DUBAI: In a move to support its Lebanese customers, communities and diaspora around the world, Emirates says it will be offering extra baggage for travel to Beirut from around its network, starting this week until 30 September 2021.
Emirates has been serving Lebanese skies and communities since 1991. It currently operates 16 weekly flights to Beirut.
With Lebanon experiencing a severe shortage of essential goods and medicines, Emirates customers will be able to take advantage of an additional 10kg of baggage to pack extra items to support family and friends back home. The 10kg additional baggage allowance will be available on tickets booked in both Economy and Business Class from the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Australia.
Emirates customers travelling to Beirut via Dubai from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Zambia, Angola, Guinea, Senegal, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Ghana will be eligible to carry an additional piece of luggage totaling 23kg.
Customers can avail the additional baggage allowance for travel booked on emirates.com, Emirates sales offices, via travel agents as well as online travel agents. The baggage allowance applies to both inbound and outbound travel from Beirut.
Aligned with its commitment to drive positive impact in communities it serves around the world, Emirates last year set up a humanitarian airbridge with Lebanon, dedicating flights to deliver much needed emergency relief supplies, and partnering with recognized humanitarian organizations on the ground assisting with recovery efforts in the wake of the Port of Beirut explosions.
The airline also provided people around the world the opportunity to donate cash or pledge their Skywards Miles in exchange for cargo capacity on its flights to help those affected in a swift manner. As a result, over 160 tons of medical supplies, food, PPE, and other essential humanitarian items were delivered on several missions during that period.
Abu Dhabi, UAE: Following successful trials, Etihad Airways has expanded IATA Travel Pass on flights between Abu Dhabi and seven destinations across its network as it continues to implement digital solutions to simplify the travel experience in the wake of the pandemic.
IATA Travel Pass is now available for guests on all Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and Bangkok, Barcelona, Geneva, Madrid, Milan, New York and Singapore and offers the convenience of a one-stop platform for managing COVID-19 documentation.
Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “The feedback from the IATA Travel Pass trial has been positive, with Etihad’s guests appreciating its ease-of-use and data security. Etihad is pleased to now make IATA Travel Pass available on flights to and from seven major global cities, providing more guests with the option of simplifying their journey and airport experience.”
Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security, said: “Etihad’s decision to expand IATA Travel Pass based on positive customer feedback is a strong endorsement of the solution. IATA Travel pass was designed to provide a one-stop-shop solution for travellers to safely and efficiently manage their COVID-19 documentation and generate an ‘OK to Travel’ which airlines can trust. It’s great to see the app in use facilitating the restart of international travel.”
Etihad Airways was one of the first airlines globally to begin testing IATA Travel Pass in April 2021 in support of a global, standardised solution for travellers to validate their documents and navigate COVID-19 travel requirements.
To access the IATA Travel Pass, guests simply need to download the IATA Travel Pass app for Android or iOS, where they can add their Etihad Airways travel itinerary, view their travel requirements and securely share their PCR test results.
The IATA Travel Pass app also includes functionality to upload vaccination certificates, opening up opportunities for travel where vaccination is a requirement. Currently the app is able to accept EU Digital Covid Certificates issued by all 27 member states of the European Union plus Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, and Lichtenstein as well as vaccine certificates from Singapore and Qatar. As vaccines continue to roll out globally, more and more travellers around the world will be able to upload their government issued COVID vaccine certificates to facilitate seamless travel.
The airline is continuing to work closely with IATA to progressively roll out the digital travel pass to more cities across its route network.
More information including the installation instructions and list of participating IATA Travel Pass clinics in the UAE and worldwide can be found on etihad.com/iatatravelpass.
ADDIS ABABA: Africa’s largest aviation group, Ethiopian Airlines Group, announced it has upgraded the features of its bilingual Chatbot named “Lucy” for domestic and international flight uses.
Lucy, which is powered by both Amharic and English languages with Ethiopian calendar installed
for Amharic language users, is now equipped with various self-service features that will enable passengers to easily process their travel needs.
Passengers can simply use their mobile to book, pay, check-in, check flight status, get information on free and excess baggage and Live Chat through the chat-bot from which they can also send their feedback.
“We are constantly working on ways to improve our accessibility to our customers. Our main goal is to secure simplicity and convenience in the services we provide. With the upgraded chat-bot, passengers will have additional option to process their travel globally at their convenience,” said Ethiopian Director for Integrated Marketing Communications Mr. Mesfin Biru.
Easily accessible on telegram and messenger, the chat-bot is expected to have a vital role in simplifying travelers’ experience. The Ethiopian chat bot is an additional online platform of the airline along with Ethiopian website and mobile app.
DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways announced it has signed a codeshare agreement with the newest member of oneworld, Alaska Airlines, further strengthening its position as the ideal choice for international passengers travelling to and from the United States.
Qatar Airways will be Alaska Airlines’ only Middle East partner, providing seamless connectivity between the U.S. carrier’s hubs and the Gulf carrier’s global network of more than 140 destinations via the Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport in Doha.
Starting 1 July 2021, the agreement will enable Qatar Airways passengers to book travel and easily connect to more than 150 of Alaska’s routes including Portland, Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Denver, San Jose, Anchorage and Vancouver. The second phase of the agreement will allow Alaska Airlines passengers to book travel on all of Qatar Airways’ flights between the U.S. and Qatar and beyond to their favourite destinations in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “This is an important step in advancing our commercial cooperation with Alaska Airlines as we welcome the newest member of the oneworld alliance to Qatar Airways’ list of strategic partners. This agreement, combined with our existing partnerships, will help consolidate our presence in the region and provide Qatar Airways passengers travelling to and from our 12 U.S. gateways with access to the most comprehensive network of seamless connections across the United States.
“As we expand services to Alaska’s key hubs of Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, we look forward to implementing the next phase of this strategic partnership and welcoming on board Alaska Airlines passengers as we connect them to our global network of over 140 destinations via the Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport.”
“We’re thrilled to be a part of this evolving partnership with Qatar Airways, one of world’s premier airlines,” said Ben Minicucci, Alaska Air Group CEO. “As international air travel resumes, it’s important to provide our guests with easier, more convenient travel options to get out and see distant places again. That’s why our new codeshare agreement between our two airlines is such a big deal. Qatar’s nonstop flights from our hubs in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles to Doha and points beyond offers our guests tremendous opportunities to visit nearly any country they want.”
As oneworld alliance partners, Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members are ensured recognition of their tier status and can enjoy a wide range of benefits including access to lounges worldwide, through check-in, extra baggage allowance, priority check-in and boarding plus accrual and redemption of miles, across the partner carriers’ networks.
Qatar Airways offers more than 100 weekly flights to 12 destinations in the U.S. – Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), Philadelphia (PHL), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA) and Washington, D.C. (IAD).
Abu Dhabi, UAE – Etihad Airways has extended its ‘Verified To Fly’ travel document initiative, enabling travellers to validate their Covid-19 travel documents before arriving at the airport, to routes across its global network.
Available for the vast majority of Etihad flights, to use the Verified to Fly service passengers sign-up by visiting Manage my Booking and following the simple instructions to upload and submit their travel documents. Guests will receive confirmation once their documents have been approved in line with government requirements and can travel to the airport with confidence and peace of mind, knowing they have met all essential requirements before their flight.
With the formalities out of the way, verified travellers enjoy fast track check-in at the airport through the dedicated Verified to Fly desk for a quicker and smoother experience. Early trials showed that Verified to Fly Guests saw their processing times at the check-in desk almost halved and the average queuing time for all Guests reduced – helping expedite journeys and maintain social distancing at the airport.
Launched at the start of June, Verified to Fly has proven a successful tool helping people return to travel, providing passengers with confidence they have the necessary documents to meet government Covid-related travel rules to be allowed to fly. A key benefit of Etihad’s Verified to Fly programme is passengers are only sharing their data with the airline itself, with no third-party involvement.
John Wright, Vice President Global Airports and Network Operations, Etihad Airways, said: “Verified to Fly has proven hugely popular with our guests, as they get a fast track experience when checking in at the airport if using Verified to Fly. Removing guess work from the process, guests also value the assurance that when they arrive at the airport, they have already met all Covid travel requirements.
“We appreciate these are challenging times for travellers and this has been a key initiative to simplify our guests’ journeys as much as possible.”
All Etihad passengers are encouraged to visit Manage my Booking to submit their documents. Once the submission has been checked by the Verified to Fly team, guests will receive a ‘success’ email if their documents meet government requirements. If requirements are missing or not met, the guest will be asked to resubmit or check their documents. Guests can also check their Verified to Fly status at any time by visiting Manage my Booking.
SHARJAH: Air Arabia (PJSC), the Middle East & North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier, reported earning AED34 million for the first quarter of 2021 despite the pandemic’s continued adverse impact on the global aviation industry’s financial and operational performance.
Air Arabia said its total net profit from January to March 2021 reached AED34 million, 52 percent less than the corresponding 2020 figure of AED71 million. In the same period, the airline posted a turnover of AED572 million, 37 percent less the first quarter of last year.
More than 1.3 million passengers flew with Air Arabia between January and March 2021 across the carrier’s five hubs while the airline’s average seat load factor – or passengers carried as a percentage of available seats – during the first three months of 2021 maintained a high average and stood at 77 percent.
Air Arabia managed to register a profitable first quarter despite COVID-19 pandemic continuous impact on the industry’s bottom-line. According to IATA, international passenger traffic fell more than 80% in first quarter 2021 compared to pre-pandemic as travel restrictions tightened in the face of continuing concerns over coronavirus spread.
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohamed Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia, said: “We are proud that Air Arabia managed to post another profitable quarter despite the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the aviation industry worldwide. This is a testament to the carrier’s robust business and its management team. Although the tightened restrictions on air travel continued in first quarter of this year, the gradual resumption to selected destinations combined with cost control measures adopted by the carrier helped to deliver profitability during the first quarter of this year.”
He added: “The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the global aviation industry remains material and of a changing nature, nonetheless, we have full confidence in the fundamentals and the strength of the aviation industry worldwide as well as the crucial role air travel will play in supporting regional and global economic recovery.”
While flight resumption during the pandemic remains subject to restrictions and changing travel regulations, Air Arabia managed during the first quarter of this year to resume operations to a selected number of destinations across its five hubs in the UAE, Morocco and Egypt. The limited resumption of flights across various markets helped support the first quarter financial and operational performance.
“While we remain hopeful that air travel restrictions will ease with the increasing rate of vaccination drives across key markets, Air Arabia remains focused on adopting further measures to control costs and support business continuity during this period while we continue to resume operations where possible,” Al Thani noted.
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian Airlines Group began vaccinating on 14 May its employees against COVID-19 as it continues its mission of transporting passengers and essential cargo, primarily vaccines, across the African continent and beyond.
Ethiopian has so far transported more than 27 million COVID-19 vaccines to over 24 countries.
The vaccination drive was done with the help of the Ethiopian Medical Center which is equipped with the latest facilities to give the service in its temporary vaccination center at the Ethiopian Aviation Academy.
Frontline employees with direct contact with customers and partners are prioritized priority. All employees will get the second dose of the vaccine four weeks after they take their first dose.
“I am happy to announce that we have imported COVID-19 vaccination for our Group employees. Safety is always our top priority and vaccination of our employees will enhance the safety of our colleagues and customers onboard and on the ground. Vaccination of employees will increase passengers’ confidence to fly with us,” said Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam.
“We will continue to implement all mandated safety measures and the vaccination will supplement those preventive measures. This is a big milestone in our fight against the pandemic and we hope to welcome our passengers with fully vaccinated employees in flight and on ground,” he added.
Ethiopian has set-up its own COVID-19 testing and isolation center for staff to prevent the spread of the virus and to ensure employees’ wellbeing and safety. It also launched a high-end COVID-19 testing lab at its main hub, Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.
MANAMA: Bahrain’s national carrier has teamed up with leading global travel industry SaaS solutions provider IBS Software to enhance the airline’s Falconflyer loyalty programme (FFP) giving travellers more flexibility and rewards.
Gulf Air explained IBS Software’s iFly Loyalty platform will transform the Falconflyer programme for both consumers and partners.
Members will benefit from a revamped mobile app and a new customer experience designed to deliver personalised offers and rewards. Programme partners will benefit from an accelerated onboarding process and a new B2B engagement channel that will provide new insights and data to support effective partner management.
iFly Loyalty has been developed to help anticipate traveller behaviour, giving airlines the ability to turn data into actionable insights, enabling loyalty programmes to adapt to changing patterns of behaviour and quickly reconfigure their offerings to members. In addition, iFly Loyalty will provide Gulf Air with the capability to run multiple loyalty programmes from a single platform.
“As we strongly move forward with our digital transformation strategy, we remain completely committed to providing our loyal Falconflyer members with a compelling experience that delivers bespoke offers and redemption options that they value. We have partnered with IBS Software because we firmly believe they will assist us in significantly enhancing the way we reward our members, as well as providing a more robust platform to our loyalty partners,” said Captain Waleed AlAlawi, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer. “IBS Software has impressed us from the outset with their industry knowledge and commitment to supporting our Falconflyer Programme. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership as we continue with our digital transformation journey.”
Anand Krishnan, Chief Executive Officer, IBS Software, said, “We are working closely with Gulf Air to ensure our system has the flexibility required to change with the times and meet the needs of Gulf Air’s Falconflyers. We’re extremely excited to play our role in helping Falconflyer go from strength to strength at a pivotal time in our industry.”
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian Airline Group, the largest in Pan-Africa, kicked-off its year-long celebration of its 75th anniversary on 8 April 2021, the day when it launched its maiden international flight to Cairo, Egypt in 1946.
The airline also launched last month its high-end COVID-19 testing lab at its hub in the nation’s capital, the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, the continent’s busiest airport.
In partnership with BGI Health Ethiopia, a subsidiary of China’s biotech giant BGI Genomics Co. Ltd., the testing center provides quick and accurate COVID tests for up to 1,000 passengers daily with plans for expansion. Test results can be obtained within three hours, offering passengers convenience and speed.
Overcoming many ups and downs over its more than seven decades in aviation, Ethiopian marks its anniversary with the theme, “Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence.”
Commenting on the occasion, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said, “As we celebrate 75 years of excellence, we take stock of our accomplishments over three quarters of a century. Among the many firsts introduced by Ethiopian are the first Jet aircraft in Africa, the first East Africa to West Africa scheduled flight, the first airline from the Western Hemisphere to fly to China, the first scheduled service between the capitals of the most populous nations in the world (from New Delhi to Beijing), the first airline in Africa to introduce the B767, B777-200LR, B787 (the Dreamliner) and later on the A350 to Africa.”
“Today, our industry faces a serious challenge posed by COVID-19. The route we chose to overcome this challenge is to tighten our belt, change the way we do business and be agile. We remain the only commercial airline that hasn’t sought government bailout and didn’t lay off a single employee. I would like to take this opportunity to cement our commitment to sustainable aviation and continue to work with all stakeholders to enhance Africa’s air connectivity. While congratulating all Ethiopian families, I would like to thank our esteemed customers for their strong vote of confidence, their loyalty and support,” he added.
The airline attributed its success to the four pillars of its growth strategy—human resource development, modern fleet, infrastructure development and technology.
DUBAI: Global aviation services Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Ltd. announced it had substantially completed the agreement with American Airlines signed in the third quarter of 2020 to deliver 18 new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
Firoz Tarapore, Chief Executive Officer of DAE, said the company is delighted to see an increasing number of global aviation regulators returning the MAX to the skies.
“This transaction reflects our agility, our balance sheet strength, our underwriting capability, our ability to assist one of our long-term customers and our belief in the product strength of the 737 MAX 8 aircraft. We are delighted to see an increasing number of global aviation regulators return the MAX to the skies. We wish American and Boeing great success,” he said.
Boeing 737 MAX aircraft was grounded for two years following two separate fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
Ihssane Mounir, Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing of The Boeing Company, noted, “DAE is putting their purchasing strategy and growth plan in action and helping operators during this challenging time in our industry. We are delighted to once again partner with DAE to support a valued customer such as American Airlines and we are honored by their trust and confidence in the Boeing 737 family.”
The Dubai-based DAE serves over 170 airline customers in over 65 countries from its seven office locations in Dubai, Dublin, Amman, Singapore, Miami, New York and Seattle. The company’s Aircraft Leasing Division owns and manages a fleet of about 425 Airbus, ATR and Boeing aircraft with value exceeding US$16 billion.
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