12 April 2006
Emirates Leads With Wi-Fi At Auckland
The Emirates Lounge has become the first airline lounge at Auckland Airport's international terminal to offer its
customers wireless computer capability.
The lounge provides a relaxing pre-flight environment for Emirates first and business class passengers and Skywards Gold
frequent flyers.
Emirates' New Zealand manager, Chris Lethbridge, said: "We have set a very high standard with the Emirates lounges on
our network and the availability of 'wi-fi' adds another special feature for our premium customers flying out of
Auckland.
"Between this new element and our award-winning ICE system on board, providing up to 500 channels of information,
communication and entertainment and the ability to send emails, text messages and phone calls from their own seat, we
have made sure these travellers can always communicate with the greatest of ease.
"We are very pleased that Auckland Airport has been progressive on this front and we are equally delighted to be the
first to take advantage of wi-fi capability for our international lounge guests. Other dedicated lounges on the Emirates
network offer wi-fi, so it is a natural addition for us in Auckland."
Apart from offering superior cuisine and comfort, the Emirates Lounge at Auckland Airport has featured dedicated space
for premium travellers to use their laptop and notebook computers.
Now, Emirates' investment in high-speed wireless means that lounge guests with wireless-enabled laptops can surf the
Internet or download their emails from any spot inside the lounge, regardless of their internet settings.
This service does not exclude those working on older devices as they can connect through the existing network ports that
have been thoughtfully provided in the business centre area.
Emirates' flights are also orientated for the busy business executive. Its superb inflight facilities include laptop
recharging terminals, satellite telephones on every seat and a central fax machine.
Wi-Fi or 802.11b is an international standard from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for
wireless local area networks, and has become the most popular worldwide standard for setting up wireless local area
networks in offices, homes and public spaces.
Emirates flies three times a day from Auckland through Australia to Dubai and beyond, serving 83 destinations in 57
countries. It operates an all wide-bodied fleet of 91 modern aircraft.
All services from New Zealand offer first, business and economy class.
About the Emirates Lounge:
The Emirates Lounge in Auckland, situated "airside" beyond immigration, is open from the start of check-in, three hours
prior to the first departure, until all flights for the day have departed. It can cater for up to 87 guests at any one
time, with 52 in the lounge-seating area, 31 in the dining area and four in the business centre.
The lounge menu has been developed by Emirates inflight services in Dubai and all finishes in the lounge match the
quality of the First Class Lounge in Dubai.
In order to duplicate the quality in all of its lounges, Emirates has:
· sourced marble for the reception desks and bathroom vanities from the same site
· imported the same high quality beige leather from Scotland and had the lounge chairs specially made in New Zealand
· imported the same cushions and gold plated Emirates signage from Dubai
· imported matching ceramic tiles from Italy, and
· had the dining tables and wall lamps as well as the coffee tables made specially for Emirates in New Zealand. The
distinctive artwork for the lounge has been created by well-known Dubai artist Tina Ahmed and features New Zealand icons
such as the Auckland Harbour Bridge, Mount Ruapehu and the Hole in the Rock at the Bay of Islands. Tina Ahmed's work
also graces the Emirates First and Business Class lounges in Dubai.
ENDS