Emirates

Thank You Etihad Airways

Thomo the LostLeave a comment

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30 minutes spent online trying to sort a flight itinerary out to attend a mate’s wedding in Scotland in April. Worked (finally) all the connections and which day Etihad flew to Birmingham or Aberdeen etc. Finally got an itinerary sorted, pressed the button that takes you through to actually booking and paying for the flight and the result?

A Bug in their software.

Sigh – maybe I should check Emirates instead!

Korean Female Crew Capture Middle East

Thomo the LostLeave a comment

I fly a lot. Recently I have been flying a lot more on Emirates than I have in the past (also on Etihad Airways as well). I was therefore amused to read in the Chosun Ilbo of Korea an article about Korean Female flight crew on Emirates Airlines. I was doubly amused reading this because one of the Korean flight crew working for Emirates is an old friend of mine (and translator for a couple of years that I worked for the korean company).

The article was titled Korean Female Crew Capture Middle East and it appeared in early May. The article noted:

“Korean Crew? They are fantastic!” Emirates Airlines vice chairman Maurice Flanagan says. Indeed, the popularity of Korean crew is rising all over the Middle East. Among the 8,000 crew from 100 countries working for Dubai-based Emirates, 620 are Korean women, making them the biggest contingent after Australians.

Apparently the Korean Staff renew their contracts more often than other nationalities which is one of the reasons I guess they are popular with Emirates Airlines.

I must admit that every Emirates flight I have been on, there has, so far, been at least one Aussie and one Korean flight attendant.

Lunch At Dubai International Airport

Thomo the LostLeave a comment

I was travelling from Bangkok to Jeddah via Dubai. I had a 10-hour transit in Dubai. Killing some time at the airport I was walking around. It was then I discovered that the Safar Restaurant on the Departure Level provides free meals for Emirates Airlines transit passengers whose transit period is 4 hours or longer.

No one had mentioned this to me.

Flying Emirates and having a 10-hour transit, I therefore had lunch. Not great but not so bad either.

Emirates Airlines

Thomo the LostLeave a comment

I had to slip across to New Zealand on the return to Australia from Mongolia (now there is a flight route for you). Talking to the delightful and lovely Wendy, my travel agent in Ulladulla, we thought that we would try something a little different so she booked my onto the Emirates Airlines flight from Sydney to Auckland. Price was about the same as doing the same thing with Qantas, Air New Zealand and the like but there was none of this “fuel surcharge” rubbish, it was just a cost for the flight.

It has been nearly 8 years since I last flew Emirates. I must admit that if it is possible, the service has got better over the years. So has the concept of making the customer (the passenger) comfortable. I don’t often look forward to flights – well, except for those flights taking me to someone I am missing – but I will admit that I am really looking forward to the flight back to Sydney on Emirates.

After that, it will be a reintroduction to Singapore Airlines from Sydney to Beijing. I must admit to looking forward to that as well if only to see whether Singapore Airlines has changed or not over the years.

“Taxi! To the airport!”