Emirates announced the December 3rd launch of its new Boeing 777-200LR non-stop service between Houston and Dubai which will initially operate three times a week, increasing to a daily service starting February 1, 2008. Flight EK212 departs Houston (IAH) at 6:25 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and arrives in Dubai (DXB) at 7:35 p.m. the next day.

The return flight EK211 departs Dubai at 9:05 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and arrives in Houston at 4:10 p.m. the same day.

Currently, Emirates has three daily flights to Dubai from JFK.

Emirates’ new non-stop service from Houston further expands its North American presence, adding a key component to its rapidly growing global route network by making service to Dubai easily accessible from the Southwest, West Coast and Midwest regions of the U.S.

In announcing the new service, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said, “We believe there is a strong and growing demand for convenient air travel connections between the U.S. and cities in the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, as illustrated by the success of Emirates’ services from New York’s JFK.

“It has been our intention to expand our presence in North America and the delivery of our new 777-200LRs aircraft later this year will enable us to operate these ultra long-haul routes efficiently, while providing our passengers with the latest comforts and amenities onboard. We very much look forward to starting services from Houston, our second gateway in the U.S.”

Nigel Page, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, The Americas, said, “Emirates’ Houston non-stop service will provide Americans, especially the business traveler, with shorter flight times to Dubai and many destinations beyond. As Emirates is one of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, a second hub within the U.S. is necessary and vital to Emirates’ growth. Houston, is the fourth-largest city in the U.S., and has extremely important links with the Gulf.”

On the Houston-Dubai route, Emirates’ technologically-advanced 777-200LR aircraft will offer the latest in-flight amenities, featuring 266 seats in a three-class configuration with up to 18 tons of cargo capacity. Designed for optimum comfort on ultra long-haul travel, it will be fitted with eight luxurious private suites in First class, 42 of its latest lie-flat seats in Business class, and generous space for 216 passengers in Economy class. Emirates will also operate the flight with two crews onboard, to ensure passengers receive the highest levels of service and care throughout the journey.

When launched, the Houston-Dubai non-stop service will also be one of Emirates’ longest flights—at just over 15 hours flying time to Dubai, while the longer return journey will be at 17 hours flying time.

Passengers in all classes will enjoy the award-winning service from Emirates’ international cabin crew recruited from over 100 countries around the world, meals prepared by gourmet chefs, as well as the airline’s cutting-edge ‘ice’ (information, communication, entertainment) system, which offers a selection of over 600 channels of entertainment on-demand and the ability to send and receive email and text messages from their personal in-seat entertainments systems.

In addition to Houston, Emirates has already unveiled plans to start services in 2007 to Venice in July, Newcastle in September, and Sao Paulo in October.
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