EK (Emirates) Welcome to LA & SF!

[SelectSys]

With all of the negative news these days in aviation it is great to see Emirates getting ready to start service to the west coast of the US from Dubai this fall (LA starts 9/1). They will be flying the 777-200LR non-stop daily with first class travellers each having their own private suite on board. The flying time is around 16:00 hours in the air.

 

I attended an industry open house this week in Orange County hosted by EK at the Segerstrom Concert Hall to describe their service. They brought in flight crews and their catering service and put on a really great show. If EK flight service is close to what they described and demostrated on the ground we on the west coast have a great new option to the middle east, the Indian sub-continent, and parts of Africa.

 

Good luck EK! Anyone taking a cruise out of Dubai or travelling in the region from SoCal should consider this option closely.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

Too bad foreign airlines can't fly U.S. domestic routes...

[celle]

I attended an industry open house this week in Orange County hosted by EK at the Segerstrom Concert Hall to describe their service. They brought in flight crews and their catering service and put on a really great show. If EK flight service is close to what they described and demostrated on the ground we on the west coast have a great new option to the middle east, the Indian sub-continent, and parts of Africa.

 

Good luck EK! Anyone taking a cruise out of Dubai or travelling in the region from SoCal should consider this option closely.

 

We have flown with Emirates several times. Their cabin service has always been excellent.

[banditcat]

I have only heard good things about Emirates air. I am glad they are expanding in us.

[scottbee]

Too bad foreign airlines can't fly U.S. domestic routes...

 

They can under certain conditions. I believe that NZ(Air New Zealand) operate LAX-JFK. Foreign carriers also can (again under special conditions) operate routes between two foreign countries, such as PR(Philippines) route LAS-YVR

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

Yes of course, but I mean domestic routes. IE: Chicago to Miami or Binghamton to Salt Lake City.

 

Obviously they can fly to a U.S. city from a foreign country or vice versa as can U.S. based airlines.

[Globaliser]

They will be flying the 777-200LR ...

...

Good luck EK! Anyone taking a cruise out of Dubai or travelling in the region from SoCal should consider this option closely.

It's sometimes difficult to understand why US carriers manage to carry any passengers at all on any international routes on which there is competition from airlines in this league.

 

But there is one thing to watch out for on EK: the 10-abreast seating on the 777. If you fly EK on which there's an equipment choice, the 330s/340s may be a better option.

[Globaliser]

They can under certain conditions. I believe that NZ(Air New Zealand) operate LAX-JFK.

Actually, you may be thinking of Qantas.

 

But this is not what Cruisin' Ron VA was thinking of. You can't buy a ticket to fly LAX-JFK on Qantas. It must be flown as part of a ticket for international travel on Qantas. In many ways, it would be more accurate to say that Qantas operates "SYD-LAX" and "SYD-JFK via LAX", rather than operating "LAX-JFK" as such.

[SelectSys]

It's sometimes difficult to understand why US carriers manage to carry any passengers at all on any international routes on which there is competition from airlines in this league.

 

Even though your question was largely rhetorical in nature I'll offer a couple of reasons anyway:

 

1) Most US fliers trips are domestic rather than international. This makes it less likely for us to switch for an international journey. In particular, AA fliers cannot use BA for transatlantic service and still get qualifying miles.

 

2) Many casual international fliers aren't all that sophisticated regarding selection and/or they are connecting to an existing international gateway for one of the US network carriers. The open skies treaty with Europe may cut back on this as LH, BA, and AF expand service into 2nd tier US cities although the current economic climate makes this somewhat suspect in the near term.

 

But there is one thing to watch out for on EK: the 10-abreast seating on the 777. If you fly EK on which there's an equipment choice, the 330s/340s may be a better option.

 

The LA EK trip is using the 777LR due its to the long range and freight carrying capabilities. I looked on seat guru and the coach seat width is only 17" which seems pretty tight. I also personally dislike crawling over 2 people to get out to the aisle from a window seat.