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| Sunday, 25 April 2004 |
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Emirates to launch non-stop services to New York on June 1 Emirates, a world leader in airline luxury since its founding in 1985, has confirmed that it will launch its first passenger service to North America on June 1, flying non-stop daily from Dubai to New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport. The new service using Emirates' revolutionary Airbus A340-500 aircraft, will introduce unprecedented in-flight comforts in all cabin classes and provide greatly improved connections for travellers to North America from the Gulf region, Africa, the Indian sub-continent and the Asia Pacific region. The outbound flight, EK 201, will depart Dubai at 8 a.m. every morning and land at JFK at 2 p.m. the same day, providing a particularly convenient connection to Sri Lankans travelling to the east coast of the USA. The return flight, EK202, operating out of the ultra-modern Terminal 4 at JFK, will depart at 11.30 p.m. and arrive in Dubai at 8.20 p.m. the next day, connecting with flights to Colombo departing between 2.25 a.m. and 3.20 a.m. all times local. This is the first time that Emirates will have a direct passenger link between the New World and Dubai. The airline's Dubai - New York route marks only the beginning of its passenger service in the Americas. Emirates plans to expand in the near future to other gateways in the United States, Canada and South America, Ghaith al Ghaith, Emirates' Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide, told a media briefing in New York. He said the great diversity and sophistication in the American market is an opportunity for which Emirates, which serves 76 destinations in 53 countries, feels uniquely prepared. "Emirates' character and global vision is not unlike that of the United States, with its rich history of cultural diversity and co-operation", commented Ghaith. "More than 50 nationalities are represented among our 1,000 pilots and nearly 5,000 cabin crew. We believe that this commitment to being truly global puts us to synchronise with customers from practically anywhere, and will resonate with the American traveller". In Colombo, Emirates Area Manager Sri Lanka and Maldives, Tissa Bibile, announced special inaugural fares for travel to New York on EK 201/202. The airline is offering travellers out of Colombo an Economy Class return fare of Rs. 106,000 on weekdays (Monday to Thursday) and Rs. 112,000 over the weekend (Friday to Sunday) on all bookings before May 31. "This is a great opportunity for business travellers, in particular to experience the new Emirates A340-500 which has reinvented long-haul travel", he said. "The sheer luxury and convenience of the connection provides an unbeatable combination". Emirates Sales Manager Colombo, Devika Ellepola, said the airline's Colombo office had received many inquiries from frequent flyers on when it would commence operations to USA. "There is a definite demand for a non-stop service via Dubai, and we hope to make this option even more attractive with some attractive promotional offers shortly", she said. At the launch briefing in New York, Emirates provided the American news media with an exclusive peek at a first in commercial air travel: Its fully endorsed $175,000 First Class suite on board the Emirates Airbus A340-500. The airline flew in a complete First Class suite for a demonstration, thus allowing a glimpse of just one of the many new creature comforts in store for travellers. The aircraft's amenities include 12 fully enclosed First Class suites with flat beds and sliding doors that can be opened or cosed at will for privacy. Other features include quieter cabins, revolutionary mood lighting to help reset body clocks and minimise jetlag, the world's most advanced in-flight entertainment, with 500-plus channels, and room service, an Emirates first. Inside the aircraft, the quietest in service, noise-cancelling headsets will help them enjoy the huge variety of in-flight programs, from classic films to opera. Business Class seats are laid out 2-2-2, putting everyone beside either an aisle or window, and adjust at the touch of a button. Emirates Economy also has been redesigned to make cabins quieter and more restful, with wider, more comfortable 2-4-2 seats and nine-inch personal video screens - larger than in almost every other Economy class. The aircraft can carry 12 First, 42 Business and 204 Economy customers, a total of 258 people, and some 14 tonnes of airfreight. |
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