Emirates Airline (First Clas)

I. INTRODUCTION

Emirates Airlines is an airline based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with its main base in Dubai International Airport. It was established by the government of Dubai in the 25th of May 1985 with two leased aircrafts a Boeing 737-300 and an Airbus A300 operating its flights to Karachi, Mumbai and later Delhi. As of November 2007, Emirates Airlines has a fleet of more than 96 aircrafts that consists of 21 Airbus A330-series, 18 Airbus A340-series and 57 Boeing 777-series which makes it the Middle East’s largest airline flying to 97 different destinations in 61 countries all over the globe.

Always in the forefront of aviation technology, Emirates flies the youngest and most modern fleets in the world, with an average aircraft age of less than three years. The first to order Airbus A380 super jumbo aircraft, Emirates also recently received the first of its new fleet of eight Airbus A340-500s, the world’s longest-range large passenger jet.

Emirates has a wide range of competitors in terms of service excellence and flying destinations. Competitors can be identified as Singapore Airlines, Cathy Pacific Airways and British Airways, Lufthansa Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Air France.

As for awards, Emirates Airlines was named the ninth best Airline of the year in 2007 by Skytrax, where in 2001 and 2002 it was names the best. Skytrax which is known for its World Airline Awards for quality has ranked Emirates the fifth for its service excellence after British Airways first then followed by Qantas, Cathy Pacific and Thai Airways. Also they have ranked Emirates Airlines as a four star airline along with Etihad Airways, British Airways and Qantas Airways. Though looking at the five star ranked airlines we see Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways to be amongst the only five airlines to be listed.

Emirates Airlines has won over 300 awards in the past for its service excellence and entertainment hospitality. Emirates won in 2005 its first award for �Best Airline for First Class’ and again in 2006 and 2007 with �Best First Class in the World’.

Key operational choices made by Emirates Airlines are Selection of Aircraft and Seating configuration based on destination it will be operating to.

The destination itself: whether to operate direct non-stop flights or one stop flights which is again based on Planning and Market Research.

Emirates is different from others because Emirates does same thing in a different way. They keep pace with technology as sign of innovation, provide value added services with flexibility and are customer focused. The fine examples are, Stop over choices in Dubai, Visa Services, Limo Services, Online Promotions, and On board services among many others that distinguish them from their competitors.

In this project we will be looking at the service process from the point of view of a passenger, and also programs that ensure they maintain the quality of their service at all times, keeping them at the top.

II. SERVICE PROCESS ANALYSIS

Here Emirates go through the process that a passenger goes through right from check-in to de-boarding the flight. To narrow down the analysis, they cover mainly check in, lounge facilities and In-flight services. Their major limitations were the inability to physically observe the process, their analysis and reporting has been dependent purely on second person testimonials.

Exclusive First Class Check in at Dubai International Airport

Reservations are made using a Central Reservation System exclusive to Emirates called MARS. It combines the features of the major CRS but is exclusive to Emirates. When a passenger decides to check-in there are a number of options available especially to First Class passengers.

First class is given the privilege of pre-tele check-in, which allows them to check-in over the telephone prior to the flight. This feature can be taken advantage of if a passenger is late for his/her flight for example. It is user-friendly and involves calling in for his/her boarding card prior to arriving at the check-in counter at the airport.

It can be used for priority check-in, advance check-in and regular.

In order to save time, which is precious to frequent travelers, 45% of these passengers have an E-gate card for expedited immigration. For First class passengers checking in from Dubai, as well as Gold and Silver members of Skywards, Emirates offers a unique check-in 'lounge'. The light and spacious new lounge has been designed to make sure your passage through the airport is as smooth and hassle-free as possible, with a modern design that offers the ultimate in comfort and luxury. From the moment the passenger arrives at the new check-in area in Dubai, Emirates guarantees the difference. Passengers will be greeted at the door by the concierge who will help the passengers to check-in at one of 24 check-in counters, including eight express check-in counters for customers with hand baggage only, whilst the porters look after their luggage.

Chauffer Service Exclusively for Emirates’ First Class Passengers

First Class passengers are offered complimentary personal airport transfer in a chauffeur-driven car - from home or hotel to the airport, and then again on arrival, to their ultimate destination. For certain destinations, if they stopover on the way to their destination, they will be chauffeur-driven to and from their hotel.

Special First Class Lounges at Dubai International Airport

Emirates Airlines has a special First Class lounge for its passengers. The split level lounges are surrounded by lush plants and fountains. They also have special seating arrangements with couches, coffee tables and features such as hot and cold food and drink offered 24 hrs a day, massage chairs, international range of newspapers and magazines, designer showers in the guest bedrooms upstairs with television, trouser presses, internet access facilities, 42 inches plasma television screens with satellite channels offer information and entertainment and big screens inform of flight schedules and the proximity to the gate ensures that passengers don’t have to walk much.

First Class Cabins in the different Airplanes used for flying

On Airbus A340-500 flights, first class passengers have full suites, complete