Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has extended BusinessConnect, its loyalty program for businesses, to 11 new markets, including Bahrain, Belarus, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, the Netherlands, Oman, the Philippines, Qatar and Thailand.

The mileage earning program is targeted at the small to medium enterprise (SME) sector, offering huge opportunities and benefits for companies who fly with Etihad Airways.

As part of the award-winning Etihad Guest loyalty program, registered BusinessConnect customers are able to earn Etihad Guest Miles every time one of their employees takes a flight.

Etihad Guest Miles can be earned on all Etihad Airways tickets booked on etihad.com through Etihad contact centers or by appointed travel agents.

There are also no blackout periods when redeeming miles against upgrades, free flights or the thousands of products from the Etihad Guest Reward Shop, according to an airline statement.

The points can even be converted to cash via PointsPay to spend at 30 million outlets worldwide.

Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer Peter Baumgartner, said: “BusinessConnect is the smartest and most rewarding loyalty scheme for SMEs.

“It’s a fantastic way for companies to optimize their travel spend, while adding convenience and value to the business and corporate travel experience. In short, it makes business sense all round,” the airline added.

Setting up a BusinessConnect account is free of charge, he added.