its innovative online marketing strategy.

WebAward is an annual awards event organised by the US-based Web Marketing Association. The awards recognise the best websites across nearly 100 different industry sectors in 47 countries across the world, based on nominations received from thousands of digital agencies, website developers and marketing departments.

'To be judged the most outstanding airline website by the Web Marketing Association is a great honour and testament to the significant investment we continue to place in online marketing,' said Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ executive vice president marketing and product.

'At the heart of our strategy is the provision of an integrated full-service website, which offers our customers the ability to plan their journey, book their tickets, check-in and even select their favourite seat,' he added.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline’s website, etihadairways.com, offers users a booking engine which is fully integrated with the airline’s loyalty programme and customer relationship management (CRM) applications which further enhance personal contact with customers.

Further new features to be added include a flexible price search engine and real-time communication facilities for mobile technology devices such as WAP (wireless application protocol).

Earlier this year, Etihad picked up the top ‘gongs’ at both the ‘Freddie’ and Pan Arab Web awards.-TradeArabia News Service