Emirates is a global airline which serves 151 airports in 80 countries from its main hub in Dubai. It operates the world’s largest fleets of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft, and is equally prolific in the area of customer experience, ranking in an impressive fourth place in the 2016 UK CEE analysis.
One of Emirates’ greatest strengths is the way in which it intentionally engineers memorable experiences. Customers are greeted with smiles and a choice of newspaper as they board the aircraft, and hot towels and a light snack are provided soon after take-off. Furthermore, First Class and Business Class travellers are offered a complimentary chauffeur service to take them to their required destination. Some passengers have also been afforded special souvenir photographs with members of the cabin crew.
“Excellent in every single and possible way,” said one customer. “They make you feel important, even when you travel economy class. No plastic cutlery or dishes… There is a menu with choices and numerous channels you can watch on the seat screen, making a long-haul flight enjoyable and the flight experience truly memorable.”
However, the brand also works hard on the efficiency of its omnichannel experience. As with its hot towels and light snacks, Emirates’ bespoke app is designed to deliver a memorable journey. Passengers can use it to track real-time flight information, so that they are not unpleasantly surprised by last minute delays or cancellations, and the app will also remind customers of their departure gates, boarding times, and baggage belts. In addition, it has been crafted to work with Apple Watch, meaning that this information can be relayed to the passenger’s wrist without them having to reach for their phone.
Such is the airline’s attention to detail that it has also invented a way to enable its Muslim passengers to accurately observe Ramadan whilst in flight. The brand’s Iftar boxes include such products as zaatar chicken, hummus, halloumi cheese and dates, and customers are told when to commence Iftar and Imsak by the plane’s captain, (denoting the periods of fasting and eating). As these periods are determined by the sun, Emirates utilises a tool to calculate the correct Ramadan timings using the aircraft’s longitude, latitude and altitude, ensuring the greatest level of accuracy possible.
It is clear, therefore, that Emirates is one of the most inventive brands in the UK top 10, and it is unsurprising that it is the highest-scoring travel brand for 2016.
