Category Archives: Aviation

Air Arabia announced free global COVID-19 cover for all passengers travelling on Air Arabia flights from Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. This cover is automatically included with the booking, no additional documents are required from customers and validity is for 31 days from the day of departure on the itinerary. It also includes medical expenses and quarantine costs. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia commented, “The new COVID-19 global assistance cover underlines our commitment to customers in helping them travel with confidence and additional ease of mind. At Air Arabia, we always ensure that every step of our customer journey remains safe, seamless and driven by added value to customers.” Impacted passengers who has been diagnosed with Covid-19 during their travel can contact the 24/7 Air Arabia COVID-19 Global Assistance Cover Team. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Air Arabia’s customer journey has been upgraded to include all safety measures that are in line with the highest international measures. Air Arabia’s entire fleet is fitted with HEPA cabin air filters, which help to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers. Customers are always requested to comply with the conditions and requirements of the countries of departure and destination.

Etihad Airways is offering federal government employees up to 15% off flights with the launch of its UAE Government Employee Travel Programme. Travellers who enrol into the programme for free will be able to check in at Abu Dhabi International Airport using a dedicated counter and will receive 15kg additional baggage allowance. When travelling to the USA or Canada, travellers can bring an extra bag weighing up to 23kg in Economy and up to 32kg in Business and First class. Duncan Bureau, Senior Vice President Sales and Distribution, Etihad Airways said, “We are delighted to partner with the UAE Government to offer its employees exclusive travel discounts, benefits and rewards. Whether booking for business or leisure, we hope this new travel programme will encourage more residents to start flying again.”

Emirates has launched a suite of connectivity options for its trade partners around the world to easily and directly access the airline’s rich content and other services.Developed using IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) standards, the Emirates Gateway is available via the recently launched Emirates Partners Portal. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said, “The Emirates Gateway suite of connection options has been built on new technology and is designed to address the limitations of current legacy distribution systems. Our aim was to create a platform that empowers us to rapidly develop and deploy new products and services, thereby giving us and our trade partners the ability to offer even more value-added and differentiated services. It also prepares the way for Emirates to offer custom content and dynamic pricing that better responds to our changing marketplace.” Offering improved access to Emirates’ products and services with an intuitive and easy to ease interface, the Emirates Gateway offers the airline’s trade partners the ability to enhance travellers’ journeys with customised products and services. Trade partners can connect to the Emirates Gateway via three flexible access solutions: Emirates Booking Portal: a user-friendly web booking portal available in 12 languages, connected directly to Emirates’ reservation systems that simplifies the booking, ticketing and post-ticketing servicing of Emirates orders; Emirates Gateway Direct: which provides access to Emirates content through IATA NDC APIs, allowing trade partners to build applications that meet their needs with expert support from Emirates’ IT teams; Emirates Gateway Sync: a facilitated link into the Emirates reservation system provided by industry leading, IATA registered, Emirates certified technology partners.

Lufthansa Group has announced that it will be increasing its flight operations to the Middle East in the fourth quarter of 2020. Lufthansa German Airlines will increase its capacity from four flights per week from Dubai to Frankfurt, to five flights per week as of October 2020. In addition, SWISS is set to restart its services from Dubai to Zurich with three flights per week beginning on the 29th of October 2020, further boosting connectivity between the two destinations. The new SWISS Dubai–Zurich service will depart on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, while Zurich–Dubai flights will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Dubai–Zurich flights will depart at 01:55 hrs and arrive at 06:10 hrs, and Zurich–Dubai flights depart at 21:50 hrs and arrive at 07:00 hrs (+1). The flights have been introduced as part of Lufthansa Group’s winter schedule to cater to continuing growth in demand for intercontinental travel. Heinrich Lange, Senior Director Sales, Gulf, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Lufthansa Group, commented, “We are pleased to unveil details of our winter schedule between our hubs Frankfurt and Zurich and the Middle East. Recent steady increases in passenger numbers signal a growing confidence in the safety of air travel. In line with this encouraging rise in demand, we aim to bring our customers multiple options that offer greater choice and convenience while maintaining the highest standards of safety at all times. It’s wonderful to see travellers taking to the skies again and we look forward to connecting them to where they need to be in the months ahead.” As part of its commitment to safeguarding the health and safety of its customers and team members, Lufthansa is continuing to implement stringent hygiene and …

Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai has received another Stay Safe Certification audited by the StaySafe Hospitality. StaySafe provides a fresh approach to how hotels manage their risks. Developed and managed by hospitality professionals, the tools, audits and standards are all generated with a goal to continually improve the risk standards in the hospitality sector. Simon Moore, General Manager of Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai, said, “We are delighted to be recognised again by our trusted partner like StaySafe Hospitality. This achievement reflects the tremendous hard work and dedication that our team members have been putting in to meet always the high-quality standards of cleanliness, fire safety, food safety and security expectations of our guests. The comprehensive result enables us to benchmark and compare our procedures against the industry best practices as well as work on areas of improvement.” Moore further added, “Our guests safety and well-being is and always our utmost priority. Having a positive health and safety culture throughout the hotel helps to create a comfortable environment and we would like our guests to feel safe during their stay with us.” The Millennium Airport Hotel Dubai features 341 spacious rooms & suites, distinctive choice of restaurants and bars, meetings and event spaces such as magnificent Al Garhoud ballroom and outdoor garden area perfect for any type of large events and 7 meeting rooms with high-end meeting facilities for corporate meetings and conferences. The hotel also offers a range of leisure options including a superb large outdoor swimming pool, spa, saloon and fully-equipped fitness centre.

Emirates has introduced self- check-in and bag drop kiosks for a more seamless airport experience at Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport. The service is now available to customers travelling to all destinations except to the US, Canada, China, India and Hong Kong due to additional requirements from these destinations.The 16 new self-service bag drop machines and 8 self-service kiosks complement the desks manned by Emirates check-in agents to reduce waiting time for customers during peak periods and improve the customer experience in Dubai. More self-services facilities are planned to be added in the coming months.The kiosks allow customers to check-in, receive their boarding pass, choose seats on board, and drop off their bags. While Emirates staff will be on hand for any assistance required, the facilities are fully self- service, allowing customers to breeze through the airport and proceed directly to immigration. The facilities are cleaned and disinfected regularly and hand sanitisers are also available for customers to use. The new offering is part of Emirates’ continued investment in product and service to provide an unmatched travel experience on ground and on board. The solution was developed in house at Emirates in collaboration with Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects and Dubai Airports. The self check-in kiosks will be continually upgraded to offer new features in the future including going touchless, and allowing customers to make re-bookings on their own. Flexibility and assurance: Emirates’ booking policies offer customers flexibility and confidence to plan their travel. Customers who purchase an Emirates ticket for travel on or before 31 March 2021, can enjoy generous rebooking terms and options, if they have to change their travel plans. Customers have options to change their travel dates, extend …

As part of Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) efforts to deliver an enriched experience to customers, a wider range of fares and personalised content will be provided to its travel trade partners in the UAE from February 2021. This comes via an expansion of SIA’s KrisConnect Programme, which leverages new distribution technology to make available improved content and functionality through partner platforms. In launching KrisConnect in 2018, SIA was one of the first airlines in Asia-Pacific to take advantage of this new technology. From 07 February 2021, SIA-appointed agents in the UAE that participate in the KrisConnect Programme will benefit from improved speed-to-market, access to the widest range of fare products including personalised content, and the ability to offer customised products to their customers, such as bundled packages and negotiated fare deals. This, in turn, elevates the booking experience for customers through increased levels of personalisation and acknowledgement of their KrisFlyer status. To ensure maximised accessibility of the KrisConnect Programme in the UAE, travel agencies and other external partners can take advantage of multiple ways to access the new content and functionalities. SIA will make content available through traditional Global Distribution System partners such as Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport, as well as new technology partners, including but not limited to Aaron Group, Duffel, HitchHiker, PKFARE, TPConnects, Travel Boutique Online, Travelfusion, TravelNDC and Verteil Technologies. In addition, SIA’s travel agent portal, AGENT360, will be launched in the UAE to allow travel agents direct access to content via the KrisConnect Programme. Singapore Airlines General Manager Gulf and Middle East, Christian Stenkewitz said the KrisConnect Programme was part of Singapore Airlines’ commitment to becoming the world’s leading digital airline. “We are pleased to launch the …

Etihad Airways from October 1 until 31 December 31, 2020 will offer PCR tests included in all air tickets booked by customers in the UAE for flights departing from Abu Dhabi International Airport, with the exception of services to China. The airline is collaborating with Life Medical Diagnostic Center (Life Dx) to offer convenient testing between 48 to 96 hours prior to departure, at its network of collection facilities in the UAE. Travellers flying First or Business will also have the option of selecting tests at their home. The quick and easy process can be booked directly with Life Dx. Dr. Nadia Bastaki, Etihad Aviation Group Vice President Medical Services, said, “This is a significant development which allows Etihad to provide greater ease of travel for those departing from Abu Dhabi, by removing as much inconvenience from the PCR testing process as possible. This follows on perfectly from the recent introduction of complimentary COVID-19 insurance cover on all Etihad Airways tickets. “We are confident this partnership will provide Etihad, and most importantly our guests, with Life Dx’s superior testing technologies so they can travel from the capital with greater peace of mind. This is one further step in the efforts being made by Etihad to provide a professional, secure and protected travel experience at every stage of their journey with us.” Hosam Fouad, Founder and CEO of Life Medical Diagnostic Center said, “We are delighted to announce our strategic partnership with Etihad Airways to manage their passengers’ COVID-19 PCR testing requirements. “The solution’s main concept is to ramp-up the capacity of Life Dx’s central lab for up to 40,000 tests a day through fully automated state-of-the-art robotic systems and to …

Oman Air will return to scheduled service on October 1 with service to 18 cities in 12 countries including 2 flights per week connecting Muscat and Dubai. All flights will depart and arrive on Sundays and Thursdays. These schedules are valid from October 1-24, 2020. Oman Air will maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are on board the aircraft and in Oman’s airports. Distancing is maintained while guests board and exit the aircraft, which are carefully cleaned after each flight and at the end of every day. Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to further ensure safety and a number of other steps have been taken to ensure that the airline’s guests and crew are safe at all times. Guests who are planning to travel to Muscat should visit the Civil Aviation Authority website, paca.gov.om, to ensure they are prepared to comply with requirements to enter the Sultanate.Guests travelling to Dubai or Doha should ensure they are aware of official requirements to enter or transit through those nations.Guests departing from Oman should also ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements and requirements during their flights, which are provided at omanair.com.

Conrad Hotels & Resorts Abu Dhabi will be rebranded on October 1, 2020 following the signing of a management agreement between Hilton and H.H. Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan. The property will be known as Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers and be the first of Hilton’s luxury portfolio to operate in the UAE capital. Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, Hilton’s President for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, said, “Abu Dhabi is a world leading destination and remains a historic city for Hilton as a location where we began welcoming guests in the UAE almost 50 years ago. We are proud to be working with H.H. Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan to bring this iconic hotel to our portfolio and look forward to providing luxury Conrad service at Etihad Towers.” H.H. Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nayhan commented, “Etihad Towers is the embodiment of modern and sophisticated luxury and I am delighted to be partnering with Hilton to open Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers. Abu Dhabi’s global reputation will be further enhanced with the presence of the luxury Conrad brand – a suitable addition to the world-class retail and dining options available at this landmark development.” Nils-Arne Schroeder, Global Head for Conrad Hotels & Resorts, said, “The debut of Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers in the capital of the UAE marks a significant milestone for the brand as we grow our portfolio in iconic locations around the world to better meet the needs of discerning travellers everywhere. This hotel is perfectly placed to offer guests a truly inspired stay with personalised connections to the local cultural and artistic experiences for which Abu Dhabi is known, all anchored by Conrad’s signature intuitive …