Seamless rail and coach connections with Etihad Airways flights from two UK gateways are to be offered via agents and the airline’s online booking platform.
Sixteen destinations westbound from Heathrow on Great Western Railway will be available, ranging from Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Oxford and Swansea to Penzance, Plymouth and St Austell.
Additional inter-city coach services operated by National Express to 28 towns and cities from Heathrow and five from Manchester airport are also included.
The air-rail collaboration comes via an expanded partnership with Canadian-based AccesRail which is present on most global GDS systems to allow users to book air and rail travel on the same itinerary.
The UAE carrier’s passengers can connect to and from international flights to rail and coach services using Etihad’s ‘EY’ code.
The expanded arrangement includes seven rail routes on Germany’s Deutsche Bahn from Frankfurt Main airport and 28 cities across Italy via rail operator, Trenitalia, subject to government approval.
Etihad Airways has operated a similar agreement with SNCF, providing codeshare services to 20 destinations on the French domestic rail network from the airline’s Paris gateway.
The airline’s alliances and partnerships vice president Ali Saleh said: “This is a tremendous product, which provides convenient rail or coach connections at some of our key gateways in Europe, enabling customers to commence their Etihad journey from multiple domestic points with the best fares available, all on the same itinerary and ticket.
“As we aim to personalise the guest experience in-flight by providing more choice and greater customisation, we continue to source more strategic partnerships which will mirror this on the ground, giving options and benefits to the many who choose to travel with us in Europe.
“We soon hope to expand the partnership with AccesRail to more continents.”
AccesRail business development vice president Andrew Popescu added: “Through this enhanced AccesRail partnership, Etihad will be able, now and in the future, to offer its customers more destinations and more possibilities.”