JEDDAH, 10 November 2003 — Emirates Airlines held a demonstration of its website dedicated to Saudi Arabia, yesterday.
“Our dedicated website www.emirates.com/ksa is aimed to enable Saudi passengers to access information and make bookings from home or office,” Mohamed S. Alfalasi, the airline’s regional manager for the Kingdom, told a press conference. “Our website is tailored to local needs and highlights special offers and fares designed specifically for our passengers in the Kingdom,” he said.
The airline, which has reported a profit of 612 million dirhams in the first half of 2003 — 51 percent up over the same period last year, is financially independent and one of the world’s five most profitable international airlines. It offers services to 71 destinations in 50 countries. It has announced the largest order in aviation history at the recently concluded Paris Air Show when it announced its plan to add 71 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft worth $19 billion to its fleet. It is now the main launch customer for two innovative ultra-modern aircraft — A340-600 HGW and A380 double-decker. Its current fleet comprises 55 aircraft.
Teaming up with Emirates holidays, the Saudi dedicated website offers online visitors registering their details between Nov. 9 and Dec. 31 a chance to win two pairs of business class tickets accompanied by a luxury holiday either in New Zealand or Malaysia. “Appropriately, the website also features Ramadan specials during the ongoing holy month with packages to Dubai that include a choice of 13 handpicked hotels located in the city centrally or on the beachfront. Starting as low as $24, the rates include all taxes and service charges, meet and assist on arrival at Dubai International Airport, transfers, flexible check-in and check-out timings at the hotels, additional 10 kg free baggage allowance on return or onward Emirates flights from Dubai, privilege discount cards, etc.” he said.
The recently launched booking engine of the airline, which currently operates five flights a week each from Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam, provides passengers flight information, fares for all ages on selected routes, and the ability to make multiple bookings on a one- way, return or a multiple sector journey. “Bookings can be made for flights departing from one to 338 days making it highly flexible. Financial, technological, security and regulatory frameworks work in a cohesive fashion to make the website extremely user-friendly,” he said. Its other features include creating an online profile that automatically updates the booking form every time it is used, ability to book different cabin classes for each segment of the passenger’s journey, flight search availability across a range of dates and automatic calculation of miles for frequent travelers, and filing itineraries for future bookings and assign first and business class seats along with chauffeur-driven service.
The airline is set to inaugurate services to Lagos and nonstop passenger flights to North America (New York) in 2004.
Alfalasi said the Al-Arabia airline of Sharjah and the proposed United Airline of Abu Dhabi would not pose a challenge to the Dubai-based airline, as “the new airlines will be operated within the region.”
