Flydubai Starts Sale of Business Class Tickets

Aug. 19, 2013
Flydubai has started sale of its Business Class tickets that will boost its revenues and also set the budget airline apart from its GCC competitors.

Aug. 19--Flydubai has started sale of its Business Class tickets that will boost its revenues and also set the budget airline apart from its GCC competitors.

CIS region is a key market for the Dubai-based low-cost carrier and that might be a reason the airline has selected Ukraine's capital Kiev for its first Business Class departure on October 8, 2013. Flydubai network points in the CIS region are more than any other Middle East carrier.

Flydubai's retrofit of the new cabin will see the additional premium option opened up to all its network, further adding significant revenue to its bottom line, according to a senior aviation analyst.

"This is a big deal for flydubai and one has to wonder how long it will be before Air Arabia, nas air, Jazeera Airways, RAK Airways and other low cost Arab airlines start to emulate this product."

While flydubai will lose capacity from 189 seats on its Boeing 737-800s to 174 seats, Ahmad said, adding that a capacity reduction of eight per cent will be more than offset by the additional yield it can gain from the 12 premium seats on every flight that it operates.

The Dubai carrier plans to continue adding more Business Class routes across its network in the months to come. Flydubai received its first aircraft with Business Class seats at the start of August, and since then they have been used for testing and training. All new aircraft subsequently delivered will include business and economy classes, while existing aircraft will be retrofitted to include the premium option. "We are .... tremendously excited to be offering the Business Class experience on routes that have not had this option before with any airline, such as Bishkek, Donetsk and Juba," flydubai's chief executive officer Ghaith Al Ghaith said in a statement.

Flydubai's Business Class offering includes a comfortable spacious seat and a generous checked baggage allowance. Seats are fitted with flydubai's award-winning in-flight entertainment system with a high-definition, 12.1-inch touchscreen and a choice of internationally inspired menus and refreshments.

"Our Business Class option, along with the variety of destinations we now fly to, gives our customers yet another reason to choose flydubai. This moment also signifies the growth of our fleet and with the arrival of our new Business Class aircraft, we plan to add more Business Class destinations to our network by the end of the year," Al Ghaith said.Business Class customers will also benefit from a priority check-in service and a dedicated 24-hour customer service team to assist with bookings and attend to enquires throughout a customer's journey.

Later this year, passengers will be able to relax in flydubai's Business Class lounge ahead of their flight and will have access to priority baggage collection upon arrival at their destination.

Copyright 2013 - Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates