Emirates remembers its roots during Ramadan

 

Emirates may be global airline brand but it still holds on to its Emirati traditions.

During the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan, Emirates will share thousands of iftar boxes for fasting customers both onboard and at boarding gates.

It will also offer complimentary Emirates prayer mats, screen a range of religious content and popular TV shows on ice, and present traditional Ramadan dishes in its lounges.

For the comfort of all fasting customers, complimentary iftar boxes to help break the fast containing water, laban (yoghurt-based drink), a banana, and dates are distributed at select Emirates boarding gates during iftar time.

For the month of Ramadan, customers breaking their fast across all cabin classes to select destinations will be offered nutritionally balanced Ramadan meal boxes.

Iftar meals are served in bespoke boxes designed by Emirates to represent the geometric design of traditional Islamic art.

The meal boxes include traditional dates, light bites of hummus, moutabel or muhammara with Arabic bread, a chicken mossakan sandwich or herbed chicken sandwich, sweet treats of chocolate almonds, baklawa pistachio mamoul or baklawa pine seed cashew, and laban.

Emirates’ Ramadan boxes are served in addition to the regular hot meal service.

To ensure the highest levels of accuracy for fasting Muslim passengers, Emirates uses a tool to calculate the correct timings for imsak (the time to commence fasting) and iftar while inflight, based on the times of the sunrise and sunset of the location the flight is passing by using the aircraft’s longitude, latitude, and altitude.

When the sun sets, passengers will be officially informed of the iftar time by the captain.

Emirates also has special keepsake prayer mats on all flights, which are available by request to cabin crew.

Across the seven Emirates lounges in Dubai International Airport (DXB), an array of Arabic sweets, dates and coffee will be offered during Ramadan.

In the pink: Love takes flight with Emirates this Valentine’s Day

 

You don't even have to be a lovebird to enjoy some romance onboard Emirates flights this Valentine’s Day.

Flyers will be treated to Valentine’s-themed cakes and chocolates onboard, as well as a range of pink desserts in Emirates lounges, rosé Champagne, and mood-setting movies and music.

Every customer flying in economy and premium economy on Saturday will receive a mini gift box with a raspberry chocolate brownie, while soft red mood lighting will illuminate the aircraft.

First and business class customers will also be gifted chocolate brownies and mini raspberry ganache tarts adorned with hearts. The A380 onboard lounge will be serving a selection of sweet treats, from lemon and raspberry cupcakes to profiteroles and mini tarts.

Emirates first class customers will be welcomed onboard with a glass of Dom Pérignon Rosé 2009. Business class customers will be offered Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial.

In the Emirates Lounges in Dubai from February 13-15, à la carte and buffet appetisers and main courses will be on offer while first class customers can indulge in crafted desserts, including raspberry vanilla cake, pistachio strawberry cake, and red velvet cake, alongside an array of mocktails and cocktails.

Across Emirates Lounges worldwide, customers will be greeted with Valentine’s-themed dishes and drinks, from heart-shaped ravioli in Rome to Valentine’s cupcakes in Cairo and chocolate-dipped strawberries in Sri Lanka.

Emirates reveals new focus on plant-based meals in the air

Emirates has unveiled a new food concept that focuses on "real, whole, and farm-to-fork plant foods".

The airline says global consumers increasingly focus on nutrition, health and wellbeing.

"‘Our focus now is on legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, and seasonal vegetables as the heroes of the plate," says Emirates vice president of food and beverage design Doxis Bekris.

"These ingredients offer natural depth of flavour, texture, and nutrition without relying on ultra-processed alternatives.

"Instead of replicating meat, we want to draw from cuisines that have always been plant-forward like Mediterranean mezze, Levantine grain salads, Asian noodle bowls, and African stews.

"In our view this approach feels genuine and culturally rich. Although there are many commendable lab-based alternatives available, real food aligns with our sustainability goals and guest expectations for health-conscious choices.

"It’s about transparency for our customers who want to know what they’re eating, as well as have confidence that it’s good for them and the planet. We want to shift from substitutes to a celebration of plants, where it’s not about what’s missing - but instead what is gained in authenticity, flavour, and creativity."

Emirates currently serves half a million vegan meals each year. It has 488 vegan recipes in rotation across 140 destinations, representing a 60% increase in total recipes from 2024.

Vegan meal consumption grows in line with passenger volume increases, and last year - the top destinations with customers ordering vegan meals were London in first place, followed by Sydney, Bangkok, Melbourne, Frankfurt, Manchester, Mumbai, Bali and Singapore.

Vegan options are available to order and pre-order onboard, as well as in Emirates Lounges.

Customers can request vegan meals on all Emirates flights and across all classes of travel up to 24 hours before departure. On high-demand routes, plant-based meals are also provided as part of the main menu options.

New dishes are set to be onboard for customers in 2027.

Image: Beetroot tartare

Iran protests cause airline issues across the Gulf

Flights in the Gulf region are being cancelled over the weekend as a result of political protests in Iran.

Major international airlines have cancelled dozens of flights to and from Iran as a result of safety and logistical concerns, news hub Travel Mole reports.

Demonstrations in Iran have no been running for over two weeks, initially triggered by the country's deepening economic crisis. They have since evolved into a broader nationwide movement.

In response, authorities have imposed extensive internet outages and communication blackouts in several regions, complicating flight co-ordination, passenger communications and airport operations.

Turkish Airlines announced on Friday that it had cancelled 17 scheduled flights to Iranian cities including Tehran Airport (above), Tabriz and Mashhad for Friday and Saturday, citing regional developments.

Passengers were advised to check the airline’s website for updated flight information. Turkish low-cost carrier AJet and Pegasus also cancelled all their flights to Iran over the same two-day period.

Disruptions have extended right across the Gulf.

Data from Dubai Airport showed that multiple flights operated by Emirates and flydubai to Tehran were suspended on Friday.

Services to other Iranian cities - including Bandar Abbas, Lar, Mashhad and Shiraz - were also cancelled.

A flydubai spokesperson told local newspaper The National. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and revise our flight schedule accordingly.”

In Abu Dhabi, national carrier Etihad Airways suspended all its flights to Iran until Tuesday at the earliest.

In Qatar, flights from Doha to Iran were cancelled on Friday.

Iranian airlines including Iran Air, Mahan Air and Qeshm Air are continuing to operate flights as scheduled.

Emirates upgrades its fleet; codeshares with South African Airways

It has been a big week for Emirates Airlines, which has entered a new phase of refitting its aircraft and entered into a new deal with South African Airways.

Emirates' retrofit program sees 60 A380s and 51 Boeing 777s set to receive cabin innovations including next-generation, fully immersive in-flight entertainment systems and upgraded wifi connectivity.

Emirates will introduce the latest seating designs and a new onboard lounge on 60 A380s, paired with Panasonic's advanced Astrova inflight entertainment system.

“Emirates’ retrofit programme is about continuously elevating standards across our entire fleet," says Sir Tim Clark, the airline's president.

"Working with our long-standing partners, we're taking this commitment a step further with the aim of delivering product consistency at scale, in tandem with next-generation innovations in seating, entertainment, and connectivity being brought into service with our newly delivered fleet.

"Our customers expect an excellent experience every time they fly Emirates, and this investment ensures we deliver on that promise in the years to come, wherever they travel with us.”

Business class on both the A380 and Boeing 777s will receive a major upgrade while Emirates is installing fleet-wide Starlink connectivity.

Meanwhile, Emirates and South African Airways are working towards a reciprocal codeshare agreement, ahead of the busy peak travel season.

With single ticket fares and unified baggage handling, Emirates customers will be able to enjoy seamless access from Johannesburg to three domestic points in South Africa - Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), as well as a further thirteen regional points in Africa including Abidjan, Accra, Gaborone, Dar es Salaam, Kinshasa, Windhoek, Lagos, Lusaka, Lubumbashi, Harare, Victoria Falls, Windhoek, and Mauritius.

The codeshare will enable Emirates to tap into feeder traffic from South Africa, and regionally alongside long-haul connecting passengers from the UK and US.

This builds on the existing codeshare partnership that provides South African Airways customers with access to Dubai on Emirates’ soon-to-be 56 weekly flights from three gateways.

Based in Dubai, Emirates is one of the two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates.

 

See emirates.com, flysaa.com or travel agents.

Emirates boosts direct Melbourne flight schedule

Emirates is introducing a third daily non-stop service between Dubai and Melbourne, starting from March 30.

The third service will be operated with a newly retro-fitted four-class Emirates Boeing 777-300ER.

It is equipped with both premium economy and new-generation business class seats.

The airline already operates two non-stop daily flights between Dubai and Melbourne using four-class Airbus A380s, as well as a daily flight that connects Dubai to Melbourne via Singapore with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

But the Emirates’ flights between Singapore and Melbourne will cease on March 30, news portal Travel Mole reports.

The aniline now plans to operate the third direct Dubai-Melbourne flight and a fourth Dubai-Singapore service with new flight numbers.

A third daily non-stop Melbourne flight means more convenient schedules and choice, with connectivity and travel options via Dubai to 27 European cities including London, Paris, and Frankfurt.

Emirates’ latest refurbished Boeing 777 includes eight first classs suites, 40 business class seats, 24 seats in premium economy, and 256 economy class seats.

The airline’s business class seat converts to a flat-bed.

Every business customer has aisle access with the four abreast layout. Customers will also be able to enjoy their own personal mini-bar, table for dining or working, and multiple charging outlets.

Emirates to add second daily Perth-Dubai flight

Emirates is boosting its already high profile in Australia by announcing that it will launch a second daily flight from Perth to Dubai later this year.

The new service - to start from December - will be supported by the Western Australian Government in partnership with Perth Airport.

It will will bring more than 129,000 new inbound seats to Western Australia every year.

The new flight will operate on a 777-300ER alongside Emirates' existing A380 daily service.

This returned service will provide further flight options for travellers from Western Australia's priority tourism markets, including Europe, the UK and US, during Western Australia's summer season.

Latest figures show Perth's international aviation capacity has now recovered to 94% of pre-Covid levels with the state on track to restore aviation capacity before the end of the financial year.

Western Australia is the only Australian state or territory with non-stop aviation connections with the UK and Europe with services between Perth and London, Rome, and a soon-to-launch Paris service.

For more information visit emirates.com/au

Emirates boosts its free in-flight wifi

Emirates has upgraded its in-flight wifi so that every passenger can potentially enjoy free wifi even if they are flying on a cheap economy ticket.

Only one issue: you have to sign up the Emirates Skywards scheme to be eligible, Travel Mole reports.

The upgrade means an additional 30,000 economy class passengers will get access to complimentary wifi every week.

The airline says it has invested more than US$300 million in onboard connectivity.

All Emirates Skywards members in every class can now enjoy some form of free connectivity.

Skywards members enjoy free app messaging and first class passengers will now have unlimited free internet if they are Skywards members.

Silver, Gold and Platinum Skywards members get free wifi in business class.

Platinum Skywards members have complimentary internet access in all classes.

Emirates sees an average of 450,000 inflight wifi users per month.

Patrick Brannelly, SVP Retail, IFE said: ” In March we delivered about 55% more data per customer session."

Emirates will also offer new high-speed broadband by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation, on new Airbus A350 aircraft from 2024.

Long-haul flights are back baby!

Long-distance flights to and from Australia are back in a big way, with Emirates among those leading the charge.

Emirates this week announced it is adding a second daily flight on the Sydney-Dubai route, served by an A380 superjumbo.

Starting from March 1, the airline will offer customers an additional seven flights per week, to reach 14 weekly services from Dubai to the biggest city in Australia.

With the re-opening of Australian borders set for February 21, Emirates said it was increasing services to meet market demand.

The additional daily flight between Sydney and Dubai will operate as EK412/413 and will offer 14 first class suites, 76 lie-flat seats in business class and 426 seats in economy class.

The Emirates A380 flagship aircraft now serves 28 destinations.

The A380 aircraft is also operating daily flights to Melbourne.

Emirates also serves Brisbane with five weekly flights as well as three flights per week to Perth, both on the Boeing 777-300ER.

Barry Brown, Emirates divisional vice-president for Australasia last week highlighted that 2022 marks Emirates’ 25th year of service to Australia, following its first flight between Melbourne and Dubai in 1996.

British Airways also announced this week it will be re-starting its Sydney to London route again in March after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Splash out on a worthwhile economy bonus experience

There can be fewer better travel bonuses than having an empty seat next to you when you are flying in a cramped economy class airline cabin. 

Emirates is offering a sweet deal for passengers to stretch out with the use of adjacent economy seats for $US55 to $US165 plus tax depending on the route. This follows a similar offering from Air New Zealand. 

The  Emirates seats cannot be booked in advance and only available for purchase on the day of travel at check-in, Arab News reported.

Emirates passengers can purchase up to three empty adjoining seats - although how cabin crew will enforce the blocked out bookings remains unexplained.

The Dubai-based  carrier said the new scheme will be offered to all economy class customers with a confirmed booking, but there will be no option to pre-book the empty seats.

Customers who are likely to purchase extra seats include couples, parents traveling with in-lap infants, and those who want to be socially distant while travelling amid the pandemic. Or those who simply want more room to move. 

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) now expects that the airline industry will remain cash negative throughout 2021, leaving airlines looking for new revenue streams.