Emirates took the ultra-long-range Airbus A340-500 into service first with the recent inaugural non-stop service to Sydney from Dubai, but passengers might have been forgiven for thinking they were being taken much further – to the stars.
Realising that length (of flight) is not everything, the airline has packed the new aircraft with a host of new features primarily designed to wow the Business and First Class markets, but many extended to Economy.
They include a unique lighting system designed to fool passengers' bodies clocks into thinking they are in a different time zone.
Research suggests that jetlag depends on the number of time zones crossed, rather than on the length of the flight. The Emirates antidote to the problem is a system that adjusts to the passage of time.
Protectionism
The light throughout the passenger cabins changes almost imperceptibly from brilliant midday sunshine to the softer light of afternoon and dusk before the darkness of night. An industry first, an image of the night sky above Dubai is shown on the cabin ceiling, complete with twinkling stars.
The aircraft itself was the star of the show Down Under when it arrived in Sydney on its maiden flight – and the first revenue flight of the type.
On its daily service from Dubai, the aircraft is configured for 12 First Class passengers in the world's first enclosed individual suites with sliding doors, 42 passengers in Business Class and 204 in Economy. The aircraft's cargo capacity is 14t.
For the first time, an Emirates flight departed with two sets of flightcrew and cabincrew on board, as required by international regulations. With a sector time of just under 14h, the crews are changed after 7h of flight. The aircraft is equipped with accommodation for crew rest periods.
In Sydney and later in Canberra, the aircraft was demonstrated to 250 VIP guests in a series of 1h flights.
"We chose Canberra so we could introduce this extraordinary new aircraft to the federal government and to our friends in the nation's capital," says Tim Clark, Emirates president, airline.
He adds: "The choice of Australia as the first destination for our A340-500 makes a clear statement about our commitment to this country and our desire to offer our customers here the highest standard of service."
Emirates has struggled to increase the frequency of its services to Sydney. Clark says the airline remains determined to add more services to Australia, such as a second daily service between Sydney and Dubai.
"It's no secret that we'd like to offer greater frequencies to our customers to and from Australia's largest city – and the sooner the better.
"Coming from the open skies environment of Dubai, where we have learned to compete without any government protection or subsidies, we believe that consumers are the big beneficiaries of unrestricted access."
He adds: "Short term, protectionism helps a few at the expense of the many. Long term, everybody is the loser. More competition, not less, keeps prices down, feeds investment, trade and economic growth, improves service quality and hones competitors' skills.
"We remain hopeful that soon consumer advocates in the nation's capital will manage to persuade the authorities of the merits of an Emirates double daily service to Sydney."
If anything can persuade the Australian public and possibly the authorities, it is the new flagship aircraft type now flying into Sydney.
Passengers in all three cabins are entertained by the world's most advanced, interactive IFE system offering 100 films on 50 TV channels on demand, as well as 350 audio channels and 40 inflight games. Travellers can also stay in touch with office or home through phone calls, SMS and e-mail. Calls to anywhere in the world cost $5 a minute with e-mail and SMS at $1 a time.
The completely revamped First Class features the world's first exclusive suites with flatbeds and doors which passengers can close for greater privacy. Each suite houses a ‘massage-enabled' leather seat that converts to a flatbed.
Source: Flight Daily News
