Emirates cost cuts - bad news for someone here
Jan 5, 2017, 12:53 am
#31
Moderator: Qatar Airways
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Wow!
Hot water is expensive! You can't expect it for free. Some us have to pay £1.20 for a cup of it, nevermind a free towel being included
M
(context - BA are about to start charging for hot drinking water on shorthaul economy cabins)
Jan 5, 2017, 12:59 am
#32
Moderator, Emirates
Join Date: Oct 2012
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. I am just missing BoB by a couple of days so will get my last free cuppa at the weekend on them 
S
Jan 5, 2017, 4:12 am
#33
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: DXB
Programs: EK, AA, DL, UA, SPG, HGP, Amex
Posts: 1,208
Cutting out showers on short haul destinations like DOH and KWI, whether times are good or bad, makes complete sense.
Water weight + 2 crew + can't guarantee all pax have time to take one anyway.... so that you can take a shower selfie? No way.
Water weight + 2 crew + can't guarantee all pax have time to take one anyway.... so that you can take a shower selfie? No way.
Jan 5, 2017, 4:19 am
#34
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Economy, mostly :(
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 7,804
That's a good point on water weight. Hadn't thought of it before but the link posted (I think by NOIR) in the DXB construction thread today mentioned 2.2 tonnes of water for the showers, that's a lot of fuel.
Jan 5, 2017, 10:27 am
#35
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Middle Earth, and often worse
Programs: BAEC Silver, A3 Gold
Posts: 2,243
The Bloomberg article does give invaluable information. I still remember the broo-haa with Canada when Canadian authorities would not allow more EK/EY flights into Canada. The number of EK/EY flights into YYZ and YUL is still the same, a decade later and there is probably on change on the horizon...
What outsiders don't know is that when Canada's airlines lose sectors/pax their crews are laid off - AND the Canadian taxpayer pays for retraining, unemployment insurance, OR in the worse-case scenario "the dole". And for what? Besides, the fewer flights to Europe would adversely affect bilateral agreements with Europeans and that would cost $$ too. The UAE did NOT care about that - lets fact it they were/are interested in expanding their interests. This is evident by having no unions and firing folks because of whatever reason. Due cause does NOT happen in the UAE. Top-down control is the way it is.
Similarly, most pax don't care about infrastructure costs in such events - as long as they get convenience AND cheap flights. Societal costs be damned as far as the average pax is concerned.
Emirates did not care about those issues either, so slapped a high fee for Canadians visas for UAE visits - , trying to intimidate Canada. However, if a Canadian flew EK/EY into DXB/AUH then the fee would be substantially reduced. The Bloomberg article indicates that Canadian PM (Steven Harper) stated that Canadian soldiers would not be used as bargaining chips. It was true then and it is true now.
That all changed when the UAE government awarded Canada the contract to supply uranium for their new nuclear powered electricity-producing reactors currently being built.
We all know what the UAE approach is all about. I am not saying it is good/bad. It is what it is.
FWIW, I currently work and live in Qatar and am involved in "nation building" so the local citizenry can do the jobs that expats are doing currently. Good stuff, and Qatari folks are quite pragmatic in getting this process to work for them and for their nation...
BTW, QR has also made subtle cost cuts in their services
Jan 5, 2017, 11:22 am
#36
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Economy, mostly :(
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 7,804
Yes, and I think that the EK boffins have realised that the nice PR stuff for a 45 minute flight (DXB-DOH) is simply not worth the expense of the H2O, crew and fuel. EK will take the hit on any negative PR, but common sense will prevail.
The Bloomberg article does give invaluable information. I still remember the broo-haa with Canada when Canadian authorities would not allow more EK/EY flights into Canada. The number of EK/EY flights into YYZ and YUL is still the same, a decade later and there is probably on change on the horizon...
What outsiders don't know is that when Canada's airlines lose sectors/pax their crews are laid off - AND the Canadian taxpayer pays for retraining, unemployment insurance, OR in the worse-case scenario "the dole". And for what? Besides, the fewer flights to Europe would adversely affect bilateral agreements with Europeans and that would cost $$ too. The UAE did NOT care about that - lets fact it they were/are interested in expanding their interests. This is evident by having no unions and firing folks because of whatever reason. Due cause does NOT happen in the UAE. Top-down control is the way it is.
Similarly, most pax don't care about infrastructure costs in such events - as long as they get convenience AND cheap flights. Societal costs be damned as far as the average pax is concerned.
Emirates did not care about those issues either, so slapped a high fee for Canadians visas for UAE visits - , trying to intimidate Canada. However, if a Canadian flew EK/EY into DXB/AUH then the fee would be substantially reduced. The Bloomberg article indicates that Canadian PM (Steven Harper) stated that Canadian soldiers would not be used as bargaining chips. It was true then and it is true now.
That all changed when the UAE government awarded Canada the contract to supply uranium for their new nuclear powered electricity-producing reactors currently being built.
We all know what the UAE approach is all about. I am not saying it is good/bad. It is what it is.
FWIW, I currently work and live in Qatar and am involved in "nation building" so the local citizenry can do the jobs that expats are doing currently. Good stuff, and Qatari folks are quite pragmatic in getting this process to work for them and for their nation...
BTW, QR has also made subtle cost cuts in their services
The Bloomberg article does give invaluable information. I still remember the broo-haa with Canada when Canadian authorities would not allow more EK/EY flights into Canada. The number of EK/EY flights into YYZ and YUL is still the same, a decade later and there is probably on change on the horizon...
What outsiders don't know is that when Canada's airlines lose sectors/pax their crews are laid off - AND the Canadian taxpayer pays for retraining, unemployment insurance, OR in the worse-case scenario "the dole". And for what? Besides, the fewer flights to Europe would adversely affect bilateral agreements with Europeans and that would cost $$ too. The UAE did NOT care about that - lets fact it they were/are interested in expanding their interests. This is evident by having no unions and firing folks because of whatever reason. Due cause does NOT happen in the UAE. Top-down control is the way it is.
Similarly, most pax don't care about infrastructure costs in such events - as long as they get convenience AND cheap flights. Societal costs be damned as far as the average pax is concerned.
Emirates did not care about those issues either, so slapped a high fee for Canadians visas for UAE visits - , trying to intimidate Canada. However, if a Canadian flew EK/EY into DXB/AUH then the fee would be substantially reduced. The Bloomberg article indicates that Canadian PM (Steven Harper) stated that Canadian soldiers would not be used as bargaining chips. It was true then and it is true now.
That all changed when the UAE government awarded Canada the contract to supply uranium for their new nuclear powered electricity-producing reactors currently being built.
We all know what the UAE approach is all about. I am not saying it is good/bad. It is what it is.
FWIW, I currently work and live in Qatar and am involved in "nation building" so the local citizenry can do the jobs that expats are doing currently. Good stuff, and Qatari folks are quite pragmatic in getting this process to work for them and for their nation...
BTW, QR has also made subtle cost cuts in their services
I think we've always known the UAE is all about the moola, and I don't think they'll take a PR hit for not having showers on those flights, there's a very small community of people who would know about such things, and even fewer who'd truly care (aceboy and his friends primarily...)
Jan 5, 2017, 6:46 pm
#38
Moderator, Emirates
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Where My Heart Is
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Posts: 3,388
Haven't you seen the Jen commercial?
Safe & Happy Travels
S
Jan 6, 2017, 7:03 am
#40
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: IHG Spire Ambassador, Club Carlson Gold, HHonors Gold, Best Western Diamond Select, BA Blue
Posts: 1,335
Never say never rumbataz. I never thought I'd be on an EK plane. It happened. Never thought I'd get to fly J class. It happened. Never thought I'd get to travel F in an A380. It happened and had a shower to boot. Never thought I'd get an OpUp and until now I have been quite right
Haven't you seen the Jen commercial?
Emirates Airlines featuring Jennifer Aniston.....! - YouTube
Safe & Happy Travels
S
Haven't you seen the Jen commercial?
Emirates Airlines featuring Jennifer Aniston.....! - YouTube
Safe & Happy Travels
S
One day, if I win the lottery, I'll take a shower on board an Emirates A380.
Jan 8, 2017, 10:05 am
#41
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Middle Earth, and often worse
Programs: BAEC Silver, A3 Gold
Posts: 2,243
The heck with EK cost cutting and negative effects on pax. I just booked a rt set of flights: DOH-DXB-ATH. Cost today was about 1000 AED less than yesterday. The savings will pay for my AirBnB and my car rental in Portugal (my final destination as I fly 4 sectors to maintain *G status with A3). ^
I can put up with EK cost-cutting on services on my flights if strategic flight choices accentuate my over all flying benefits.
I am still a long way off from getting out of Skywards Blue, but that is why I have Priority Pass for lounge access at the front end of EK flights.
I can put up with EK cost-cutting on services on my flights if strategic flight choices accentuate my over all flying benefits.
I am still a long way off from getting out of Skywards Blue, but that is why I have Priority Pass for lounge access at the front end of EK flights.
Jan 16, 2017, 10:33 pm
#42
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Economy, mostly :(
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 7,804
Update on Emirates cost cuts:
They have new blankets in Y which are better!. So far only on long-haul (9h+) but FA said she thinks eventually they'll be on all flights. It's almost a J-equivalent blanket (not duvet/comforter). Very soft and thicker than the towel-like blanket they had before.
They also had a proper hot towel service before the 2nd meal on my DXB-CPT flight yesterday, not the pre-packaged refresher towel. So not all bad news by the looks of it.
They have new blankets in Y which are better!. So far only on long-haul (9h+) but FA said she thinks eventually they'll be on all flights. It's almost a J-equivalent blanket (not duvet/comforter). Very soft and thicker than the towel-like blanket they had before.
They also had a proper hot towel service before the 2nd meal on my DXB-CPT flight yesterday, not the pre-packaged refresher towel. So not all bad news by the looks of it.