Etihad-Aer Lingus Codeshare Gains US Regulatory Approval

Etihad Airways has received approval from the US Department of Transportation to put its ‘EY’ flight code on Aer Lingus’ transatlantic services out of Dublin.

From today Etihad Airways will offer 10 weekly codeshare flights via Dublin to Boston, eight to Chicago, 12 to New York.

One of the significant aspects for Etihad passengers flying on Aer Lingus’ planes to New York and Chicago is that they can now pre-clear US Customs and Border Protection in Dublin, effectively arriving in the US as domestic passengers.

US regulatory approval follows last July’s announcement of an interline and codeshare agreement between the respective airlines.

Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ chief strategy and planning officer, said UAE travellers and beyond now have greater access to the American market via Dublin.

Etihad already places its ‘EY’ flight code on Aer Lingus flights between Dublin and Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Kerry, Lisbon, London Heathrow, Manchester and Stockholm.

In addition, the airline offers codeshare flights on Aer Lingus services from London and Manchester to Dublin, Cork and Shannon, from London to Belfast and from Cork to Amsterdam.

In return, Aer Lingus has placed its ‘EI’ flight code on services operated by Etihad Airways between Abu Dhabi and Dublin, Bahrain, Kuala Lumpur, London, Manchester, Melbourne, Muscat and Sydney.

Both airlines said they continue to discuss “additional commercial and cost opportunities”. Etihad holds a 2.987 per cent equity stake in Aer Lingus.