Etihad staff travel to Beirut, Amman and Cairo: how Levant crew do the short commute home and what it costs on the ID tickets
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#1 Applying to Etihad from Beirut and I asked the Etihad crew I know from home a very specific question that nobody on the forum has answered for Etihad: how does the short commute home work in practice on Etihad staff travel, and what does it actually cost. Here are their answers, compiled, because I think the Levant and Egyptian applicants need this before the family conversation.
The routes
Etihad flies Abu Dhabi to Beirut, Amman and Cairo daily or more. Beirut is under four hours, Amman about three, Cairo about four. All are day trips in principle.
The tickets
ID90 style standby tickets on Etihad's own network from early in the contract, and confirmed discounted tickets after a period. The standby is a fraction of the fare plus taxes; for Beirut the crew quoted numbers that are less than a decent dinner in Abu Dhabi. Confirmed tickets cost more but guarantee the seat, which matters on the Beirut route in summer when every seat is a family going home.
How often crew actually go
The Lebanese crew I asked go home every six to eight weeks for one or two nights. The Jordanians similar. The Egyptians a bit more often because of the extra Cairo frequencies. Nobody goes every week; the roster has to give two consecutive days off and the flight has to have a seat.
The rules the experienced ones follow
Never standby home the night before a duty. Go on the first of two off days. Have a backup flight in mind, including on other carriers where staff travel agreements exist. Keep the passport and the residence visa in order because a standby seat on a full flight can mean a night in Beirut and a very early return.
What it changes
The crew said the same thing the Emirates thread said: the short commute is why the Levant crew last. A parent's illness, a sibling's wedding, Eid: reachable. The rules of the accommodation and the distance from the city feel smaller when home is a short flight.
The one Etihad specific thing
Abu Dhabi is a smaller operation than the neighbour and the Levant crew community is correspondingly smaller. The crew said that makes the community closer and the commute home more important, because the city gives you less than Dubai does.
If any Etihad Levant crew read this and I have got something wrong, correct me. I would rather have the accurate version for the family conversation next week.
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#2 Etihad, Alexandria, and this is accurate. I go home every five to six weeks, standby on the first off day, confirmed ticket back if the outbound was full. The community being small is right and it is why the commute matters more here than in Dubai.
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#3 UK, Etihad, and I read this with envy. My home is seven hours away and I go twice a year. The Levant crew in my building are the ones who seem to have the job figured out. Now I know why.
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#4 Also from Beirut, also applying, and the summer seat point is real from the passenger side. The Beirut flights in July are every family in the diaspora. Confirmed ticket in summer, standby the rest of the year.
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#5 @mohammedauh thank you, that is the confirmation I needed. Standby out, confirmed back if needed. Telling my mother tonight.
