What Etihad Airways and Cars on Demand Have in Common — And Why It Matters for Australian Airport…

What Etihad Airways and Cars on Demand Have in Common — And Why It Matters for Australian Airport Transfers

Published: February 2026

An Etihad plane and a car from COD

When Etihad Airways posted its strongest financial result in the airline’s history — AED 2.6 billion profit, up 47 per cent year-on-year, 22.4 million passengers carried, and a Fitch credit rating of AA- — the aviation world took notice. Four consecutive years of profitability. The fastest growing full-service airline on the planet. A fleet of 127 aircraft serving 110 destinations worldwide.

It is a remarkable story. And when we read it at Cars on Demand, we recognised something in it.

Not because we fly planes. But because the principles behind Etihad’s extraordinary growth — reliability, premium experience, technology investment, people first, and relentless consistency — are exactly the same principles that have driven Cars on Demand’s Australian airport transfer and chauffeur service since 1990.

Here is what these two very different transport businesses actually have in common — and what it means for business travellers moving between Etihad’s global network and Australia’s airports every day.

1. Both Are Built on a Foundation of Reliability in Air and Ground Transport

Etihad’s Reliability at 40,000 Feet

Etihad’s 2025 results were not built on luck. They were built on an 88.3 per cent passenger load factor, disciplined unit cost management, and an operational culture that delivers on its promises at scale — across 110 destinations, 127 aircraft, and millions of individual passenger journeys.

Cars on Demand’s Reliability on Australian Roads

Cars on Demand has a 99.99 per cent on-time reliability record across over 35 years of Australian airport transfer operations. That number does not happen by accident. It happens because reliability is not a feature we offer — it is the foundation everything else is built on.

When an executive lands at Sydney Airport after a long-haul Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi, the last thing they need is uncertainty on the ground. A Cars on Demand driver is already there, tracking the flight in real time, ready at the designated airport meeting point, and moving the moment the passenger is ready. That is air reliability matched by ground reliability — end to end. Find your Australian airport meeting point here.

2. Both Invest in Premium Experience Without Compromise

Premium in the Air: Etihad’s 2025 Product Investment

Etihad’s 2025 report is explicit about this. Alongside rapid growth, the airline invested in fully lie-flat seating on the A321LR, enhanced onboard dining, upgraded amenity kits, private chauffeur transfers, personalised concierge services, and refreshed lounge experiences. The goal was clear: scale the operation without diluting the experience.

Premium on the Ground: Australian Airport Transfers That Match

Cars on Demand resolves that same tension on the ground. Our fleet of late-model luxury vehicles — Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi — is maintained to the highest standard across every Australian city. Our drivers are vetted professionals. Our airport transfer service does not vary based on the time of day, the city, or whether you are one passenger or seven. View our full Australian chauffeur fleet here.

Premium is not a tier at Cars on Demand. It is the only tier.

3. Both Use Technology to Deliver Consistent Airport Transfer Service at Scale

Etihad’s Digital Investment

Etihad’s Net Promoter Score increased by 10 per cent in 2025, driven in part by a new website and mobile app, enhanced digital self-service, and investment in the end-to-end customer journey. Technology was central to maintaining service quality as passenger numbers grew by 21 per cent.

RideMinder: The Technology Behind Every Cars on Demand Airport Transfer

At Cars on Demand, our RideMinder dispatch technology does the same thing on the ground. Every driver is tracked in real time. Every airport transfer booking is monitored. Every journey across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, and Canberra is accountable from pickup to drop-off. The technology behind our service means that the 1,500th booking of the day receives the same standard of care as the first. Learn more about the technology behind our Australian airport transfers.

4. Both Serve the Discerning Business Traveller — From Departure Gate to Final Destination

Who Etihad Is Built For

Etihad’s growth is built around a specific type of traveller — the global professional who chooses quality, values time, and expects the experience to match the price paid. That is who Etihad’s First and Business cabin investment is for. That is who the private chauffeur transfers and personalised concierge services at Abu Dhabi Airport are designed to impress.

Who Cars on Demand Australian Airport Transfers Are Built For

That is also exactly who Cars on Demand is built for. Over 5,000 Executive Assistants across Australia trust Cars on Demand to manage the ground transport of their executives and corporate clients. CEOs, board members, visiting delegations, and high-value clients are transported daily between Australia’s major airports and their destinations — on time, in comfort, without incident.

If you are an Executive Assistant managing corporate airport transfers across Australia, our dedicated EA support page explains exactly how we make your job easier.

If you are evaluating premium ground transport providers for your organisation, here is why Australia’s leading CEOs and executives choose Cars on Demand.

5. Both Are Growing Their Networks Across the Region

Etihad’s Global Network Expansion

Etihad expanded from 94 to 110 destinations in 2025, launching new routes into Atlanta, Prague, Warsaw, Addis Ababa, Phnom Penh, Hanoi, and Hong Kong. The strategy is clear — broader reach, deeper connectivity, more of the world served to the same standard.

Cars on Demand Australian Airport Transfer Coverage

Cars on Demand operates across every major Australian city, ensuring that wherever an Etihad passenger lands in Australia, a professional premium airport transfer is ready and waiting. Our ground transport network covers the full country:

For travellers arriving into New South Wales, our Sydney airport transfer service connects you from the terminal to your hotel, office, or home with zero waiting and no surge pricing. For the full executive arrival experience, our Sydney airport limo service sets the tone from the moment you land.

Arriving into Victoria? Our Melbourne airport transfer service provides the same premium, fixed-price ground transport across Greater Melbourne and beyond.

Flying into Queensland? Our Brisbane airport transfer service covers the CBD and South East Queensland, while our Gold Coast airport transfers and Sunshine Coast airport transfers serve travellers across the region.

On the west coast, our Perth airport transfer service delivers the same reliability and premium standards that define every Cars on Demand journey. South Australian travellers are covered by our Adelaide airport transfer service, and ACT business travellers rely on our Canberra airport transfer service for government and corporate journeys.

For travellers in Australia’s north and far north, our Darwin airport transfers and Cairns airport transfers complete our national coverage — one provider, one standard, every Australian airport.

6. The Journey Does Not End at the Gate — It Ends at Your Destination

Etihad’s Door-to-Door Philosophy

Etihad’s 2025 investment in private chauffeur transfers, dedicated check-in, and ground experiences reflects a sophisticated understanding of travel: the experience does not begin when you board and end when you land. It begins the moment you leave your front door and ends when you arrive at your final destination.

Why Your Australian Airport Transfer Is Part of the Journey

A seamless Etihad Business Class flight from Abu Dhabi to Sydney followed by a chaotic rideshare experience at the terminal is not a premium journey. It is a premium flight with a disappointing ending.

Cars on Demand is the ground transfer that matches the flight. From Sydney Airport to the CBD, Melbourne Airport to St Kilda Road, Brisbane Airport to the Valley — our Australian airport transfers complete the journey Etihad started. The standard set in the air continues on the ground.

The Numbers Tell the Same Story

Etihad: 47 per cent profit growth. Four consecutive years of profitability. The fastest growing full service airline in the world. More than 25 international awards. An AA- Fitch credit rating.

Cars on Demand: 99.99 per cent on-time reliability across Australian airport transfers. 35 years of operation. 1,500 vetted professional drivers. 5,000-plus Executive Assistants served. Fixed pricing, no surge charges, guaranteed service at every Australian airport.

Different industries. Different scale. The same commitment to growth built on quality, technology, and the belief that every passenger deserves better than average — in the air and on the ground.

Read Etihad’s full 2025 results here: Etihad Airways 2025 Annual Results.

Book Your Australian Airport Transfer Today

New to Cars on Demand? We are currently offering $50 off your first premium Australian airport transfer.

Book via the app: https://carsondemand.link/register

Call 24/7: 1300 638 258 | Email: admin@carsondemand.com.au

About Cars on Demand

Established in 1990, Cars on Demand is Australia’s premium airport transfer and chauffeur service with a 99.99 per cent on-time reliability record. Operating nationwide across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin, Cairns, Gold Coast, and Sunshine Coast, we serve the same discerning business travellers that premium global airlines serve in the air — on the ground, across every Australian airport, every day.