Emirates Offers Australian Passengers Improved Communications Onboard
Whether it be Trans-Tasman travel or across Australia, travellers will now have the luxury of WiFi access on Emirates A380 aircraft as Emirates’ partner, OnAir, has gained authorisation to enact WiFi within Australian Airspace; providing several additional hours of connectivity between Dubai and Australia.
The expanded service arrives in time for Emirates new A380 service operating out of Melbourne to Auckland and Dubai which begins on 2 October. The state-of-the-art aircraft will be the first from Melbourne on Emirates to allow trans-Tasman travellers to surf the web, chat, tweet, check emails, Facebook and more, enabling passengers to get the most out of their Emirates journey whether for business or leisure. 
Along with Wi-Fi, every seat onboard the Emirates A380 has a satellite telephone and email and SMS services, demonstrating Emirates innovative air technology.
“Emirates’ goal is to ensure maximum comfort and choice for passengers during their inflight entertainment, communications and information experience,” said Patrick Brannelly, Emirates Vice President Corporate Communications Product, Publishing, Digital and Events. “Emirates seeks to lead the industry, enabling our customers to get the most out of their journey and we’re pleased to be the first to offer Trans-Tasman customers from Melbourne the opportunity to stay connected in the air using Wi-Fi.”
Having secured a number of onboard industry firsts since its launch in 1985, such as the first personal seatback screens in every seat, Emirates still provides one of the most comprehensive and state-of-the-art audio-visual services in the skies, with new innovations and refinements being implemented on a regular basis.
In October this year Emirates takes delivery of its first A380 equipped with the full suite of OnAir connectivity options: not only Wi-Fi access, but also mobile phone and mobile data use on EDGE/GPRS. From early 2013, all new Emirates A380 aircraft will also receive larger, digitally enhanced screens – 27-inch in First Class, 20-inch in Business Class and 12.1 inch in Economy Class – with enhanced Graphical User Interface, offering the ability to move around the entertainment system by “swiping” or “scrolling.”
For a record-setting eighth consecutive year, Emirates ‘ice’ inflight entertainment systems have been awarded the ‘World’s Best Airline Inflight Entertainment’ award at the 2012 SKYTRAX World Airline Awards.
‘ice’ Digital Widescreen (ice stands for information, communication and entertainment) is the industry’s most sophisticated on-demand video and audio system and offers up to 1,400 channels of on-demand entertainment on the A380 – the largest selection of programming in the sky. The $8 million system features more than 300 movies, TV channels, 500-plus audio channels and dozens of inflight video games.
Emirates is the largest A380 operator in the world and has now carried more than 10 million passengers flying more than 150 million kilometres since the double decker was introduced to its fleet in August 2008. The airline’s A380 operations is supported by more than 3,000 dedicated cabin crew, and Emirates’ state-of-the-art facilities at Dubai International Airport will soon be augmented by the opening of the world’s first dedicated A380 terminal early next year.
The carrier’s 23 A380s now serve Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Manchester, Munich, New York JFK, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Toronto, Tokyo, with Melbourne set to launch on 2nd October and Moscow on 1st December.
For flight information and bookings for Emirates’ new Melbourne A380 daily service, contact Emirates on 1300 303 777, visit your local travel agent, or www.emirates.com/au
