DUBAI, 5 June 2004 — The second man to set foot on the moon took off on Emirates’ nonstop first flight to New York and said he was impressed with the inflight comfort, a press statement from the Mideast airline has said.
Astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and mission commander Neil Armstrong walked into the history books when they climbed down the ladder of their Apollo XI lunar lander on July 20, 1969.
On June 1, 2004, Aldrin traveled on board Emirates’ Airbus A340-500 from Dubai to New York with an Emirates’ delegation headed by Maurice Flanagan, vice chair and group president of the Dubai-based airline.
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright also flew to JFK Airport on the same flight. She was in Dubai as guest speaker during the graduation ceremonies of the American University of Dubai.
In place of a cramped Apollo spacecraft that flew them to the moon, Aldrin flew in luxury in Emirates’ A345 First Class Suite.
According to the press statement, Aldrin was so impressed after sampling the facilities in the First Class Suite that he exclaimed: “I haven’t seen anything like it! It’s very different from the first class cabins I have flown in on other airlines and is a remarkable feat of engineering and luxury.”
First Class customers on this ultra long-range jet can relax in suites with flat beds and privacy doors, and can phone cabin crew in the galley to ask for meals to be served at their seat whenever they wish.
Maurice Flanagan said: “From today, Emirates is causing customers to five continents and we hope they will find our award-winning on-board service really out of this world.
“Our remarkable new A340-500 may not fly them to the moon, but it will reach any place on earth with no more than a single stop. These unique standards of onboard comfort will enable us to Temain market leaders,” he was quoted as saying.