Etihad Airways will join the airberlin counter card programme, well-known and established incentive programme that is popular with travel agencies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; starting May 1.

Under the scheme, travel agencies with a defined minimum annual sales volume are offered discounts on the net fare for short, medium and long-haul flights as well as additional benefits, a statement from Etihad said.

The programme will reward travel agencies with discounts not only on airberlin flights, but also on flights with Etihad Airways.

Travel agencies can apply to join the counter card programme online via the airberlin partner website – https://partner.airberlin.com.

All permanent travel agency employees are entitled to a counter card, provided that the target turnover is reached, the statement said.
 
Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer at Etihad Airways, said: "This announcement is good news for our valued travel trade partners and will further cement our strategic partnership with airberlin."
 
The two partners are already codesharing a large number of flights. Airberlin passengers can book codeshare flights to destinations such as Bangkok, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Malé, the Seychelles and Singapore.

Similarly, Etihad Airways is selling airberlin flights from the hubs in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich and Milan to cities such as Graz, Helsinki, Innsbruck, Oslo, Vienna and Zurich, plus numerous German domestic destinations and routes to Spain.
 
"At the end of the day, we want to reward the support of our travel trade partners and for them to enjoy all the benefits of selling Etihad Airways and airberlin flights, and to experience for themselves our award-winning service first hand, and at attractive prices," said Baumgartner.

Paul Gregorowitsch, chief commercial officer, airberlin, said: "Etihad Airways joining counter cards is unprecedented in our industry – no other airline is part of the programme. The counter card for travel agencies reinforces our commitment to close cooperation by offering many benefits and privileges to agents who support us and work with us." – TradeArabia News Service