EMIRATES will offer a triple daily A380 service to Jeddah for four days in January to support the school holiday demand, which coincides with the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2013. The airline's existing double daily A380 service to Jeddah will be supplemented by a third A380 service on Jan. 16, 17, 25 and 26, 2013, upgrading EK flights 801 and 802 from a Boeing 777 on those days. “The A380 has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the Saudi market since it was introduced onto our Jeddah route in February 2010,” said Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates' Vice President, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. “Saudi Arabia is an incredibly important market for Emirates and we will continue to provide travelers in Saudi with the very latest in aircraft innovations, including up to 1400 channels of in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi on our A380s,” Al Ghaith added. “We hope that many travelers from around the region will take advantage of this opportunity to fly Emirates' flagship aircraft, he added. “With the range of amenities we have on board, including the world's first Onboard Shower Spas in First Class, we are sure they won't be disappointed.” EK 801 will depart Dubai at 0140hrs on Jan.16, 17, 25 and 26 and arrive in Jeddah at 0340hrs. The return flight, EK802, will depart Jeddah on Jan.16, 17, 25 and 26 at 0515hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0905hrs. The double decker aircraft can accommodate 489 passengers with 399 seats in Economy Class, 76 mini-pods in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites. Internationally renowned as one of the largest shopping festivals in the world, the annual DSF is now in full-swing having commenced on Jan. 3. The ever popular shopping festival will continue until Feb. 3, with customers urged to take advantage of the incredible Dubai deals on offer throughout the festival. In addition to shopping, entertainment also plays a large part of the DSF experience catering to people of all ages, specifically to families with young children. First Class and Business Class passengers can take advantage of the Onboard Lounge, located at the rear of the upper deck of the iconic A380. The lounge is designed to make passengers feel like they are in their own executive club, with a wide range of beverages and canapés available. A First Class Social Area is located at the front of the upper deck. Passengers in Economy Class will notice the straight, rather than conventionally concave walls, throughout the cabin, giving the impression of increased spaciousness, enhanced by the more generous seats and wider aisles. With its world leading 31-strong A380 fleet and a further 59 on order, Emirates continues to set the pace for A380 deployment. On Jan. 8, Emirates started operating flights from the world's first purpose built A380 concourse, an extension to its exclusive Terminal 3 in Dubai. — SG
