Emirates nets new customers - through online bookings

Since April 2000, when Emirates first launched its online booking service in its home market, the Dubai-based international airline has seen its popularity soaring.

After a successful take-off for the service in the UAE, Emirates' second online market was the UK, followed by Singapore, Kuwait, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, France, Australia, India, Italy and Sri Lanka.

This month six new countries, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are set to join the 12 already online - with Thailand, Turkey and Malaysia launching the service from next month.

First and Business Class customers give Emirates a substantial slice of its online sales -- nearly two thirds of its bookings from Australia, almost a third from Germany and the UAE and one in 10 from the UK.

Now the award-winning airline is boosting the service still further. Last month it upgraded its website http://www.emirates.com and will soon introduce a new Internet Booking Engine linked directly to its Reservations computer.

The www.emirates.com site already offers "real-time" flight arrival and departure times, making it possible for anyone to check the actual arrival or departure time of any Emirates flight, anywhere in the world. New features of the system will also allow customers to book tours and hotels and rent cars online.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates' Commercial Operations Director, said today: "The day of the global marketplace has really dawned.

"Customers clearly like being able to book online, round the clock, via a global sales channel open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.

"The Internet is supremely fast and cost-effective, and will help us win and retain business by marketing our products and services to customers as individuals, and so meet their specific needs."

Travel agents too are finding the Internet a powerful asset as it gives them access to the latest information on products and services, fares and special offers, helping them to give better service to customers and so win more business.