15 December 2006
Busy Travellers Tune In And Unwind:
More Than 1,100 Entertainment Choices On Emirates
Many Emirates travellers from New Zealand gearing up for the busy December and January travel season can look forward
to more than 1,100 entertainment choices onboard all aircraft equipped with Emirates' inflight entertainment system,
ICE.
The majority of Emirates' four daily flights from New Zealand to Dubai and beyond via Australia offer the ICE system.
Emirates' 1,100-plus entertainment options span a tremendous variety offered on 600 channels; a quantity that lands the
airline top spot for available content onboard. Choices include video and audio on-demand, more than 40 interactive
games, satellite telephone, SMS and email, live BBC news headlines, an Airshow moving map and external cameras for a
bird's eye view of the journey.
In addition, all Emirates aircraft equipped with the Tv and Radio Entertainment System now offer more new release films
each month. Options include 16 new movie releases, Disney favourites, classic movies and a broad selection of cinema
from around the world. A wide range of television options featuring comedy, sport, documentary and children's programmes
as well as 26 diverse audio channels add further choice for the passenger. During December and January, younger
travellers can choose from such new movies as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Barnyard, Flicka, The Ant
Bully, Stormbreaker, Zoom and Disney classics Finding Nemo and Beauty and The Beast.
As family and seasonal traffic increases year on year, inflight entertainment has become increasingly important for air
travel customers.
According to Skytrax Research of London, the best-recognized passenger survey in the air travel industry, inflight
entertainment has become a highly influential factor in customer evaluation of the overall travel experience and airline
choice. The survey has also identified audio and video on-demand as one of the top entertainment features highly
favoured by passengers.
Mike Simon, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President Corporate Communications, said: "December and January travel are
traditionally one of the busiest times for the industry with marked increases in family travel in particular. Emirates
has made the most comprehensive selection of inflight entertainment available for every taste and age. Our inflight
entertainment provides passengers with respite from the frantic pace of the holidays."
For last year's December and January travel rush, Emirates carried over two-and-a half million passengers and this year
the airline is expecting to carry close to three-and-a half million. The figures represent a projected increase of 22%
this year over last.
"The quality and availability of our inflight entertainment stands as one of the major determinants for our passengers'
choice and is reflected by our increasing numbers, particularly around holiday travel periods," added Simon.
Among several exciting developments for Emirates this year, the carrier announced that it will soon have one of the
world's first on-board iPod integrations, enabling passengers to enjoy their own choice of music and videos, including
full-length feature films, on their seat-back screens. Recently Emirates also announced plans for passengers to be able
to use mobile phones onboard starting from early 2007 with the installation of the Aeromobile system.
This year, the carrier won "Best Inflight Entertainment" at the 2006 World Airline Awards by Skytrax. This is the
second year in a row that Emirates has been chosen for the accolade, based on results of the Airline Inflight
Entertainment Survey commissioned and conducted by Skytrax Research of London.
ENDS