UAE. Emirates this week launched its inaugural A380 services to Thailand and Canada, ushering in a new era of luxury air travel to the two countries.
On 1 June, two of its A380 super jumbos set off from Dubai to opposite ends of the globe, marking the aviation world’s first A380 commercial services to Bangkok and Toronto.
EK 372 took off from Emirates’ new home, Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport, at 09:40 hours* carrying 488 passengers. It landed to a festive welcome by the Thai government at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport at 19:00.
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Emirates’ A380 operations will commence daily to Bangkok, Thsiland and thrice weekly to Toronto, Canada from Dubai |
EK 241 departed Dubai with 458 passengers and became the first commercial A380 jet to touch down on Canadian soil at 15:45.
Senior management from Emirates flew on the two inaugural services. On arrival in Bangkok and Toronto, the A380s were unveiled to local media, th travel trade and key government officials.
Emirates’ A380 operations commence daily to Bangkok and thrice weekly to Toronto.
The A380 is the world’s only twin-deck airliner and has +35% more seats than its closest rival. It is also said to be the most environmentally-advanced commercial aircraft, offering better fuel economy than most hybrid passenger cars.
Emirates Airline President Tim Clark said: “Emirates is delighted to celebrate its inaugural A380 services to Thailand and Canada. The aircraft with its large capacity and excellent operating economies is a pillar of growth, both for the airline and the destination.
“In Thailand, the introduction of the super jumbo will support the local government’s multi-million dollar promotional drive to boost tourism arrivals from the high-yield Middle East region. At the same time the higher-capacity A380 will help address the strong demand for passenger and cargo services on the Dubai-Toronto route which is currently restricted by the bi-lateral agreement to three flights per week,” he added.
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The Emirates A380 was reviewed in the January/February 2008 issue of The Moodie Report Digital Print Edition |
Hailing the arrival of Emirates’ A380 as a positive development for Thailand’s tourism industry, Thailand Ministry of Transport Deputy Permanent Secretary Chaisak Angkasuwan said: “We are delighted Emirates selected Bangkok as the first Far East gateway for its revolutionary A380 product. Our current marketing and trade campaigns focus on promoting Thailand as an ideal holiday destination in the Middle East.
“Travellers from this region make multiple visits to Thailand, staying on an average nine days and spending over US$500 million annually. We welcome the opportunity to partner with Emirates to grow the tourism potential from this region,” he added.
 You pays your money and you takes your choice |
| So let’s applaud those such as Emirates who still understand that they are in the business of transporting paying guests not cattle |
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Despite the current economic environment, the Middle East continues to deliver positive year-on-year growth of +5.7%. Tourist arrivals from the UAE alone rose by +99.46% for January 2009 compared to the same period last year.
Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) President and CEO Lloyd McCoomb said: “The GTAA is honoured to be part of this historic day. We are pleased that this route has proven so successful for Emirates and we are very excited to welcome the A380 to Toronto Pearson. This is exactly what this airport was rebuilt for – to allow for new and larger aircraft that will be the future of the airline business.”
Clark added: “With air travel due to triple in the next 18 years and constraints on traffic rights and airport slots to continue, larger capacity aircraft such as the A380 are key to Emirates’ plans to meet increasing passenger demand.
“We have ordered 58 A380s and each one of these has been carefully planned for our present and future requirements. Our next A380 destination will be Seoul on 1 December, and will represent Emirates’ first A380 service to North East Asia.”
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Emirates’ new free baggage allowance will offer travellers the flexibility to carry significantly more baggage |
INCREASE IN FREE BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE
In other news, Emirates has announced an increase to its free baggage allowances provided to passengers. The change is effective for all tickets issued on or after 4 May.
The new allowance has been implemented across the airline’s extensive network of over 100 destinations globally – 30kg for Economy Class passengers, 40kg for Business and 50kg for First.
“Emirates has moved to these new free baggage levels to further demonstrate our commitment to putting the passenger first,” said Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President Revenue Optimisation Nabil Sultan.
“By offering travellers the flexibility to carry significantly more baggage we will be allowing them to take more gifts for family and friends or take advantage of the outstanding shopping in Dubai and across the extensive network of Emirates destinations.”
Gold and Silver Members of Skywards, Emirates’ frequent flyer programme, are entitled to an additional baggage allowance of 16kg and 12kg respectively.
Codeshare passengers travelling on Emirates operated flights are also eligible for the revised free baggage allowances.
Emirates’ regular rates will be applied to baggage in excess of these new allowances.
MORE STORIES ON EMIRATES
Online now: The Moodie Report Digital Print Edition for January/February 2009 – 29/01/09
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