Emirates (IATA code: EK) is an airline based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, wholly owned by the Dubai Government’s Investment Corporation of Dubai. Founded in 1985, today Emirates has successfully become the largest airline in the Middle East, serving flights to 152 destinations worldwide. Every week, Emirates operates 3,600 flights from its hub in Dubai International Airport using airbus A380 and Boeing 777. Emirates has proven itself by earning accolades from various organizations. In 2014, Emirates was named as the Most Valuable Airline Brand. A year after that in 2015, Emirates swept the 2015 APEX Passenger Choice Awards with seven wins and received four titles at the Business Traveller Awards. Emirates continued its winning streak through 2016, when SkyTrax World Airline Awards recognized Emirates as an airline with the best in-flight entertainment for the 12th consecutive year and named it the World’s Best Airline. Emirates’s flight service comes in three classes: Economy Class, Business Class, and First Class. Every seat in those three flight classes is equipped with an in-seat power and in-flight entertainment. All passengers also get to taste the airline’s in-flight meals. In Economy Class, Emirates ensures that every passenger still gets maximum comfort. One way to prove that is by providing blankets made from the ecoTHREADTM innovation, which transforms 28 recycled 400 ml plastic bottles into fine threads. This environmentally friendly innovation allows passengers to rest comfortably during the flight. Meanwhile, passengers in Business Class and First Class gain a special access to the onboard lounge. Starting from July 2017, the onboard lounge on Airbus A380 will have a sleeker design featuring clean ivory palette, bronze, and wood grain accents. The seats in the Business Class were designed and inspired by the interior of a modern sports car. There are 23-inch entertainment screens and HDMI ports that can stream content from the passengers’ personal devices directly onto the screen. Business Class and First Class passengers flying on an overnight long-haul flight also receive a complimentary kit bag featuring Bulgari’s new signature fragrance and more skincare essentials. First Class passengers are also provided with pajamas using Hydra Active Microcapsule technology to keep the skin soft during the flight. The fabric gently releases naturally nutrient-rich sea kelp, preventing dehydration and stimulating circulation. Regarding baggage regulation, Economy Class passengers are allowed one piece of carry-on baggage that should not be larger than 55 x 38 x 20 cm and not heavier than 7 kg, and a checked baggage weighing no more than 35 kg. Business Class and First Class passengers, on the other hand, are allowed two pieces of carry-on baggage, consisting of one briefcase plus a handbag or a garment bag. The briefcase should not be larger than 45 x 35 x 20 cm, the handbag not larger than 54 x 38 x 20 cm, and the garment bag not thicker than 20 cm when folded. Each piece must not be heavier than 7 kg. Business Class passengers are allowed 40 kg of checked baggage, while First Class passengers, 50 kg. All Emirates passengers are allowed to check-in at the airport counters from three hours prior to departure, and no later than 90 minutes before the departure time. Once passengers have checked in, they must go through security which will take approximately 60 minutes. Boarding starts 45 minutes before the flight and gates close 20 minutes before departure. Passengers arriving late at the boarding gate will not be accepted to board the plane. Please keep in mind that passengers can save time by checking in online through the Emirates website. Online check-in is available for almost all Emirates flights around the world, while mobile boarding passes are only available for Emirates flights departing from certain destinations.

The Emirates journey began in the mid-1980s when the Bahrain-based airline Gulf Air cut back its services to Dubai. As a result, Emirates was established in March 1985 with backing from the Dubai royal family. At that time, Emirates was required to operate independently without receiving government subsidy. Pakistan International Airlines then provided technical and administrative assistance to the new carrier and leased it a new Boeing 737-300 and an Airbus A300B4-200. The Royal Family’s Dubai Royal Air Wing also provided the airline with two used Boeing 727-200 Adv. Finally on 25 October 1985, Emirates officially launched its first flight from Dubai to Karachi. Maurice Flanagan, who previously worked at British Airways and Gulf Air, was appointed to become Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Emirates. Under his leadership, Emirates added destinations such as Colombo, Dhaka, Amman, and Cairo to its route network in 1986. A year later, Emirates purchased a second Boeing 727 from the Dubai Government. As time went by, Emirates kept improving its service and destinations until it expanded to 11 fleets by the end of 1987. The number kept increasing because of the expansion to Bangkok, Manila, and Singapore in 1989, as well as Hong Kong in 1991. During the first decade of operations, Emirates recorded a strong growth averaging at 30%. By the early 1990s, Emirates had been among the world’s fastest growing airlines. With its revenue increasing by approximately US$100 million each year, Emirates approached the US$500 million mark in 1993. At that time, the airline had carried 1.6 million passengers in total. By 1995, Emirates had expanded its fleet to six Airbus A300s and eight Airbus A310s to cover 37 destinations across 30 countries. A year later, the airline received its first Boeing 777-200 aircraft, and was followed shortly by six Boeing 777-200ERs. The arrival of the 777s allowed Emirates to continue its Singapore service onward to Melbourne. Finally, in 1998, Emirates SkyCargo was launched. Even though Emirates has always provided a cargo service using bellyhold capacity in its passenger aircraft, the launch officially expanded the service by equipping it with its own aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance lease. When Emirates opened flights to Sao Paulo in 2007, it became the first airline to serve a non-stop flight between the Middle East and South America. Two years later in 2009, Emirates received the delivery of its 78th plane and became the world’s largest operator of Boeing 777. Still, Emirates did not stop there. In 2010, Emirates placed an order for 30 Boeing 777s and another 50 the year after. In 2012, Emirates and Qantas signed a 10-year agreement to set up a major alliance, which made Qantas move its European flights’ hub from Singapore to Dubai International Airport. Correspondingly, this agreement allowed Emirates to increase the number of its passengers flying on its routes to other European destinations. With the slogan “Hello tomorrow”, today Emirates operates flights to 152 destinations around the world. Some of the newest destinations added in 2016 were Yangon, Hanoi, Yinchuan, Zhengzhou, Cebu, and Clark. 2016 also became a special year for Emirates because Emirates Skywards celebrated its 16 years of operation with 16 million members. Emirates brand value grew by 17% to reach US$7.7 billion. Emirates have also proven its presence in social media. Since 2016, Emirates has become the world’s first airline with 1 million Instagram followers.