Business Traveller Middle East – July-August 2019

EMIRATES UNVEILS UNBUNDLED BUSINESS

CLASS FARES AND POWERS INTO MUSCAT

THE PRACTICE OF unbundling fares is

 ltering through to premium cabins a er

Emirates introduced a ‘Special’ business class

fare last month.

Passengers booking a Special Fare are not

eligible for chau eur drives and lounge access,

though Skywards bene ts apply along with

40kgs baggage allowance. It’s another case of

caveat emptor with the new tier joining Saver,

Flex and Flex Plus tiers.

An Emirates spokesperson said the new fares

will be o ered “on certain routes based on

seasonal trends in travel demand”.

 e eye-catching operations news is the launch

of double-daily A380 Muscat  ights from July 1.

Two of its Boeing widebodies give way to the

three-class superjumbo for the new summer

schedule (one B777 service remains), which

marks Emirates’ shortest scheduled A380  ight

at just 340km each way.  e A380 schedules are:

• EK862 departing DXB 0825 and arriving
  Muscat 0940


• EK863 departing Muscat 1115 and arriving
  Dubai 1225


• EK864 departing Dubai 1610 and arriving
  Muscat 1725


• EK865 departing Muscat 1905 and arriving
  Dubai 2015

Alongside Emirates’  ights, Oman Air operates

extensive DXB operations, in and out of

Terminal 1, and last month operated A330-

200s/300s, amid B737 MAX groundings.

• Emirates has introduced paper straws on all its
   ights as it aims to reduce single-use plastics

HYATT PLACE DUBAI/WASL

DISTRICT has opened, the select

service brand’s third

property in the city

(all three are in

Deira district).  e

newcomer has 202

rooms, including

10 suites, and 105

apartments (studio apartment

pictured). Hyatt has also

unveiled a new upper midscale

hotel brand, Urcove (styled

UrCove), aimed at China’s

frequent business travelling

“road warriors”.

LE MÉRIDIEN DUBAI HOTEL

AND CONFERENCE CENTRE

has completed the

room renovations

it started in 2017

• this summer has
  seen 140 refreshed
  plus nine Specialty
  suites (Classic Deluxe
  Suite pictured) and lounge.

H HOTELS is to enter Bahrain

with new 5-star hotel and

residences at the Harbour Row

waterfront project in Manama.

 e Párisi Udvar

Hotel Budapest has

opened, joining

HYATT’s Unbound

Collection.

MARRIOTT’s Autograph

Collection has debuted in

Athens with the opening of the

60-room Academia of Athens.

Loews Regency San

Francisco will be

rebranded FOUR

SEASONS Hotel

San Francisco at

Embarcadero in 2020

following renovations.

HOTEL

NEWS

GULF AIR WILL start  ve-times weekly  ights between

Bahrain, Malé and Colombo on A320neos from October

26. Flights will depart Bahrain 2320 and arrive in the
    Maldives 0625, continuing onto Colombo at 0725 and
    landing at 0925. Return  ights depart the Sri Lankan capital
    at 1655, arriving in Malé 1755, before departing 1855 and
    landing in Bahrain 2205.
    Turn to page 14 to read our feature on the Maldives

Gulf Air to link Malé and Colombo

UPFRONT

GULF AIRLINES

REROUTE FLIGHTS

THE PROSPECT

OF longer  ights and

increased fuel burn are the

unfortuante scenario for

passengers and airlines as

Gulf carriers re-route  ights

amid escalating tensions

with Iran.  e move follows

the FAA directive banning

US-registered aircra from

 ying in Iranian-controlled

airspace.