ABU DHABI // With the end of Ramadan just days away, Etihad Airways is bracing itself for the start of the peak summer season as thousands of travellers jet off for the Eid Al Fitr holidays from this weekend.
Also coinciding with the end of the Holy Month is the end of the school year and the start of the traditional summer season.
The airline is expecting it to be particularly busy from June 22 to August 24 with an estimated 3.3 million passengers flying from Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Etihad is urging customers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their scheduled flight.
Economy check-in for non-US flights opens three hours before departure and closes one hour before departure.
People travelling to the US must check in two hours before departure and present themselves at the US Customs and Border Protection facility no later than 60 minutes before departure, said Etihad.
“Once at the airport, those with an electronic or printed boarding pass can use the dedicated bag drop desks in Terminal 3 and proceed to immigration more quickly than ever,” said Etihad.
“Smart Travel e-gates are available for registered UAE nationals and residents.”
Electronic devices larger than a smartphone should be packed into checked luggage for US-bound flights.
Those wishing to carry their devices to the airport will be guided to a re-packing point before screening at the airport’s US immigration area, where the items will be placed into secure cases, for collection on arrival in the US.
On select mornings in Terminal 3 between June 21 and 24, a specially dedicated ‘Family Check-in’ area will be available for guests travelling with young children and infants.
All Etihad Airways flights to India have moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3, with flights to Morocco moving from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1.
Customers travelling in The Residence, First or Business Class, and Etihad Guest Platinum and Gold members can use the premium check-in facility at Terminal 3, regardless of destination.
And extra airline staff will be available to provide assistance at the airport along with and additional signage.
The airline is offering special rewards for those using the ‘moonlight check-in’ service, which is available until July 5 at Abu Dhabi International Airport Terminal 3.
It allows passengers for all non-US flights to check in four to eight hours before their scheduled departure at specially marked moonlight counters in Terminal 3, between 4am and 6am, and 4pm and 6pm.
Those using this limited-time service will get an additional 5kg of checked baggage, 2,500 Etihad Guest Miles, and vouchers for select Duty Free and food and beverage outlets.
Early check-in is also available in Dubai Travel Mall, and at the Al Ain and Abu Dhabi City Terminals and there are self-service kiosks in Terminals 1 and 3.
Passengers can also check in 49 hours before departure with the Etihad Airways mobile app or online at etihad.com.
nhanif@thenational.ae
WORLD RECORD FEES FOR GOALKEEPERS
1) Kepa Arrizabalaga, Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (£72m)
2) Alisson, Roma to Liverpool (£67m)
3) Ederson, Benfica to Manchester City (£35m)
4) Gianluigi Buffon, Parma to Juventus (£33m)
5) Angelo Peruzzi, Inter Milan to Lazio (£15.7m
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
%3Cp%3EFirst%20ODI%20-%20Sunday%2C%20June%204%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESecond%20ODI%20-%20Tuesday%2C%20June%206%20%0D%3Cbr%3EThird%20ODI%20-%20Friday%2C%20June%209%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMatches%20at%20Sharjah%20Cricket%20Stadium.%20All%20games%20start%20at%204.30pm%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Adithya%20Shetty%2C%20Ali%20Naseer%2C%20Ansh%20Tandon%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Basil%20Hameed%2C%20Ethan%20D%E2%80%99Souza%2C%20Fahad%20Nawaz%2C%20Jonathan%20Figy%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Lovepreet%20Singh%2C%20Matiullah%2C%20Mohammed%20Faraazuddin%2C%20Muhammad%20Jawadullah%2C%20Rameez%20Shahzad%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Sanchit%20Sharma%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
