Jaunted - Tag: emirates

Dubai: Plane-Spot In Private From Dubai's JW Marriott Hotel

JetSetCD — 2009-09-24T17:26:24-05:00

As much as we would have loved to have a video of a plane landing over the JW Marriott Hotel in Dubai in this story, it seems as though there is a serious dearth of photos and videos from plane spotters at DXB-Dubai International Airport. So let us then recommend a spot at which to make some: the aforementioned JW Marriott Hotel.

By requesting a room facing the runways, which usually run around $250 per night, you will get for yourself a truly awesome view of takeoffs and landings at the neighboring airport. The hotel sits at the end of a runway, so you won't feel as though you are sleeping at the airport, and it's luxurious enough to banish all thoughts of airport concessions. The key, however, is in asking for that runway-facing room without seeming suspicious.

Dubai: Emirates' Air Pass Gets Us Thinking About Arabian Nights

amandak — 2009-05-19T08:46:57-05:00

There's something enticing about the Arabian Air Pass that Emirates has just launched. We've always considered Dubai little more than a convenient hub for long-haul flights, but the exotic-sounding Arabian Air Pass is giving us some new ideas.

Obviously not pleased with Dubai's stepping-stone status, Emirates wants everyone to vacation in the Middle East and not continue on to Europe or Asia. The air pass deal means you can get cheap flights from Dubai to a dozen different cities in the region, including Cairo, Doha, Muscat and Damascus. Some flights are just $50 one-way (Doha or Muscat, for example) and longer flights are $150 each way (think Cairo or Damascus).

There are few strings attached, of course: you have to return to Dubai after your Middle Eastern jaunt and you can only get your air pass fares this cheap if you've paid more than $500 for a return ticket to Dubai from wherever you're starting. You need to buy all your tickets at once and there's a limit of six one-ways per person.

Related Stories:
· Arabian Air Pass [Official Site]
· Emirates Offers Low-Cost Air Pass [NY Times]
· Emirates Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: cgsheldon]

A380 Continues To Conquer The World, But Still Has Leaky Sink

kjb — 2009-03-17T12:22:00-05:00

When we last left the biggest bird in the sky, The A380, she was looking to welcome her one-millionth passenger aboard Singapore Airlines. Now she’s looking to continue her world dominance, by initiating service from Toronto to Dubai three times a week starting in June thanks to Emirates. Hopefully the citizens of Canada can provide some life into the Middle East party zone, because all we here about it lately is more and more bad news.

To handle the big beast, Toronto Pearson International Airport had to fix up some of its infrastructure. Over the last 10 years the airport had been sprucing things up, including strengthening and widening the runway. They’ve also got two new double-decker gates that can handle the unloading of almost 500 passengers and their 1,000 pieces of carry on luggage.

Some Airlines Say, "What Crisis?"

amandak — 2009-02-23T09:21:09-05:00

We thought it's all doom and gloom for airlines. We were wrong. There are airlines out there who haven't heard the words global economic recession.

German low-cost carrier Air Berlin is one of them. They're out there trying to hire three to four hundred new flight attendants, while tons of other airlines are getting rid of them (so there should be plenty of good candidates).

And perennial over-achiever Emirates is thinking along the same lines. They've announced they'll increase capacity by 14% this year, although they do concede that this increase is lower than it's been in other years. At least we know a couple of more-likely-to-be-recession-safe airlines we can book some flights with.

Related Stories:
· Capacity Increase of 14% For Emirates [eTravel]
· Air Berlin Recruiting More Cabin Crew [Peanuts]
· Thousands to Get the Shaft From Limping Airlines [Jaunted]

[Photos: Andrei Dimofte & caribb]

Emirates Pilots Can't Sleep; We Hope A350 Solves Their Problem

amandak — 2008-12-17T09:00:32-05:00

Had enough A380 news this year? We think we've almost reached our fill of tales of the new superjumbo, although the complaints from Emirates pilots that the plane runs so quietly they can't sleep definitely amused us. Apparently the sounds of screaming babies, flushing toilets and call buttons being pushed is no longer drowned out by engine noise and the pilots are not impressed.

The overly-quiet problem aside, we think we're ready to move on to the A350. It's the first Airbus plane to be largely constructed from carbon fiber reinforced plastic and should compete against Boeing's 777s and 787s.

Emirates is starting to look ahead to these planes too. They've said they expect to see the final design this February and have ordered 70 of the aircraft already. Hopefully the new design makes the A350 noisy enough for the pilots to sleep. And yep, we know that sentence doesn't make sense--obviously Emirates pilots are a special breed.

Related Stories:
· Emirates Air Expects A350 Design By Feb '09 [CNN]
· A380 Is Too Quiet Say Sleepless Pilots [The Age]
· Emirates coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hartlandmartin]

Dubai: Emirates Superjumbos Aim For Down Under

amandak — 2008-11-07T09:30:08-05:00

With the Aussie version of the A380 now flying Australia to US routes, the big guns in A380s, Emirates, are throwing their jumbo-sized hat into the same ring.

Yep, more flights heading Down Under are likely to be flown in the A380, if the Emirates plan pans out. The first route would be a Dubai-Sydney-Auckland flight, with Dubai to Melbourne routes planned for later on in 2009.

We’re not complaining about (hopefully) a bit more comfort on these long-haul routes. But since we found out that one A380 is just like another the excitement’s definitely died down a bit. In fact we’re probably ready for a new generation plane right about now.

Related Stories:
· Emirates Push for Aussie A380 Routes [The Australian]
· Qantas A380 Takes Off, Flies Just Like the Other Ones [Jaunted]
· A380 coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Ammar Abd Rabbo]

Interactive Advertising Travel: Emirates Wants You to Star in Their Movie

Victor Ozols — 2008-10-11T10:35:33-05:00

Emirates, the Dubai-based luxury airline with onboard shower spas and private first-class suites that are bigger than our apartment, has rolled out an ambitious interactive marketing campaign to promote the launch of its new Dubai-to-Los Angeles service. In honor of the Middle East's newest bridge to Tinseltown, the airline is making a short film, and it wants you to star in it. Entitled The Exposure of Tom King, it's a comedic thriller that - surprise surprise - plays on the theme of celebrity, with appearances by an actor consumed with vanity, a shameless paparazzo, a conniving blackmailer, and her bumbling boyfriend. The twist here is that the film has already been shot, only without actors.