Yesterday, I had the pleasure of touring the Emirates Airbus A380 Aircraft on its maiden landing at SFO, launching the first service connecting San Francisco with the Middle East.

Glamorous luxury matched by heavenly creature comforts. I was most interested in the 14 First Class Private Suites, and the 76 Business Class lie-flat beds. Although the economy area with 399 spacious seats looked comfy. The upper class suites with access to two private spa showers were invitingly irresistible. Marble counters and custom walnut design, the shower spa ensures you arrive chipper and dapper. Details you won’t find on many other airlines: fresh flowers in each cabin, your own in seat mini-bar, a social cocktail lounge in the rear cabin – stretch and mosey to a curved sofa in the club bar. Savor five-star delicacies prepared by some of the world’s leading chefs, as well as fine wines carefully chosen by their sommeliers. You can even have your favorite cocktail prepared for you by their dedicated bartender. Fancy bar bites are also part of your flight amenities.

Gold accents abound, delicate gold encircles a pop up lighted vanity, certainly your carry on tote will be stowed with these amenities at your fingertips. Connect to family, friends or colleagues on the ground using Wi-Fi, mobile phone or in-seat SMS and email. Gold ipad for inflight use, over 1800 inflight channels. Each suite has a small sliding door, ensuring the ultimate in privacy. The two center suites have a fold away panel to allow you and your sweetie to cuddle on the mattress beds. Oh- airport arrival First & Business class complimentary chauffeur-driven airport transfers in more than 70 cities.

Emirates, a global connector of people, places and economies,  commenced operations of an A380 service from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The Bay City is the 32nd global destination which the airline serves with its flagship double-decker aircraft, powered by US assembled Engine Alliance GP7200 engines.

Emirates became the first airline to fly from San Francisco to the Middle East when it launched its Dubai-San Francisco service in 2008. The flight has generated strong demand – more than 1.2 million passengers have flown the route – and provides travelers on America’s west coast new connections to the Eastern Hemisphere via Emirates’ global network spanning 147 destinations across India, Africa and the Far East. It has been calculated that the economic benefit of Emirates’ operations to the economy of San Francisco is $445m per year. In the past 12 months Emirates SkyCargo has carried 1,491 US tons (1,353 metric tons) of cargo on the route.  Popular exports from the city include: fresh produce/fruit, pharmaceuticals, machine parts, electronic parts and foodstuffs.

“Everywhere we fly our A380 Emirates receives a tremendously positive customer response to the unique, award-winning product and service that we offer passenger in all cabins,” said Hubert Frach, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations West – Americas, Africa, Europe and Russian Federation. “Starting today, our San Francisco-based passengers will be able to the fly the world’s largest passenger aircraft which is one of the most environmentally efficient – conserving an estimated 2,000 gallons of fuel and 30,000 pounds of carbon emissions on the 16-hour nonstop service.”

The Emirates A380 is a wide-bodied double-decker aircraft seating 489 passengers, including 14 First Class Private Suites, 76 Business Class lie-flat beds and 399 spacious Economy Class seats. The A380 up-gauge will add 135 more seats to every flight – a 38 percent increase in capacity, based on customer demand.

Emirates and the U.S.
Founded in 1985, Emirates is a global connector of people, places and economies. Based in Dubai, the airline’s global network serves 147destinations in 84 countries across six continents. Its luxurious amenities, regionally inspired gourmet cuisine, award-winning in-flight entertainment system – ice – and unmatched hospitality provided by its iconic multi-lingual Cabin Crew have made Emirates one of the world’s most recognized airline brands.

Emirates has carried more than 9 million passengers on U.S. flights since launching services to New York in 2004. The airline currently serves nine U.S. gateways – Chicago (ORD), Boston (BOS), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), Dallas (DFW), Houston (IAH), Washington (IAD) and New York (JFK), as well as operating a trans-Atlantic route between JFK and Milan and a freighter service to Atlanta. Emirates SkyCargo transports up to 650 tons of U.S. exports each week – stimulating trade and opening new markets for American businesses across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. For more information, please visit www.emirates.com.

Press release courtesy of MSL San Francisco