At a ceremony attended by key travel industry executives, Emirates was crowned Best Airline Worldwide. It was also recognised as the Airline with the Best First Class, Airline with the Best First Class Lounge and Best Frequent Flyer Programme.
Adel al-Redha, Emirates executive vice-president and COO, said: “We are honoured to be recognised for our efforts by Business Traveller Middle East’s readers. I would like thank our team and attribute this award to our dedicated staff, who are the pillars behind every achievement and award we receive.”
In a press statement, Emirates said it “invests continually in product development and service enhancement.” In the past year, the airline’s on-board enhancements included newly designed business class seats, re-designed amenity kits for first and business class passengers, environmentally sustainable blankets and interactive augmented reality amenity kits for economy class passengers, and regular updates of its range of onboard toys for young flyers.
Regarding in-flight entertainment, the airline offers a choice of over 2,600 channels on its ICE system.
On the ground, Emirates completed a $11mn makeover of its business class lounge at Concourse B in Dubai International Airport, and expanded its global network of dedicated lounges with the opening of its newest Emirates Lounge in Cape Town International Airport.
Emirates Skywards, the airline’s loyalty programme, last year launched Cash+Miles, enabling members to redeem flights using a combination of cash and Skywards points, regardless of their membership tier. Emirates also introduced ‘pay-per-visit’ lounge access, allowing Emirates Skywards members and their guests travelling on Emirates to enjoy the airline’s first and business class lounges at Dubai International Airport and abroad.
For corporate customers, Emirates launched a revamped Emirates Business Rewards programme to provide greater value, including easier loyalty points redemptions and upgrades even on last-minute bookings.
Today, Emirates Skywards has 14 airline partners, including strategic partnerships with Easyjet and Qantas, offering member access to one of the world’s largest networks of global travel destinations, the statement notes. The programme also has 24 hotel partner brands covering nearly 20,000 properties worldwide.
Earlier this month, Emirates was recognised as the Best Airline in the World at the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards for airlines.
