Home » News » “We are moving away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach”: Etihad’s Sarah Built

22 January, 2019

“We are moving away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach”: Etihad’s Sarah Built

If you’re looking to kick off your year with a bang, Etihad has got your back.

The airline started off 2019 with a killer sale, slinging flights to Dublin for as little as $1,033 and Paris from $1,099 return.

The sale was launched as part of Etihad’s new Choose Well brand platform, which highlights the airline’s emphasis on customisation.

To find out more about the new brand platform and see what Etihad have in store for 2019, we sat down with Sarah Built, the airline’s general manager for Australia and New Zealand.

Built told us Etihad launched this sale because January is an ideal time for many Aussies to plan for their year ahead.

“Our amazing Global Sale is designed to inspire Australians to start 2019 right and take a trip to one of our global destinations on their terms,” she said.

“The sale is also underpinned by our new Choose Well brand platform – no matter the type of experience our guests are seeking, it’s now accessible with reduced fares that extend across all of our cabins.”

Etihad_First_Apartment_Landscape copy

According to Built, the Choose Well campaign looks to emphasise the multitude of options for Etihad passengers with a range of unbundled products across first, business and economy classes.

“Today, customers call the shots and they only respect the brands and businesses that recognise this and serve them accordingly,” she said.

“Our future business model is based on guests being able to customise their journey, and we want to be the best airline not by the narrow definition of product supremacy but by being best in the eyes of each individual guest.

“To that end, we are moving away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach and our new customer proposition is an invitation for all to make choices about how they travel, with personalisation at the heart.”

But this doesn’t stop at just your stock standard airline add-ons.

“We’re also pursuing a concept of offering many different product variants on every aircraft, where the person next to you is experiencing something slightly different,” Built told us.

“We want to allow our customers, globally and here in Australia, to define what’s best for them with the choices we offer.”

Etihad Explorers 2

Looking ahead in 2019, Built reiterated Etihad’s commitment to the Australian market.

“Etihad has been flying to Australia for 11 years, and it remains one of our most important markets, both for the airline and for Abu Dhabi’s ambitious tourism objectives,” she said.

“But it simply wouldn’t be possible for us to have achieved what we have in Australia without the invaluable loyalty and support of our travel trade partners.

“It was both humbling and invigorating to host hundreds of members of the travel agent community at our recent 15-year anniversary celebrations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, thanking them for their support while providing more insight into where we’re going and what we plan for the future,” she concluded.

Etihad’s sale fares are available until 12:00am 24 January 2019. Go here for more info.

Advertise with us

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

etihad Sarah Built