Tag Archives: Emirates

Working with local schools, autism groups and key stakeholders, Emirates and Dubai International Airport (DXB) are focused on improving the travel experience for neurodivergent passengers, facilitating ‘travel rehearsals’ where children can practice their journey through the airport and onboard aircraft, as well as working directly with families to delight superfans like Humza, age 11, on his first flight with Emirates. Humza Dabab recently flew from Melbourne to Dubai with his mother and two siblings and was treated to a VIP experience from Emirates – his favourite airline. This was his first flight with Emirates, though his parents advised he is already very familiar with all facets of Emirates through his own studies – from the aircraft itself, to the inflight entertainment ice, the cabin crew uniform and the safety video. Humza bought his own safety belt to simulate and act out the safety advisory, to which he has memorised all the words, and has a collection of Emirates aircraft models to practice the take-off and landing experience. Humza’s mother Lamees said ‘The plane is Humza’s happy place. The destination is not even the most exciting part of the journey, I can wholeheartedly say it is the plane ride itself. He is so excited to be finally travelling with Emirates.’   Humza is autistic and being on time is a crucial requirement for his particular needs. The potential of running late or missing the flight would cause significant anxiety which must be alleviated in advance. Emirates and Dubai International Airport employees are trained and prepared for these requests and can facilitate priority boarding for neurodivergent passengers, referred to as People of Determination in the UAE, as well as offering a support …

Emirates Premium Economy and Economy Class customers on long haul flights globally will be treated to new complimentary amenity kits, now onboard. The amenity kits have been designed in partnership with United for Wildlife, to highlight eight of the most endangered species on the planet. Preserving wildlife and habitats is a core pillar of the Emirates Environmental Sustainability Framework. The new amenity kit range will highlight Emirates’ longstanding partnership with United for Wildlife and commitment to raising awareness about endangered species, and the prevention of illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife products. The animals featured on the kit pouches and bookmarks are some of the most trafficked creatures in the world – the green sea turtle, African elephant, blue macaw,  gorilla, hammerhead shark, lion, pangolin, and the black rhino. United for Wildlife has shared some impactful statistics which highlight the magnitude of the issue, such as that globally 100 elephants are poached every day, meaning that at current poaching rates elephants could be extinct in the wild by 2025. There are now only 30,000 rhinos left in the wild compared to the 500,000 that existed at the beginning of the 20th century, meanwhile pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world. David Fein, Co-Chair of United for Wildlife, said: “The illegal wildlife trade is international organised crime that is driving many iconic species around the world towards extinction at an alarming rate. Airlines and other transport operators have a huge role to play in disrupting the traffickers’ supply chains. Emirates have consistently demonstrated leadership and commitment in tackling this global threat. We are delighted to see the new amenity kits from Emirates now onboard and hope that passengers find …

Emirates announced that its highly sought-after Premium Economy offering will be introduced to two more points in its network, São Paolo from 19 November and Tokyo Narita from 20 December. São Paolo will become the airline’s fifth point in its North and South American network where flights will operate with the new cabin class, while Tokyo Narita will become the second gateway in Emirates’ Far East network which offers its latest cabin product, featuring extra legroom, premium features and amenities.  As the airline’s retrofit programme picks up pace and the product extends to more routes on its network, São Paolo will become the 13th city where Emirates will operate its newly retrofitted flagship A380 aircraft, while the number of points offering Premium Economy will grow to 14 with the addition of Tokyo Narita. Besides featuring the new Premium Economy seats, the enhanced aircraft that will operate on the routes also boast refreshed interiors that provide an elevated experience throughout the other cabins, with a new look and feel. Seats can be booked immediately via emirates.com, Emirates sales offices and travel agencies. From 19 November, travellers flying between Dubai and São Paolo can book Emirates’ Premium Economy seats on EK261/262, which will initially be available three times weekly, scaling up to daily flights in December. Premium Economy on flights EK318/319, to and from Tokyo Narita, will launch as a daily offering from 20 December.

It was announced that travellers to Dubai could pass through check-in, immigration and boarding using a single biometric access with their facial print at Terminal 3 of  the Dubai International Airport from November. The announcement was made by Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director General, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai at the “International conference on policymaking : The future of ports in Dubai. He further stated that the single biometric system will come into effect at Terminal 3 in November in partnership with Emirates Airline. This will be the first time in the region where paperless airport access system will be used in the region.

Emirates and SriLankan Airlines signed a reciprocal interline agreement to boost connectivity for passengers of both airlines. The partnership will enable access to new points on each other’s networks via Colombo and Dubai, utilising a single ticket and enjoying the convenience of baggage transfers. Tickets are now on sale for travel effective immediately as the interline partnership unlocks 15 regional destinations operated by SriLankan Airlines via Colombo, for Emirates’ passengers to choose from. The interline network includes two new Indian destinations, Madurai and Tiruchirapally, in addition to Gan Island in the Maldives, for customers to travel seamlessly on a single ticket while enjoying the convenience of a generous baggage policy and hassle-free baggage check-through to the final destination. Far East and South Asian destinations also include Cochin, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Malé, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Guangzhou, Seoul and Tokyo. SriLankan Airlines’ passengers are also set to benefit from access to Emirates’ global network and connect to 15 cities operated by Emirates beyond Dubai. The interline network includes points across the Middle East, Africa, Russia and the US. SriLankan’s customers will enjoy a premium travel experience and partnership benefits while flying on Emirates to Bahrain, Amman, Dammam, Medina, Cairo, Muscat, Nairobi, Moscow, Tel Aviv, and a host of US cities including New York JFK, Los Angeles, San Franciso, Chicago, Boston and Houston.* Travel itineraries can be booked immediately on emirates.com, srilankan.com and preferred online and offline travel agencies. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are pleased to activate an interline partnership with SriLankan and provide our customers with more choice and access to additional destinations to suit their travel plans. This partnership enables customers to seamlessly fly to …

Emirates and Maldivian have announced an interline partnership, enabling Emirates customers to access 16 popular holiday destinations in the Maldives beyond Malé. The agreement successfully follows on from last year’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two airlines, to explore opportunities for mutual cooperation. The interline agreement will create more options for Emirates customers when travelling to the Maldivian archipelago, utilising both carriers’ services and networks on a single ticket while also enhancing the customer experience throughout the journey. Customers travelling to exotic island destinations in the Maldives will now be able to reap the benefit of flying into more popular holiday spots after connecting easily and seamlessly from Velana International Airport in the North Malé atoll. Emirates passengers will link to Maldivian’s services to reach a choice of domestic points for their island getaway. From 15 September, travel itineraries can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates mobile app, or preferred travel agents, for flights effective immediately. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are delighted to establish a partnership with Maldivian, to expand our reach into more points in the Maldives. By partnering with the Maldivian flag carrier, we are able to offer customers smooth connections when flying to a wide choice of islands within the country via Malé. By extending this added-value benefit, our customers from across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Americas can plan their journey to the Maldives with the convenience of booking flights on a single ticket to reach their final destination.” Ibrahim Hamdhan Mohamed, General Manager – Commercial at Maldivian added: “We are excited to embark on this journey with Emirates, a global aviation leader. This partnership would enable …

Emirates, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) and Association of South African Travel Agents (ASATA) have launched online training courses for new travel professionals to help them develop and build stronger skillsets, as well as enhance understanding around the industry’s key principles to support the wider travel and tourism sector. Using the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism’s already established Dubai College of Tourism (DCT) online platform, travel professionals in South Africa have free access to various online courses and training resources to help them develop the essential skills required to enter the industry or expand their abilities, improve their knowledge around industry systems and processes, ultimately helping them to maximise their career potential and employability. Courses start with the fundamentals: understanding the role of a travel agent, gaining familiarity with key industry terminology, understanding different procedures in relation to travel bookings, from the initial quotation stage through to the time of travel. Participants will explore the types of enquiries and proposals common within the industry, alongside developing the skills and knowledge required to prepare quotations, book supplier products and services and process travel related documentation. The rich, interactive content delivered in the courses contextually use Dubai as the primary market example when explaining the skills and terms associated with the travel industry value chain. Emirates’ products and services are also utilised to simulate and explain the airline retailing journey and the fundamentals of distribution systems for travel agents. In addition to acquiring valuable industry knowledge, professionals gain extensive insight into Dubai as a destination, already a popular city for South Africans, as well as Emirates products and services. Upon completion of the courses, participating travel professionals will …

Further building on its commitment to provide customers expanded access to its route network, Emirates has announced that it will be upgrading its services to Sydney to an all-A380 operation. With all three of Emirates’ slots already in use at Sydney airport, the airline is able to commit nearly 2,000 extra weekly seats with the upgrade to its double-decker aircraft on its third daily flight, starting 4 November 2023. The Emirates A380 service, set in a three class configuration offering 489 seats, will replace the Boeing 777-300ER currently being deployed on EK 416 and 417. Each return flight adds more than 260 extra daily seats and more connection opportunities to and from Dubai, and  global access to popular onwards destinations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The third A380 service will complement the two other Sydney A380 four-class services, which both offer Emirates’ latest Premium Economy cabin. Emirates currently operates 63 weekly services to Australia, offering close to 56,000 seats to and from its four major gateways. Melbourne and Sydney operate three times daily, Brisbane is served with double daily flights, and the airline also operates its flagship A380 daily to Perth. Emirates has also reintroduced services from Melbourne to Singapore, in addition to connecting Sydney with Christchurch, offering travellers the only A380 experience across the Trans-Tasman. The introduction of the Emirates Airbus A350 in the summer of 2024 will facilitate further expansion of the airline’s global network by allowing its fleet to grow and freeing up more of Emirates’ long-range aircraft to serve points like Adelaide. The airline is in close discussions with Adelaide Airport to recommence nonstop services as part of its commitment to reconnect travellers from …

The Emirates Group and Microsoft have joined forces to train, mentor and transform high-potential UAE Nationals to become future leaders. The curated, high-impact programme is designed around Microsoft’s technology courses, including digital transformation and driving business impact with AI, as well as the development of soft and leadership skills. The shared vision is to educate and inspire these future leaders of the Emirates Group as well as to carve out a clear career roadmap based on their business and cultural transformation. With over 120 hours of classroom workshops within a hybrid setting, the programme is underpinned by mentorship led by Microsoft’s leadership team in the UAE, as well as an opportunity for participants to meet and learn from senior leaders at Microsoft Headquarters in Redmond, USA. Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer, said: “We value our historical collaboration with Microsoft, and we are delighted to extend it to opportunities for our future leaders to develop their careers and gain wider knowledge. We cherish our common vision centred on developing and empowering our people for a better future, and we rely on their potential and contribution to benefit our businesses and communities. This new initiative is a first step, and we look forward to strengthening our collaboration to support our Emiratisation strategy.” Speaking on the occasion, Naim Yazbeck, General Manager of Microsoft UAE, said: “The rapid pace of digital transformation across key industries, such as the aviation sector in the UAE, means that it is more important than ever for young professionals to hone the digital skills they need to succeed in the workforce of tomorrow. We are excited to collaborate with the Emirates Group on this new programme to …

Emirates announces a significant expansion in its codeshare partnership with United, to include nine destinations in Mexico. Emirates customers will now have access to eight new destinations in the country, in addition to Mexico City, which the airline also serves. The expansive codeshare network between Emirates and United currently includes a host of US cities and Mexico becomes the first country outside of the US to be added to the growing network. The codeshare partnership enables customers to enjoy flexibility and choice with smooth connections, allowing passengers flying on Emirates to two points in the US, either Chicago or Houston, to connect onwards to exciting leisure destinations in Mexico. The new Mexican points include Cancun, Cozumel, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, San Jose Del Cabo, Leon/Guanajuato, and Queretaro. Furthermore, the codeshare partnership also provides more flexibility on flight timings, giving Emirates customers flying to Mexico City more options when choosing flights. Depending on travel plans, passengers can opt to fly to the Mexican capital using Emirates daily services from Dubai with a stop in Barcelona, or separately book codeshare flights to Mexico City. The expansion of the codeshare network also enables customers flying from the nine points in Mexico to fly to destinations on the airline’s network, via Chicago or Houston. Tickets to codeshare destinations in Mexico are available via emirates.com and preferred travel agencies, for travel starting on 14 September. The newly-expanded network of Mexican destinations now available to Emirates customers is expected to be popular amongst customers from the Middle East, India and South Africa, to name a few. The most frequented destinations for global travellers embarking from points in Mexico include India, Israel, UAE, South Africa and select …