Tag Archives for emirates.
What’s unique here though is that a passenger usually only urinates in the cabin once before being restrained or passing out. They aren’t usually allowed to wait awhile, build up the urge again, and let loose a second time.. let alone a third.
One customer had enough with the misleading advertising claims of airlines, and when they bought a pricey business class ticket and wound up with old seats that didn’t lie flat which were different than what they’d been sold, they sued and won. They’re a hero to everyone who has ever been promised one thing, delivered another, and told by their airline to pound sand.
The test that Air Canada did earlier in the week of new Emirates pricing was simply a bit premature. The new pricing is live. And so are redemptions for first class awards.
Nearly five years ago Emirates started selling “in home check-in” where someone comes to you, weighs and collects your baggage, and prints your boarding passes. Then last summer they started offering this complimentary to first class passengers. And it’s stupid.
Emirates has completed the refresh of the first one of its Airbus A380s and is placing it into service today, January 6, as flight EK3 from Dubai to London Heathrow. The airline has a fleet of 120 A380s, though slightly more than half will receive the interior retrofit.
These planes are receiving 56 premium economy seats, as well a new color palette in business and first class.
On December 23, Emirates flight EK319 from Tokyo Narita to Dubai became a miserable experience for 500 passengers and crew on the Airbus A380. The plane went mechanical, and missed taking off before the airport’s midnight curfew by just a few minutes. The airline didn’t bother getting hotel rooms for passengers – or, reportedly, even crew. In fact they told passengers they couldn’t leave the airport, handed out sleeping bags, and directed premium cabin passengers to the lounge for the night.
Today’s flight from Athens to Newark was 90 minutes into its flight when it held over Sardinia. The Boeing 777 then took an overwater route back to Athens, reportedly unable to gain clearance to fly over France or Italy. As the aircraft entered Greek airspace, their Air Force scrambled jets to intercept and escort it down.
A week ago I was first to cover that Singapore Airlines would drop Dom Perignon from its first class and Suites cabin, though generally still offer two outstanding choices: Krug and Taittinger Comtes de Champagne.
It turns out that the reason for the change isn’t budgetary (they got a great deal from Taittinger) or a sourcing problem (there’s no Dom Perignon supply chain breakdown) but rather the airline, which was at one point reportedly the world’s second-largest purchaser of Dom, has been shut out from access.
There’s no question that Emirates premium cabin customers who find themselves on board United’s new Newark – Dubai flight will be surprised by the food and beverage program. Sir Time Clark says the airline needs to “make strikes” to improve. That’s an understatement. But he’s not worried. Indeed, Emirates is able to partner with easyJet, Gol, and Jetstar while maintaining their premium image.
There’s nothing game-changing here. There’s two airlines that will modestly direct each other’s customers to each other in Dubai and the Mideast. This helps United sell flights to Pakistan, and Emirates sell flights to connecting cities beyond its U.S. gateways. But it doesn’t live up to the hype.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
