Air Seychelles brings Indian ocean islands closer to United States with new codeshare flights

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has established one-stop air connections to six cities in the United States as part of a major expansion to its codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways.

As part of the deal, Air Seychelles will codeshare on transatlantic flights operated by Etihad Airways between Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Abu Dhabi, where travellers have convenient four-hour flights with Air Seychelles to Mahé, the biggest island in the archipelago.

Both legs of the journey are combined on one single ticket with the Etihad Airways “EY” or the Air Seychelles “HM” flight code and travellers can earn frequent flier miles on each flight.

Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said: “This is a fantastic development that has expanded our network reach across the Atlantic for the first time, providing American travellers with easy connections to the Indian Ocean islands.

“By working together with Etihad Airways we have established air links between Seychelles and six of the most important cities in the United States, from the vibrant, 24-hour metropolis of New York to the entertainment capital and home of Hollywood, Los Angeles.

“The Seychelles is becoming increasingly popular with travellers from the United States, with over 6,000 having visited last year, representing a year-on-year increase of more than 33 per cent, and with this codeshare we can continue to grow this number.

“At the same time, Seychellois travelling to the United States will now have more choice, convenience and flexibility when planning their trips abroad. The United States Customs and Border Protection facility at Terminal 3 in Abu Dhabi Airport is a purpose-built facility that allows US bound passengers to process all immigration, customs and agriculture inspections in Abu Dhabi before they depart, so that when they arrive, they will be treated as domestic passengers, meaning they will save time connecting to other flights or on to their final destination.

“Our codeshare deal with Etihad Airways perfectly encapsulates the power of partnerships, as it has enabled us to connect our beautiful islands to destinations on all sides of the world, providing more travel options to those daydreaming of a little time out in paradise.”

Jöel Morgan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport and Air Seychelles’ Chairman, said: “This, most recent, development of the existing partnership between Air Seychelles and Etihad Airways has now expanded our brand as a carrier to the sixth continent, reflecting our continuing efforts to build our presence in emerging travel markets. Establishing this air bridge will give additional push to the growth of inbound tourism to Seychelles, and is another successful milestone for our national airline and Seychelles.”

The new codeshare flights will be available for travel from 1 August and for purchase from 20 July through travel agents, by visiting www.airseychelles.com or etihad.com, or by calling the Air Seychelles or Etihad Airways contact centres.