Tag Archives: Dubai

Emirates has launched a new, five times-a-week service from Dubai (DXB) to Santiago International Airport (SCL), via the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo (GRU), marking the airline’s first arrival in Chile. On board the inaugural Boeing 777-200LR flight, which was welcomed at both Sao Paulo and Santiago airports with a water cannon salute, was a group of special guests and media. Hubert Frach, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West said, “We are very pleased to see the interest this new route has created since it was announced in late January, reflected in strong bookings from and to Santiago. Santiago is a very popular leisure and business destination, and this new service will offer customers across our global network, particularly from key inbound markets such the Far East, Middle East and West Asia, a great travel option to South America. The new service will also give travellers from Chile the opportunity to experience Emirates’ superior product and service, and offer them more convenient travel options with Emirates to Sao Paulo, Dubai and onward to destinations across our network,”. “The arrival of Emirates in Chile is an important symbol of trust and confidence in the country, to our authorities and to how Groupe ADP, VINCI Airports and Astaldi Concessioni, through Nuevo Pudahuel, are setting a new standard of service at Arturo Merino Benítez Airport”, said Nicolas Claude, CEO Nuevo Pudahuel.

Emirates has launched a second daily flight between Dubai and Prague to meet the increasing demand for travel on the route. The airline has been serving the Czech market since 2010 and has carried some 1.7 million passengers on the route during this time. To meet the rising demand for both inbound and outbound travel, Emirates has added this new daily flight operated by a Boeing 777-300 ER with a capacity of 360 seats, boosting tourism into the Czech Republic by 262,800 seats a year. The new flight will accommodate three classes on board, with eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy. Flight EK137 leaves Dubai at 15:30 and arrives in Prague at 19:55. The return flight EK138 leaves Prague at 21:35 and arrives in Dubai at 05:30 the following day, giving travellers the full day in Dubai to kick-start their holiday, short break or business trip, and take advantage of the wealth of activity and dining options the cosmopolitan city has to offer.

Emirates has launched a new daily service from Dubai to Auckland via Bali, reflecting increased interest in the attractive Indonesian island destination and improving connectivity to New Zealand. The new service offers global travellers a total of three daily services to New Zealand, complementing Emirates’ existing non-stop daily A380 service between Dubai and Auckland and its current daily A380 service between Dubai and Christchurch via Sydney. Travellers will now also enjoy a choice of three daily services between Dubai to Bali in the summer (northern hemisphere), as the new flight adds to Emirates’ two existing daily services which are currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER in a two-class configuration. On board the inaugural flight, which was welcomed at both Denpasar and Auckland airports with a water cannon salute, was a group of special guests and media. Emirates’ new Dubai-Bali-Auckland flight provides the only year-round non-stop daily service between Auckland and Bali, giving passengers an opportunity to visit and/or stop over in one of the most popular islands in Indonesia. The airline is operating a 777-300ER on the route, offering eight seats in First, 42 seats in Business and 304 seats in Economy class, as well as 20 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity. The new service will also be the first Emirates Bali flight to offer passengers the airline’s award-winning First Class product. Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, said, “We are very pleased to see the interest this new route has created since it was announced in mid-February, reflected in strong bookings from Auckland to Bali and beyond, as well as southbound from our global network.”

The second hotel in the Zabeel House by Jumeirah collection will open this week, bringing a loft-style vibe to the south banks of Dubai Creek, next door to the earlier opened Zabeel House MINI by Jumeirah. Zabeel House by Jumeirah, Al Seef promises to be the stylish older sibling of its next door neighbour, while still delivering on the collection’s ‘Upscale Casual’ promise of sharp design and smart service, with an informal approach and a moderate price point. With 200 rooms in 3 different sizes for solo travellers, couples or families; a welcoming vast lobby filled with a collection of contrasting art and design pieces and bookcases made for browsing; a destination restaurant that stretches out over the waters of Dubai Creek, and a rooftop bar and pool with views across both old and new Dubai, Zabeel House by Jumeirah, Al Seef provides a completely new experience in this part of the city. Add ample creative spaces to work from as well as five meeting rooms for the corporates, and a design style that is perfectly groomed and stylishly accessorized with enough sophisticated quirks to keep snap-happy guests busy, and you have a hotel that is the perfect hangout for curious travelers with an intrepid spirit, whether they want to stay always on, or go off the grid.

Giving customers even more reasons to explore Dubai and the UAE, ‘My Emirates Pass’ turns the Emirates boarding pass into an exclusive membership card, giving travellers exclusive offers and discounts within the UAE. Emirates customers flying to or through Dubai between June 1 and August 31, 2018 can take advantage of a range of offers at some of Dubai’s best known hotspots by simply showing their boarding pass and a valid form of identification. The pass gives customers exclusive offers at over 250 locations including world-class restaurants. Special privileges are also available on a range of leisure activities including visits to thrilling theme parks or luxury spas across the city. For the first time, retail outlets have also been added to the mix giving special discounts at select fashion and fitness brands. “My Emirates Pass is the best way to explore Emirates’ hub Dubai and the rest of the United Arab Emirates. Dubai has a growing list of new attractions and world-class facilities, giving visitors something new to explore whether it’s their first time or a return trip,” says Mohammad Al Hashimi, Vice President, Commercial Products Dubai—Emirates. The destination offers year-round sunshine, world-class shopping and restaurants, stunning beaches and iconic buildings. Visitors to Dubai can use My Emirates Pass to enjoy world-class attractions.

FORM Hotel Dubai has announced the opening of its flagship property, located in the heart of Dubai’s cultural village, in the Al Jadaf neighbourhood.  The 15-storey hotel also represents the latest addition to the prestigious Design Hotels™ collection; the first Dubai-based member to be selected. The property merges an emphasis on well being with a carefully curated design concept, offering technology-driven and customised travel experiences to business and leisure travelers alike. As such, FORM Hotel Dubai is proud to bring a unique and unchartered concept to the UAE hotel market. The property, with its 136-rooms, presents four room configurations including the cozy, ideal, plus+ and the mega with starting room rates at AED 349 per night inclusive of breakfast, exclusive of taxes and 5 per cent VAT. The special opening rate during the Eid period guests can avail starting night rates of AED 224 per night inclusive of breakfast, exclusive of taxes and 5 per cent VAT. Conveniently positioned close to the Dubai International Airport, Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, Dubai Design District (d3), and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), FORM Hotel Dubai is carved from an Architecture Studio-designed structure that relives the origins of Dubai’s heritage. Inside, art deco-inspired bespoke furniture — also by the Paris-based Architecture Studio — fills guestrooms alongside custom-crafted art and photography by Nina Dietzel, for an understated yet sharp interior that is at once timeless and contemporary.

Emirates has introduced Home Check-in, a new service which will allow its customers to check in for their flights from anywhere in Dubai. The service is available for customers across all classes travelling on Emirates flights. The new service enables Emirates passengers to complete the security check and check-in from the comfort of their home, hotel or office and have their luggage transported to the airport prior to their flight. An Emirates check-in agent will arrive at the preferred location to weigh and tag the bags as well as check-in the customers and issue boarding passes. Customers can then make their own way to the airport and head directly to immigration, bypassing the check-in desks at the airport. The service is available for AED 350 per trip for up to 7 pieces of luggage. AED 35 will be charged for each additional piece of luggage. Customers can book the service on emirates.com up to 12 hours before flight departure time. Emirates has been running trials for its Home Check-in service since October to ensure that the customer experience and security checks are faultless. The service seals each bag and stores them in a separate hold in the van. Emirates Home Check-in will be operated with a new fleet of vans. The new Home Check-in offering complements other luggage handling services already available for Emirates flights in Dubai.

Emirates has unveiled its new Boeing 777-300ER First Class Private Suite at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. The airline is also showcasing its latest Boeing 777 Business Class seat, the A380 onboard lounge, along with other products such as the First Class Shower Spa and the latest version of its Economy Class seats. Visitors can experience the Emirates network through an interactive 60 second challenge played on a touchscreen route map. Last year, the airline launched new passenger routes to Newark via Athens, Zagreb and Phnom Penh, and later this year, Emirates will begin services to London Stanstead and Santiago de Chile. This year marks Emirates’ 25th year of partnership and commitment to ATM. When the exhibition first opened its doors in 1993, Emirates flew 15 aircraft to 32 destinations and carried 2 million passengers. The Emirates stand at ATM will offer visitors a chance to experience the airline’s recently-launched products and service enhancements. The game changing, fully enclosed first-class private suites on exhibit have floor to ceiling sliding doors, soft leather seating, high-tech control panels and mood lighting. Incorporating cutting-edge technology, the suites also feature several world-firsts, including ‘virtual windows’ using real-time fibre-optic camera technology, a NASA inspired ‘zero-gravity’ seating position and a personal video-call service.

His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, has inaugurated Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2018 today, marking the start of the 25th edition of the show. He was joined by Nick Pilbream, Divisional Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, and other VIPs who embarked on a tour of the exhibition as the four-day industry showcase got underway. This year’s show, held at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25, 2018, has more than 400 main stand holders with representation from over 150 countries. With more than 40,000 visitors expected to attend, ATM 2018 will showcase over 2,500 exhibiting companies and 65 national pavilions. ATM 2018 has adopted Responsible Tourism – including sustainable travel trends – as its main theme and this will be integrated across all show verticals and activities. Arabian Travel Market celebrated its silver jubilee with over 2,500 exhibitors and 40,000 industry professionals from 150 countries. Travel trade professionals from across the world’s hospitality industry will showcase the largest exhibition of regional and global hotel brands, with hotels comprising 20% of the total show area. ATM 2018 will welcome over 2,500 confirmed exhibitors including 65 national pavilions. More than 100 new exhibitors are set to make their ATM debut this year, including Visit Finland, Guizhou Province of China, Hungarian Tourism Agency, Polish Tourist Organisation, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dubai Municipality Leisure Facilities Department, Yas Experiences, Indigo Airlines, Kurdistan Tourism, Jakarta City Government Tourism and Culture Office and Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, to name a few.

At the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, Wego revealed the ‘MENA Traveller Destination Leaderboards’ that showcases the relative popularity of global destinations amongst travellers based in the MENA region. As the largest online travel marketplace across the MENA region, Wego users shop for tens of millions of trips each quarter and it’s this flight and hotel search data that has been analysed to determine the destination rankings. The leaderboard announced today is for Q1 2018 and subsequent updates will be released shortly after the close of each quarter. Egypt retains its top ranking in Q1 2018 as the most popular destination for travellers, from across the MENA region. “MENA travellers are lured by the culture, scenic attractions, and incredible food that can be experienced in Egypt”, said Mamoun Hmedan, Managing Director – MENA and India, Wego. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia retains its second ranking and received a steady mix of business, expatriate and religious travel. India at the third position and Turkey at the fourth slot stepped up one rung each in the destination leaderboard for Q1 2018 vs Q1 2017, while UAE fell from the third to the fifth position. Despite the overall drop, Dubai remains a popular destination for MENA travellers. The biggest gainer in Q1 2018 was Oman which jumped a massive 9 places to #15, an improvement likely related to the opening of a new airport in Muscat and a host of new hotels and other facilities opening in the Sultanate.