European Commission Commends Emirates’ Websites

The European Commission’s Director General for ‘Health and Consumers’ (DG SANCO), has confirmed that Emirates airline’s websites are fully compliant with all the requirements laid down in EU consumer legislation, and it further commended the airline for its commitment to consumer transparency.

In a statement, Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said: "I am delighted to confirm that contrary to some earlier reported indications, Emirates airline is fully in compliance with all the requirements laid down in EU consumer legislation that were monitored in the recent ’health check’ in relation to air ticket selling websites and therefore belongs to those companies that can serve as an example to be followed by others. I commend Emirates airline as a non-EU carrier for the observance of Community law and for the commitment to maintain these standards and to consumer protection in general demonstrated at a meeting held in Brussels on 17 June".

DG SANCO’s ‘health check’ investigation and report on airline websites published in May listed Emirates as being non-compliant. Subsequent discussions between the airline and DG SANCO confirmed that this was inaccurate.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide, said: “We have had a number of open and productive conversations with DG SANCO over the past weeks. Although we were disappointed with how the original investigations were conducted, we are pleased that this is now resolved, and that consumers can be absolutely satisfied that Emirates’ websites not only fully comply with EU regulations, but also demonstrate leadership in terms of transparency and inclusive pricing.

“As a responsible global airline, our commercial operations are guided by fair business practices and transparency for our customers. All Emirates’ fares include taxes and surcharges and no service fees apply when bookings are made and paid for online. We also provide a breakdown of the fare components both online and with Global Distribution Systems (GDS).”

Mr Vaughan added: "Emirates wants to see high, universal standards across our industry to ensure a level playing field for those airlines, like Emirates, who adhere to transparency and the highest possible standards versus some who continue to practice more opaque pricing and other less consumer-friendly techniques".

New Payment Methods Make Booking On Emirates.com Even Easier

Making on-line bookings and payments is now even easier thanks to the latest innovations featured on Emirates’ website at www.emirates.com

Payment options in many of the airline’s markets have now been widened, taking into account recent research on which payment methods are likely to most appeal to customers. Partnering with GlobalCollect, the world’s premier payment service provider of local e-payments, Emirates.com can now offer alternative payment methods in no fewer than 34 countries served by the site.

“In selecting these additional payment methods for customers using emirates.com we took a very local approach. Each country has its own unique preferred payment methods and we very much wanted to give options which catered for the needs of our customers in each market” said Richard Vaughan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide. “Germany is an excellent example – Giropay is a very popular payment system there and we have now added this as an additional payment method for passengers purchasing tickets from the four cities in Germany from which we fly”, he continued.

Existing credit and charge card options like VISA, MasterCard, AMEX and Diner’s Club are expected to remain a popular choice with customers. Additional options now offered include real-time bank transfers, on-line banking and offline bank transfers, allowing passengers to make direct fund transfers. Passengers will also now be able to send payment for their tickets at selected Western Union Agent locations, using the Western Union Quick Pay service or via their PayPal accounts. There are also some market-specific options like Solo and Maestro cards in the UK.

One of the new benefits the airline believes will be most useful to customers, is the opening up of the option for a third party to make a payment on behalf of another passenger. So far this facility has not been offered, in order to prevent any possibility of fraud in an on-line transaction. However, with the addition of alternative payment methods like Western Union Quick Pay and bank transfers, this concern is reduced because the transactions are done via cash at an agent location or a cash transfer directly from a bank account, allowing, for example, someone to pay for a ticket booked for another family member.

In response to customer demand Emirates also now offers the option for passengers who purchase their tickets via emirates.com using selected payment methods, to do so in the particular currency in which they are charged. This provides the customer with greater transparency as the final charge will appear on their statement in their chosen currency. Payment can now be made in one of 14 different major currencies.

Emirates Voted Top Of The Class

The Emirates Group’s continued commitment to service excellence has been recognised with four prestigious industry gongs.

The Dubai-based carrier dominated the Business Traveller Middle East awards, claiming the coveted Best Airline title, as well as Best Regional Airline and Best First Class.

In addition, Skywards took top honours for Best Frequent Flyer Programme.

Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice-President Commercial Operations Worldwide believes the accolades are the airline’s reward for refusing to curtail plans to improve its ever-expanding fleet of 134 aircraft.

“The Emirates Group is honoured to receive this recognition from one of the most well-travelled and demanding customer segments,” said Richard Vaughan. “Our passengers have come to expect exceptional standards and it is fabulous to know we remain their favourite airline.

“This recognition, coming at such a challenging time for the airline industry, is acknowledgement of our continued investment and commitment to providing outstanding service.”

More than 400 leading executives from across the business travel industry were at Jumeirah Emirates Towers to see Emirates Group pick up the awards, which were voted for by readers of Business Traveller Middle East.

The ceremony was held just a day before the airline confirmed it would press ahead with fleet and route growth plans. The airline will this year take delivery of 17 new aircraft, including 777s and Airbus A380s, launch flights to new destinations, and strengthen its route network to provide more travel options and flight connections for its customers across the globe.

In addition, the interior of many aircraft in its existing fleet will be refitted in a $600 million makeover programme to make sure every aircraft meets the increased expectations of passengers who have flown on the newer aircraft.

Durban is one of two cities being added to the Emirates network, and the new services are aimed to meet an expected surge in travel to South Africa in the coming year.

The FIFA World Cup – which Emirates is an Official Partner of – is just one of many sporting events being held there and the inaugural flight to Durban on 1st October will give Emirates passengers three travel options, including Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Luanda, the airline’s other new destination this year, scheduled to come online on 2nd August, will increase access to Angola’s emerging tourism market and facilitate the travel requirements of the thousands of migrant workers in Angola, many of whom have been attracted to Africa’s second largest oil-producing nation by the oil-led boom.

Emirates’ A380 Sydney Service Earns Its Mark With Tourism Australia

Tourism Australia and Emirates marked the successful start of the airline’s daily A380 service between Dubai and Sydney at the 2009 Arabian Travel Market (ATM), running until 8th May.

Richard Vaughan, the airline’s Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide presented Tourism Australia’s GCC Development Manager, Andrew Oldfield with his very own super-sized A380 model to celebrate the occasion.

Emirates introduced its revolutionary A380 product on the Dubai-Sydney-Auckland route on 1st February with a thrice-weekly service, and subsequently strengthened it on 1st May with a daily operation. The capacity expansion – 18 % – demonstrates yet another initiative in Emirates’ partnership with Australia.

Mr. Vaughan noted: “Emirates made a commitment to increase services to Australia some years ago and has delivered on its promise, even in the present economic times when others choose to reduce capacity. We are delighted to be able to proceed with this scheduled increase by making the state-of-the-art A380 service a daily operation.”

Mr. Oldfield added: “The recent easing of visa procedures in the region has contributed to an increase of 21% in visitor arrivals from the six-member GCC states. Emirates’ increased capacity will encourage further growth as well as support Tourism Australia as we step up our marketing initiatives in this part of the world.”

Emirates’ big plans for the A380 this year also include start of services to Bangkok and Toronto on 1st June, and to Seoul on 1st December. Emirates will be the aviation world’s first A380 operator to Bangkok and will usher in a whole new, luxury air travel experience to/from the Kingdom.

Emirates’ A380 heralds a whole new level of comfort and luxury never seen before on a commercial airliner. The ground-breaking in-flight product includes onboard shower spas with signature spa products in the First Class cabin; an onboard lounge for First and Business class customers; flat-bed massage-equipped private suites in First Class; a new generation of intelligent seating and flat-beds in Business Class; mood-lighting; and a second-to-none in-flight entertainment system featuring over 1000 channels of on-demand entertainment.
 

The Middle East And Far East Get Closer With Emirates

Emirates airline is bridging the Middle East and Far East – two regions that continue to record healthy growth rates – with its announcement of double-daily services from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur and introduction of three additional weekly flights from Dubai to Jakarta, effective 1st May 2009.

The announcement closely follows the release of World Bank forecasts that point to 5.3% rise in the gross domestic product of the Far East region this year.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide noted: “Despite the current economic environment, the Middle East and Far East regions continue to register growth in their Travel and Tourism industries. In the Far East these industries are expected to post average annual gains of 6.3% over the coming 10 years.

“While Malaysia continues to be a leading holiday destination, Indonesia is investing significantly in developing its MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions) infrastructure in order to get a slice of the bustling conference market in the Far East. We are also noticing a growing outbound tourism market from these countries as Malaysians and Indonesians increasingly embark on overseas holidays.

“Emirates’ growing services will provide the infrastructure to support this growth.”

Jakarta
Emirates will expand its current daily service to 10 flights a week. The three additional flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and will introduce over 1200 passenger seats and approximately 50 tonnes of cargo capacity per week per direction. The flights provide business travellers smooth connections to Johannesburg, Kuwait, Muscat, Doha and Bahrain, and support the Indonesian government’s initiatives to boost trade and commerce with Africa and Middle East.

The extra cargo capacity will advance Indonesian exports of garments, leather, shoes and tropical fish to Europe, North America, Africa, Middle East, and the Indian sub-continent.

EK358 will depart Dubai at 10:55 hours and arrive in Jakarta at 22:35 hours.

EK357 will depart Jakarta at 17:55 hours and arrive in Dubai at 22:45 hours.

Also effective 1st May, the existing EK357 flight service will be renumbered to EK359, while flight timings and days of operation remain unchanged.

Kuala Lumpur

Emirates will add two flights to its existing 12 flights-a-week service, bringing the total to 14 flights a week. This development is strengthened with the introduction of First Class cabin service on four of the 14 weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur, underscoring Malaysia’s importance in Emirates’ Far East network.

Also, the UAE is one of Malaysia’s top trading partners. The country’s total trade with the UAE in 2008 amounted to USD 4.5 billion – an increase of 45.7% over the previous year.

The start of a three-class service will cater to increased tourist arrivals from the Middle East to Malaysia during June – September holiday season. The service will be available on EK342/343 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and on EK 346/347 on Sundays.

Cargo capacity will increase by 17% post expansion.

EK342 will depart Dubai every Wednesday at 10:30 hours, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 21:35 hours. Return flight EK 343 will depart Kuala Lumpur the following morning at 02:00 hours, arriving in Dubai at 04:50 hours.

EK346 will depart Dubai every Sunday at 03:15 hours, arriving in Kuala Lumpur at 14:15 hours. It will turnaround as EK347, taking off from Kuala Lumpur at 19:30 hours and arriving in Dubai at 22:20 hours.

Also effective 1st May, the existing EK343 and EK347 flight schedules have been revised.

More information is available on www.emirates.com

Emirates Off And Racing As Three Week Autumn Racing Carnival Begins

For the next three weeks, Emirates will once again claim its premiere position with horse racing in Australia, by showcasing its commitment to the sport as the major sponsor of the Australian Jockey Club’s 2009 Autumn Racing Carnival at Royal Randwick in Sydney.

The Carnival begins this Saturday with the David Jones Australian Derby Day, featuring five Group races, including the Emirates Carbine’s Club Stakes and the Emirates Chairman’s Handicap.

The Emirates Doncaster Day on Saturday, 18th April features two of Australia’s most prestigious races; The Emirates Doncaster Mile and the Patinack Farm AJC Oaks. The Carnival concludes on 25th April with the Schweppes Sydney Cup Day, featuring the Emirates Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Off the track Emirates will once again be the premier social venue, hosting Sydney’s social set, VIP guests and media, bringing its world renowned first class experience to an opulent Austrian themed marquee.

As Emirates continues to celebrate its successful Sydney – Dubai – Vienna route, the team behind the airline’s always impressive Royal Randwick Carnival hospitality has created a venue, inspired by the ornate beauty, culture and charm of Austria.

The marquee will mirror the famous cafe Vienna and once inside guests will feel as if they are walking in the footsteps of the famous “Waltz King” Johann Strauss, experiencing the renowned artist in a gold-plated, life-size statuesque form, the only one of its kind in the world.

The Emirates marquee will feature elaborate red cascading floral arrangements, elegant Austrian furnishings, crystal chandeliers adorned with Swarovski crystals and will host some of Australia’s biggest name celebrities.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide, said: “Emirates is once again proud to be associated with the Australian Jockey Club’s Royal Randwick Carnival; it is just one of the high profile events that we are involved in which demonstrates our strong commitment to Australia and horse racing globally.

“This year’s marquee has been designed to reflect Emirates’ reputation for world-class quality, luxury, service and style. With its elegant façade, beautiful light-filled interior and attention to detail, the Emirates marquee is a royal experience.

“We look forward to welcoming guests to the Emirates Marquee which will reflect the standard provided to guests choosing to fly Emirates. They’ll also enjoy watching some of the world’s finest racing on the track from a premier position.”