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United banks on premium Dubai traffic
US-based United Airlines expects strong premium class traffic on its Washington-Dubai route as it launches its first flight to the Gulf’s commercial hub on Sunday.
- By Shakir Husain, Staff Reporter
- Published: 14:40 October 27, 2008
Dubai: US-based United Airlines expects strong premium class traffic on its Washington-Dubai route as it launches its first flight to the Gulf's commercial hub on Sunday.
Dubai will become the US carrier's second destination in the Arab region after Kuwait.
Travel has increased between the US and the UAE as American business people and companies flock to the Middle East to pick up deals amid a worsening economic climate in the US.
“It is a very important service for us in an important part of the world,'' Jeffery Foland, senior vice president of United's global sales, told Gulf News in an interview.
He said Dubai's importance has grown as a commercial and tourist destination for Americans and to boost its revenues the airline has to “understand where our passengers want to travel.''
“The premium traffic is expected to be relatively strong in a market like this,'' Foland said.
United Flight 976 will depart Washington Dulles at 10.02 pm on Sunday and land at Dubai International Airport at 6.44 am on Monday, local time. On October 27, United Flight 977 will depart Dubai at 11.30 pm and arrive in Washington at 6.44 am the following day.
It will operate combined passenger and cargo service between Washington and Dubai using a B777 aircraft configured in three classes with 10 first, 45 business and 198 economy seats.
United launched a thrice weekly service to Kuwait in December 2006 and turned it into a daily service a year later.
“Success on that route has given us the confidence to enter into the second city [in the Gulf],'' said Marcel Fuchs, managing director of sales for Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East.
“We are very much focusing on attracting the business clientele,'' he added.
The company expects a seat load factor of more than 80 per cent on the Dubai service.
To cater to its Muslim customers on the route, United will offer an option of halal cuisine.
The airline expects strong response from its existing US corporate clients as American companies have strong presence in the region, including in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.
“We are very confident that we will be very successful in this market,'' Fuchs said.
He said there is also strong military, government and contractor traffic. To serve that segment, United has a code-share arrangement with Qatar Airways for Doha-Washington and Doha-New York routes.
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