Tag Archives: Emirates

Emirates is once again pushing the boundaries of technology, becoming the first airline outside America to receive approval for biometric boarding from the US Customs Border Protection (CBP). Soon, customers flying from Dubai to any of Emirates’ 12 destinations in the US will be able to choose facial recognition technology at the departure gates, reducing the time taken for identity checks to two seconds or less. No pre-registration is required, and customers may also choose not to use the technology. Emirates does not store any biometric records of its customers – all the data is managed securely by CBP. The technology was piloted at the departure gates of Emirates’ flights from Dubai to New York and Los Angeles through the peak periods in July and August. The airline expects to make biometric boarding available for all its US destinations by year-end, once the equipment is in place.  Dr Abdulla Al Hashimi, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates Group Security, said, “Biometric boarding is one more step in streamlining processes at our hub using digital technology, saving our customers time and giving them peace of mind.” John Wagner, Deputy Executive Assistant Commission, Office of Field Operations, US Customs and Border Protection, said, “By comparing a traveller’s face to their passport or visa photo that was previously provided for the purpose of travel, we have streamlined identity verification that further secures and enhances the customer experience.”

Travel is expected to reach an all-time high in the upcoming weeks for Emirates, as the airline expects yet another busy period with travellers flocking into Dubai after the summer holidays and Eid breaks. Excluding transit passengers, over 500,000 people are expected to arrive into Dubai from August 20 until the beginning of September. Mohammed Mattar, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates Airport Services, said, “With another record breaking period coming up when it comes to passenger arrivals, we want to ensure that Emirates customers coming back to Dubai have the best experience possible starting from disembarkation through to every touchpoint and have positioned extra resources to ensure a speedy arrival journey.” Emirates has a number of services and initiatives in place to ensure stress-free movement from gate to arrivals, eliminating potential bottlenecks and cutting wait-times for passengers to complete their formalities. Emirates customers can expect reduced processing times at immigration counters when using smart gates, by simply using their Emirates ID or passport. They can ‘clear’ immigration in seconds without human intervention or the need for a physical passport return stamp. Emirates also offers a Home Delivery service where luggage is retrieved, cleared at customs and delivered to customers for a hassle-free arrival experience. First and Business Class passengers arriving in Dubai can quickly access Emirates’ complimentary Chauffer Drive service upon clearing customs, and Economy Class passengers can use the efficient Dubai Taxi services which conveniently awaits them. Passengers can access the Dubai metro directly from the arrivals area of Terminal 3.

  Emirates gears up for a busy travel period this weekend for the Eid holiday. The busiest time for departures in Terminal 3 will be on August 9, with close to 100,000 passengers travelling through Terminal 3 at DXB. Customers are reminded to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight departure to avoid any delays. Peak travel is expected to start on August 8 in the evening and continue until August 10 with over 372,000 Emirates passengers travelling from Dubai. Passengers can physically check in at the airport as early as 24 hours before flight departure, and are requested to check in no later than two hours prior to departure, regardless of class of travel. Customers who present themselves less than 60 minutes prior to their scheduled flight departure will not be accepted for travel. Customers can check in online on both their desktops and mobile devices from 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure. Passengers can also enjoy Emirates’ Home Check-in service which allows customers to check-in for their flights from anywhere in Dubai. In addition to online check-in services, Emirates also offers convenient car park check-in facilities. Customers can use these to check-in and drop off their luggage. Alternatively, customers heading to Emirates Terminal 3 can choose to drop their luggage at one of the 46 dedicated bag drop counters in Economy Class or separate counters in First Class and Business Class from six hours to 90 minutes prior to departure.

It was the second consecutive year that RwandAir sponsored the EmQuest Cricket Mania event recently with other partners such as Turkish Airlines, Seychelles Tourism Board, Millennium Hotels Dubai, Flexible Autos etc. The two-day event saw a total of about 800 participants from the travel trade which included players, spectators etc. EmQuest Cricket Mania is a large scale event that witnesses the coming together of travel management giants in the industry to compete against each other for the ever rolling trophy. Built on the success of the previous year, EmQuest, a division of Emirates returned with their annual cricket championship tournament EmQuest Cricket Mania 2019 for all Sabre users across the UAE. With Turkish mega carriers, Turkish Airlines as the platinum sponsors and the fast rising giants in the aviation industry — RwandAir as the gold sponsors of EmQuest Cricket Mania 2019. Kanoo Travels were announced as the winners of EmQuest Cricket Mania 2019 and dnata emerged as the runners up. Timothy Njihia, Area Manager, RwandAir,  stated, “RwandAir has been a consistent sponsor of EmQuest’s Cricket Mania tournaments for the last two years, as the T-Shirt Sponsor and in 2019 as the Gold Sponsor. We sponsor the tournament during the event days, that is, the two  weekends that the tournaments last.  This partnership is very important to us as it is a top-of-mind brand awareness to the travel trade, with trade engagement through sports, that is, cricket in order to strengthen partnerships between stakeholders RwandAir, EmQuest & the travel trade.

Emirates has partnered with world-renowned hotel providers to offer its passengers travelling to and through Dubai attractive summer rates in some of the UAE’s most prestigious hotels. Customers who purchase an Emirates ticket and travel from now until September 30, 2019 can enjoy exclusive summer hotel rates in any of the properties within Accor, Armani Hotel Dubai, Emaar Hospitality Group and Marriot during their stay in the UAE. Visitors can take advantage of up to 30 per cent off on best available rates provided by Accor. Armani Hotel Dubai is offering Emirates passengers up to 35 per cent off on best available rates. Marriott is offering Emirates passengers up to 25 per cent off on selected best available rates at any of its properties across the UAE. Emaar Hospitality Group – which is home to brands including the Address Hotels and Resorts, Vida Hotels and Resorts and Rove Hotels, is offering Emirates customers up to 35 per cent off on best available rates. Customers who book in Address Downtown, Address Boulevard, Address Dubai Mall or Palace Downtown can also have complimentary access to Dubai Aquarium, Underwater Zoo and VR Park.  

Emirates has launched its new four times weekly service to Porto, its second destination in Portugal. The new service provides travellers from across Emirates’ global network with a direct flight to the popular city in the north of the country. The inaugural flight, EK197, touched down at the city’s international airport on July 2,  marking the start of the airline’s first service to northern Portugal. The Emirates Boeing 777-200LR, in a two-class cabin configuration featuring Emirates’ newest Business Class and Economy Class seats and interiors, was welcomed by Porto Airport with a water cannon salute. Speaking at an event at the airport to celebrate the new service, Thierry Aucoc, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe, Russian Federation and Latin America, Emirates, said, “Travellers in northern Portugal will now have a convenient and direct flight option to our Dubai hub, from where they can seamlessly access Emirates’ global network, particularly to destinations in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.” Also speaking at the event, José Luís Arnaut, Chairman of the Board, ANA Aeroportos de Portugal, said, “Emirates’ investment in this route is the result of joint efforts between the airline, ANA as well as tourism and Northern Region stakeholder teams. We are therefore excited by this new service, as it shows the region’s development and attractiveness as both a business and leisure destination.” The flight will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and depart Dubai as EK197 at 09:15 hrs and arrive in Porto at 14:30 hrs. The return flight, EK198, will depart Porto at 17:35 hrs and land in Dubai at 04:15 hrs the next morning.

Emirates is giving travellers to and from Oman more choice, comfort and luxury with the first arrivals of its double daily A380 services to Muscat.  Flights EK 862 and EK 864 were each welcomed with water cannon salutes upon arrival, ushering in the new services to Oman’s capital, Muscat. Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Centre, said, “The incredibly popular Emirates A380 has arrived in Oman and we are pleased to give our customers travelling between Muscat and Dubai the opportunity to experience the iconic products and services on this aircraft.” Sheikh Ayman Bin Ahmed Al Hosni, CEO of Oman Airports, said, “We at Oman Airports are proud of Muscat International Airport which has become the embodiment of the hospitality and warmth of the Sultanate of Oman.” The Muscat A380 flights will fly approximately 340 kms each way, making them the shortest A380 flights in the world. That is also shorter than the internal wiring of the A380, which when stretched from end-to-end reaches a distance of over 500 kms. The double daily A380 operations underscore Muscat International Airport’s modern infrastructure and readiness to handle aircraft operations. The twice daily A380 services operate on EK 862/863 and EK 864/865. EK862 departs Dubai at 08: 25 hrs, arriving in Muscat at 09:40 hrs. The return flight, EK 863, departs Muscat at 11:15 hrs, arriving in Dubai in the afternoon at 12:25 hrs. Emirates’ late afternoon flight EK 864 departs Dubai at 16:10 hrs and arrives in Muscat at 17:25 hrs. EK 865 departs Muscat at 19:05 hrs, arriving in Dubai at 20:15 hrs. Along with the A380 services, EK 866/867, the early morning flight, is operated with …

Emirates will be expanding its services to Jeddah and Medina with an additional 46 flights to help facilitate travel for Hajj pilgrims heading to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The flights will be operated between July 27 and August 22 to support the Hajj journey to the Holy City of Mecca. The services will run in parallel with Emirates’ regularly scheduled services to Jeddah and Medina, and will be available to travellers holding a valid Hajj visa. This year, Emirates expects thousands of pilgrims to travel on its services for Hajj, coming from top inbound destinations such as Pakistan, the United States, Senegal, the UK, Nigeria, Indonesia, South Africa and Ivory Coast. Adil Al Ghaith, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East and Iran, Emirates, said, “Hajj is one of the most significant events in the Muslim faith, and every year, Emirates’ primary focus is to help facilitate seamless travel for our Hajj passengers as they converge on the Holy City of Mecca for this once in a lifetime journey.” On the ground in Dubai, Emirates has commissioned a dedicated team to manage check-in and transfers for the seamless movement of Hajj passengers leaving from and transiting in Dubai. In the air, Emirates has planned several initiatives that uphold the values and traditions of pilgrims when travelling for Hajj. Extra provisions will be made to accommodate Hajj traveller needs such as performing ablutions and other cleansing rituals as well as advising passengers when they have entered Al Miqat zones to ensure readiness for Ihram (the point when pilgrims enter a state of sanctity) through dedicated passenger announcements.

Emirates’ first scheduled A380 services have just touched down in Boston and Amman for the summer season peak. The first scheduled A380 service landed in Amman on June 1 at 15:55 hrs local time and the second A380 service from Dubai to Boston landed at 13:50 hrs local time. Led by Captain Arif Al Reyami and Jordanian First Officer Laith Saudi, the A380 Amman service was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute. Emirates will operate its A380 aircraft to and from Amman until October 26 to cater to the increased demand for travel during the peak summer period. The airline has adjusted its schedule on one of its three daily flights (EK 903/904) with the A380. Emirates A380 operations to Boston also coincide with high customer demand during the peak summer and winter travel season and will see overall capacity increase around 45 per cent between June 1 to September 30, 2019 and December 1, 2019 to  January 31, 2020. The move to deploy the popular A380 on both routes demonstrates the airline’s flexibility to optimise the usage of its fleet to cater to passenger demand within its network. The Emirates A380 flying to Amman is set in a three-class configuration, and will have 427 seats in Economy Class on the lower deck over the months of June and July, 76 flat-bed Business Class seats and 14 luxurious First Class Suites. First and Business Class customers can catch up, network and enjoy an extensive range of beverages and delicacies in the Onboard Lounge. The Emirates A380 flying to Boston is also set in a three class cabin configuration, offering 14 private suites in First Class, 76 seats in Business …

This summer Emirates has partnered with Uber to offer UAE travellers discounted airport transfers  for those who fly Emirates Economy Class Flex Plus and Economy Class Flex. Customers can avail free or discounted airport rides to and from DXB on bookings made until July 31 for travel until August 31, 2019. UAE nationals and residents can now plan ahead and enjoy a seamless end-to-end customer travel experience this summer. Customers who book their travel in Economy Flex Plus can avail two free rides to and from DXB from anywhere in Dubai up to the value of AED 120 per trip. Customers booked in Economy Flex will get 50% off two rides, to and from DXB to anywhere in Dubai up to the value of AED 60 per trip. Passengers can avail the special offers by booking via the Emirates website during the promotional period. Khalid Bel Jaflah,  Divisional Vice President Commercial Operations — UAE and Oman, Emirates, said, “We are very pleased to strengthen our partnership with Uber and extend this popular offer to customers in our home market of Dubai. We remain committed to providing a fantastic customer experience for our customers in the UAE so they can enjoy a seamless journey on the ground and in the air.” Abdellatif Waked, General Manager, Middle East and North Africa for Uber, commented, “At Uber, we’re focused on bringing reliable transportation to the millions of customers we serve everyday, and we are delighted to see our partnership with Emirates extend to serve outbound travellers from Dubai.” The Uber promotion code offer is currently also available for Emirates passengers visiting Dubai from more than 50 global destinations within North America, South America, …