Emirates has opened dedicated lounges for its First and Business Class passengers at both Munich and Frankfurt airports.Emirates serves both cities with double daily services to and from Dubai and the lounges will prove a great addition to the experience of its passengers using these airports.

Officiating the opening of Emirates’ lounge in Munich today were special guest Franz Beckenbauer, President of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee; Henry Hasselbarth Emirates’ Vice President North & Central Europe; and Michael Kerkloh, CEO of Munich Airport.

The opening of these lounges coincides with the start of the 2006 FIFA World Cup?, of which Emirates is an Official Partner, and further enhances the experience of Emirates passengers flying to and from Munich and Frankfurt for business or leisure.

The 620 square metres lounge in Munich can also be used by Gold Skywards members - Skywards is Emirates’ frequent flyer programme.

Mr. Hasselbarth said: “We are very pleased to be able to offer our German passengers this dedicated lounge facility at Munich Airport, as well as our new lounge at Frankfurt. Germany is an extremely important market and Munich has proved to be a great success for us and we are sure that our passengers here will enjoy our enhanced facilities.

“With the world’s focus on Germany now for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, this is a perfect time for us to be able to offer our passengers this dedicated lounge to further increase their experience when flying with Emirates. We are constantly seeking ways to enhance the travel experience, both in the air and on the ground, and this lounge forms an integral part of that strategy.

He continued: “This development is a natural extension of the customer service initiatives we provide our Business and First Class passengers, many of whom will already have begun to enjoy the end-to-end service offer by enjoying our complimentary chauffeur drive en route to the airport.”

The Emirates lounge is modelled on the carrier’s award-winning lounges at Dubai International Airport, and is part of Emirates’ multi-million investment programme to install lounges at key airports across its global network.

Emirates lounges boast a wide array of passenger amenities including extensive seating areas with a large number of comfortable leather armchairs, and flat-screen TVs situated throughout showing the latest news and lifestyle programmes from a selection of global channels. The lounge will also offer full shower facilities.

Passengers can enjoy an extensive menu of complimentary hot and cold gourmet dishes having the choice of formal or informal seating in the dining area accompanied by a full bar service, including champagne, as well as Emirates’ trademark attentive service from their dedicated lounge staff. The business centres in both Munich and Frankfurt offer five computer workstations and two laptop workstations, each with complimentary broadband and wireless LAN access.

Germany is the third European destination on the airline’s network to offer dedicated Emirates Lounges, following the launch of similar lounges at London Gatwick and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Emirates also offers its own dedicated lounge facilities in New York JFK, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, Sydney and Perth.

Ensuring that Emirates’ lounges surpass their customers expectations in terms of comfort and facilities takes a strong commitment from staff working behind the scenes with third party suppliers and organisations to make them happen on time and on budget.

This involves a great commitment from all involved internal departments from Facilities Management to the Airport Services team in Dubai working with those in Germany and around the world to create such quality products around Emirates’ ever-increasing number of destinations.

Emirates operates two non-stop flights each day between Munich and Dubai, and Frankfurt and Dubai, providing its passengers with a choice of morning and evening departures. In Dubai, passengers can make quick and convenient connections to a wide variety of onward destinations on its global network including Sydney, Melbourne, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore.

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