Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, launched an innovative online mapping tool developed in cooperation with LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, to make it easier to message new contacts, arrange meetings and be more productive while travelling.

The “Etihad Mapped-Out” tool is available at etihadmappedout.com and offers professionals on LinkedIn the ability to search their connections by geographical location and see them displayed on a map making it easier for business travelers to connect with their global network of contacts as they travel.

LinkedIn members can enter search parameters based on:

• Geographical area, which can be countrywide or even a specific city;
• Industries of interest; and
• First- and/or second-degree connections.

The result of the search is a personalised map of the member’s LinkedIn connections, with a listing of business contacts within the region. Members can also reach their contacts instantly by sending messages directly from the contact list.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, explained, “As a global airline, Etihad Airways connects points and people from across the globe, so our Etihad Mapped-Out tool which taps into LinkedIn’s global audience of over 200 million is an extension of that mission.”

“This tool is particularly useful for our guests travelling for business. Ahead of a business trip, the guest can use this tool to see not only his or her immediate contacts in the region, but also second-degree contacts. This fosters more effective networking and greater opportunity to create connections across international boundaries.

“We are always looking for ways to enable our guests to get more out of their travel experience. For business travellers, the world just got a bit smaller.”

Fredrik Bernsel, Sales Director for EMEA and LATAM Partners at LinkedIn, said: “A good network of contacts is essential for business success and this innovative initiative from Etihad Airways using LinkedIn’s APIs enables Etihad’s customers to easily connect with their LinkedIn network while travelling, making it even simpler to get business done and be productive.”

The Etihad Mapped-Out tool is available exclusively to members of LinkedIn. The tool also allows users to superimpose an Etihad Airways’ route map, displaying all passenger destinations served by the airline.