Emirates Airline gears up to say 'Ahn-Yung Hasay-Oh' to Korea

Determined to ensure its cabin crew exceed the expectations of Korean passengers and are equipped to provide Emirates' trademark attentive service on the upcoming Dubai-Seoul flights, the airline is taking steps to educate its cabin crew on the unique Korean culture.

Last week, Emirates invited two professors from Seoul's Kwangju Women's University, both of whom specialise in airline service, to instruct Emirates' senior cabin crew in the finer points of Korean customer service expectations and the nuances of good service, Korean-style.

The three-day workshop conducted in Dubai was titled "Soul of Korea", and it is the first of several to follow, as the senior crew members will soon pass on the knowledge to their colleagues through similar training workshops.

In addition, Emirates' over 5,500 cabin crew members will each receive a specially-produced DVD containing an introduction to Korea, Korean customs, and information on how to interact appropriately with Korean passengers.

Said Terry Daly, Emirates Senior Vice President for Service Delivery: "Culture plays an important role in human interaction, influencing customers' perceptions and expectations. Emirates' objective is to provide the best possible service on every route. These training initiatives will help sensitize our crew members to cultural differences and enable them to better serve the needs of our Korean customers."

Emirates currently has 200 Korean cabin crew, and plans to recruit more in the coming months. The airline also plans to have a minimum of three Korean nationals on each flight to and from Seoul. Emirates' Korean crew members are part of the most cosmopolitan cabin crew in the world with over 90 nationalities represented.

Emirates will launch daily non-stop flights between Dubai and Seoul's ultra-modern Inchon International Airport on 1st May this year, operating the Airbus A340-300 in three-class configuration for the route, with a capacity of 267 passengers and 13 tonnes of bellyhold space for cargo.