Egypt Air puts disappointing 2011 behind and looks to future again

EGYPT AIR PUTS DISAPPOINTING YEAR BEHIND THEM, LOOKS AT THE FUTURE

Egypts national airline is apparently putting a disappointing year behind them, which saw traffic disruptions during the revolution lead to major shifts in market share, before eventually making a recovery but still recording a profit reduction by more than three quarters compared to 2010.
Now flying 4 times a week again between Entebbe and Cairo, with according to a local source ok loadfactors, Egypt Air is for 2012 and beyond again on the expansion trail. The reopening yesterday of the route between Cairo and Tokyo has raised interest levels for connecting flights which the airline now puts at 25 percent and rising, attracting traffic from the East African destinations MK is flying to at present. The source also mentioned that in both 2012 and 2013 more routes would be launched, including flights to Toronto / Canada. Earlier in the month did the airline CEO also confirm that discussions were underway what future aircraft would eventually replace the current fleet of B777 and A330, with the most likely successors, late this decade, being the B787 and the yet to fly A350.
Another source at Ethiopian Airlines also confirmed ongoing intense discussions between the two Star Alliance partners to enter into a joint venture in West Africa, where ET already is directly engaged with ASKY based in Lome / Togo. Should the talks yield results it would strengthen the position of not just the two airlines in the underserviced West African market but also increased the continental penetration of Star Alliance, which is the only airline alliance with presently three members in Africa, South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines since December last year and Egypt Air. Watch this space.

Emirates enhances inflight entertainment systems, competition good for travelers

EMIRATES FIGHTS FOR EAST AFRICAN MARKETS SHARE

After putting flights from Dubai to Entebbe on a nonstop schedule at the end of March, a move which was widely welcomed amongst travelers from Uganda who are now spared the unnecessary stopover in Addis Ababa long critizised but only taken seriously by the airline after the impact of Qatar Airways arrival in November showed the true impact of passenger migration Emirates has now announced further innovations to its inflight product.
An announcement was just made by the airline that starting immediately the growing fleet of A380 aircraft, followed by the entire B777 fleet, will begin to receive a new graphical user interface developed by Panasonic. Emirates President Tim Clark was quoted in a media release as having said: Emirates has been tracking the commercial progress of GUIs, where an ever-expanding array of choices are available to consumers, and we wanted to bring the same experience, look, and feel available on smart phones and tablets to our loyal customers in an aircraft environment while the airlines East Africa Regional Manager Essa Sulaiman added in a communication shared with this correspondent: Emirates has always been committed to continuous innovation of our ice systems and to providing our passengers with a unique and memorable onboard experience. Subsequently, over the past 24 months working with our partner, Panasonic, Emirates has succeeded in creating a smart and simplified interface which will appeal to customers of all ages.
Emirates, it is understood from a usually well informed source, will roll-out a number of additional inflight product enhancements across the next few months as part of a multi-million dollar investment in onboard technology. Larger video screens, in all classes, will come into operation from May on new Boeing 777 aircraft, in addition to future Airbus A380 deliveries. An enhanced in-seat telephone handset and new Mode Controller in First Class and Business Class will also be introduced, ensuring a more seamless customer experience.
Meanwhile have the Emirates sales teams also began to hit home with offering special features like stopovers in Dubai and their baggage allowance for passengers in economy class, which for special promotions like the Dubai Shopping Festival are upped even more. Said a source from Kampala when attention was drawn to a mini debate on Twitter over the impact of baggage allowances for travelers making their decisions: We are not the ones making such decisions but we report back to our regional office with our observations. We think our baggage allowance is fair but we know some other airlines give a little extra. But we got one up on a close competitor here in Uganda also flying to the Gulf because they still apply the general Y-class limit of 23 KG. Here it is our advantage to fly a wide body to Entebbe and we can be a bit more flexible for outbound passengers. True, baggage allowance is a factor for travelers deciding on which airline to use but we offer the biggest choice of destinations for passengers from Uganda travelling with us via the Gulf, the biggest network, the most modern fleet and so many other specials no other airline can match.
Now that is what competition is all about, getting the very best deals for passengers making travel decisions and convincing them with such facts as safety, punctuality, inflight service, loyalty programmes and special deals. Watch this space.