Festive boom for Emirates as airline registers record booking this week

Emirates expects this week to be its busiest of 2014, as travellers head home or abroad for the holiday season. Over 80,000 people will travel on 19 December with Emirates on over 240 flights, according to the airline's latest booking figures. This represents an increase of almost 23% over last year.
 

The busiest day for the airline is expected on Friday 19 December, although high passenger traffic is expected to last until to 21 December. 

“With record breaking numbers of passengers flying with Emirates this week, it is our mission to making the journey as seamless and trouble-free as possible.  We have deployed extra staff at the airport to assist our customers, and we ask all travellers to be aware of check-in and gate closure timings. They should also allow ample time to get through the various touch-points at the airport, as check-in and gate closure timings will be strictly followed to ensure flights depart on schedule,” said Mohammed H. Mattar, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates Airport Services.

“Customers who wish to experience the excellent facilities in the airport, such as duty free shops and restaurants, as well as our well-appointed lounges for premium passengers, are also advised to factor in extra time into their travel plans. Ultimately, our goal is to continue to provide world-class service and an outstanding travel experience and this busy period is no exception,” he added.  

Emirates is reminding customers to arrive at the airport least 2 hours before flight departure, and plan extra time to get to the airport as there may be heavy road traffic during the holiday period. 

Customers who check-in less than 60 minutes to their scheduled flight departure will not be accepted. These time checks will ensure the minimization of delays and missed connections. Transit passengers from flights arriving late into Dubai will be escorted by Emirates’ airport staff to ensure they make their onward connections.

Customers are also urged to check-in online, use the convenient Self Service Kiosks or baggage drop facilities to expedite their airport experience.  Those checking in online are required to check in their luggage no later than 90 minutes prior to departure. Customers holding an e-boarding pass and travelling with carry-on bags only, can proceed directly to passport control and security clearance.

Customers travelling to the United States, Canada and the UK are reminded to charge their electronic devices before getting to the airport, as they will be required to switch on these devices on at the relevant boarding gates where screenings will take place, or risk being denied access to fly.

Across the Emirates network, aircraft upgrades and frequencies have been implemented in order to cope with the high demand over the busy season.

Emirates currently operates over 1,600 weekly departures from Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3.

Emirates operates double daily flights between Nairobi and Dubai and onward to more than 140 destinations in 81 countries across six continents.

EK 719 departs Dubai International Airport every day at 1045hrs and arrives at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 1445hrs. The return flight, EK720, leaves JKIA at 1640hrs and lands in Dubai at 1040hrs.  Second flight EK 721 departs Dubai International Airport every day at 1505hrs and arrives at JKIA at 1905hrs. The return flight, EK722, leaves JKIA at 2250hrs and lands in Dubai at 0450hrs.

Microsoft Lumia 535 dual SIM now available in Kenya

From right  Microsoft Kenya Country Manager Kunle Awosika, Midcom Head of Sales Amit Sighn, GM MIcrosoft Mobile Devices East Africa Mariam Abdullahi and Orange Telkom Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Vincent Camadro pose during the launch of the mobile device at a Nairobi hotel

Microsoft today announced the availability of the Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM in Kenya offering five great integrated Microsoft experiences, a wide-angle 5 megapixel front facing camera, and a spacious 5 inch display. The Lumia 535 Dual SIM helps people do more of what they want, for less.

•  Make memorable Skype video calls with the 5 MP wide angle front facing camera, and seamlessly switch between voice and video with built-in Skype integration.

• Access, edit and share Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents and OneNote notebooks wherever you are, with the pre-installed Office suite.

• Save and sync photos, videos and Office documents securely with 15GB of free OneDrive cloud storage.

• Connect with work and personal e-mail while on the go, with Microsoft Outlook built-in.

• Showcase photos and videos or get even more productive with the large, 5 inch qHD display.

• Never miss a call or text, and be reachable on both SIM cards at any time with Smart Dual SIM for maximum flexibility.

“Many people, especially the younger audience, aspire to own the latest flagship smartphone but often don’t have the means to get it,” says Mariam Abdullahi, General Manager Microsoft Mobile Device Sales, East Africa. “With access to the best services right out of the box, including the Windows Phone 8.1 update, Lumia Denim, The Lumia 535 Dual SIM helps people do more of what they want, for less.”

“More of our customers are demanding a large screen experience at an affordable price. With the 5 inch screen, the latest Windows Phone operating system and access to a range of Microsoft services, the Lumia 535 Dual SIM is an ideal device to offer them,” says Vincent Lobry, Chief Executive Officer, Orange Telkom Kenya. “We are also very excited to offer, for a limited period, a discounted launch price of Kshs 8,450 at selected Orange outlets including GPO - Mega, Extelecomms – next Co-operative house, T-Mall, Galleria and Sarit centre in Nairobi.”

Following the launch special, recommended retail price for the Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM is Kshs 13,800, and the device will be available in a range of colours including orange, white and black.

Tech specs summary:

Lumia 535 Dual SIM
Operating system	Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim
HERE location services	Free global HERE Maps and HERE Drive+ Free HERE Transit available in the Store
Display	5” qHD 960x540 screen Sunlight Readability
Battery	1905 mAh battery
Processor	1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor
Main camera	5 MP AF, Lumia Camera, LED flash
Front facing camera	5 MP wide-angle Fix focus FWVGA  864*480  for video recording  & video playing
Memory	8GB + 15GB free OneDrive, micro SD up to 128GB