Is Emirates too big for its boots?

Do you remember the days when Emirates Airline was considered the crème de la crème of the commercial aviation world? It wasn't that long ago.

I remember my first Emirates flight in 1998 - from London, via Dubai and Singapore to Melbourne, Australia - when I was wowed by several factors, primarily the good service, as well as the in-flight entertainment.

At the time, Emirates was considered ahead of the game and the airline of choice - on par with the likes of Singapore Airlines.

Unfortunately, the airline became a victim of its own success and having undergone such rapid growth in recent years has been unable to maintain the level of quality and service that earned the carrier its good reputation.

The product and service has become patchy and inconsistent, not to mention pricey, often to the point of being unaffordable.

I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Back in December I wrote a story explaining how Etihad Airways had witnessed strong growth on routes to Singapore and Malaysia, with the airline claiming it had taken market share from Emirates.

One of the key reasons for this, purported Etihad, was that its service and product was considered superior to that of Emirates by clients travelling between the UAE and Asia.

The first reaction to this article came from Emirates' Kuala Lumpur office, which was perturbed by this revelation, however, what followed was a barrage of emails concurring that from experience, Etihad had proven superior to Emirates.

Not only that, but I received several derogatory comments stating that Emirates had become too big for its boots and no longer deserved its reputation as one of the world's leading airlines.

Then came a flood of complaints from family, colleagues and friends who had flown with Emirates in recent months - you tend to get these when you write for a travel publication!

Grievances varied from broken and uncomfortable seats to poor customer customer service, but the common thread was that Emirates staff both on the ground and in the air were lack lustre to the point of being rude.

The problem, no doubt, is that Emirates has grown at a rapid pace and in that process, the bells and whistles that made it stand out in a crowd have been forgotten or overlooked.

What is the point in boasting that you have the best in-flight entertainment system when your seat is broken and the cabin crew are disinterested and unhelpful?

The key to success for any travel product is consistency, which is lacking at Emirates.

Etihad is on its way to achieving this, but as it too rapidly expands, the carrier should learn from the mistakes made by Emirates.

Investment in new high-tech aircraft is all very well, but it means nothing if the wrong people are recruited to work for the airline or if staff are inadequately trained.

Emirates should stop believing its own hype and listen to its customers who want it to succeed as it gets set to become the world's largest airline.

Gemma Greenwood is the senior group editor of ITP Business' travel and hospitality magazines.

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USER COMMENTS (19 COMMENTS)

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Emirates - Good or Bad
Posted by Andy, Dubai, UAE on 19 May 2008 at 15:02 UAE time


Further to a comment I had published earlier this week - 14th May - I have since flown with Emirates from Manila to Dubai. The service was terrible. The seats were so uncomfortable, and the in flight service was again very poor. This week I will fly to Singapore, and I have purposely chosen to go Singapore Airlines. I hope this sends a message to Emirates. By the way, I am a Gold Card holder and have given up my privelages just to have a comfortable flight with another airline. I can't take the uncomfortable seating anymore.

Emirates baggage handling
Posted by Haresh G Keswani, Muscat, Oman on 19 May 2008 at 09:22 UAE time


Last year, I flew Emirates from Bangalore to Muscat via Dubai. Although I found the inflight service and crew to be fairly good (and not exceptional as I expected), to my horror, my baggage was no where to be found when I landed in Muscat.
I was informed that it was left behind at Dubai airport, although it was tagged etc. I made a complaint at Muscat airport and there were other co passengers who were also in the same situation. Fortuneatly for me, after a two days wait, I received by baggage.
I was told that a number of baggages do get left behind by Emirates at Dubai and some get lost as well, with the compensation being a pittance!!
Since then, I never fly Emirates again. Who will want to loose their precious stuff and waste anxious moments? Never mind all the glossy advertisements and awards, get your basics right Emirates!! There are a world of Airlines on offer on all the routes you cover and I am sure there will be many more joining the fray.

Other Airlines are Much Better
Posted by Adrian Hermano, Sharjah, UAE on 18 May 2008 at 14:03 UAE time


I have taken Emirates only once. My experience was not good... Thus, ever since, I have always taken Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines...

Emirates Service
Posted by Kevin Bickerstaffe, Dubai, UAE on 16 May 2008 at 18:06 UAE time

I made my decision to change to Etihad some 2 years ago, as the issues regarding Service were apparent then. If not flying business, the seats in economy have to be the worst of any airline I have ever flown, they are seriously deficient in padding & even when new are not at all comfortable. When you add the time to & through the airport, horrendous waits for baggage & frequent non availability of taxis, the decision to use Etihad is easy. Take today as an example, landed at Abu Dhabi at 11.20, in my house near JBH at 12.30 with hold baggage.

EK not OK
Posted by Andrew, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 15 May 2008 at 15:00 UAE time


Bravo! It's about time that the reality of the growth of EK is spelled out. As a Skywards Gold card carrier I've sort of become immune to the drop in standards and I'm too lazy to change my travel to AUH. The truth is that any commercial airline only really focuses on the first 14 rows which deliver something like 70 per cent of the revenue..... room for major crew improvement, EK....

Is Emirates Getting Too Big for its Boots?
Posted by Chris, Dubai, UAE on 15 May 2008 at 14:58 UAE time


As has been mentioned in a few of the posts, the biggest problem Emirates faces is complete inconsistency of the service delivery both on the ground and in the air. There are very few airlines where the actual product itself is below par and in case of Emirates, the product itself is not that bad - it's just poorly delivered 7 times out of 10. I can only see this getting worse as the airline continues to expand at breakneck pace.

As a gold Skywards member, I have the benefit of using the premium check-in at Dubai and together with an e-gate card, makes the Dubai airport experience for me very smooth. However, not all have this benefit and I often see the nightmare of the economy check-in when I travel other airlines.

However, as a business traveller, the biggest problem is now the cost of using Emirates. The recent price increases beggar belief. I recently priced a trip to New York and discovered Etihad is 7,000 dhs CHEAPER for a business class ticket! Sorry EK, frequent flyer or no frequent flyer, I'll be flying Etihad to New York. And who knows, I may just like them more....

SHOW ALL COMMENTS

Emirates has lost the 'service' edge
Posted by Mohammed Raza, DXB, UAE on 15 May 2008 at 11:19 UAE time

You are absolutely right, Gemma. I have lived in Dubai for about 12 years now and I had to use Emirates – first because of lack of choice and then later out of habit until about 4 years back when I had to fly Indian Airlines because no seats were available on Emirates. What a pleasant surprise it was – excellent service with polite crew and efficient ground handling. Since then I have never used Emirates – I have flown with Etihad, Singapore and feel even Air Arabia's service was comparable to Emirates.

Emirates have lost the edge that they had over others in service over the years. They seem to have forgotten that being the largest carrier does not mean that they are the best.

Totally Agree - Pathetic Customer Service Delivery
Posted by M. Rodrigues, Abu Dhabi, UAE on 15 May 2008 at 09:55 UAE time

Gemma Greenwood's article on airline delivery service made an interesting read. I totally agree with her on how the airline treats passengers. Being a frequent flyer with all the Middle East Airline I would like to extend this kind of treatment meted out also by Qatar Airlines 5 * airline and Etihad. Consider these comments. With the door closed the aircraft starts backing out from the gate with loads of passengers still struggling to find the right seat - safety standards? Despite bringing this to the Cabin crew's attention, maintenance work being carried out with passengers on board, cabin crew manager who considers the catering department not part of the airline - special meal requests not catered, cabin crew who feel its not their duty to help passengers to place their baggage in the overhead bin - do we need mannequins? Most importantly are the customer/passenger affairs department who have a standard reply to complaints however serious they may be and I quote "We thank you once again for taking the time to write to us about your disappointment with our in-flight service as your feedback specifically referred to deviations in the service standards we strive to achieve.
Customer satisfaction is important to us and as our premium card holder you certainly deserve attention. You have our assurances that the matter has been raised with the department concerned to ensure that we provide our customers, at all times, with the very best level of service as per our company's customer service standards.
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused and we look forward to welcoming you and your family members again on another flight in the near future.”
As passengers we demand more from the above statement (compensation) if not for the passengers where would they profit from. These Middle East airlines should take a clue from Singapore Airline, Thai Airways, Jet Airways (India) what customer service is all about and not boast on their laurels after all who pays their salaries?
It's only when the Freddie's Award, Business Traveller award etc are rolled out do they remember the frequent flyers for their votes otherwise they couldn't care less.

BAD EXPERIENCE WITH EMIRATES
Posted by Charm, Dubai on 15 May 2008 at 09:39 UAE time

For the past 3 years, I've always used Emirates Airlines for my flights back home. Like Gemma's, I had a fabulous experience on my first flight mainly due to the in-flight entertainment facilities and the customer service was super then, not to mention that I had a non-stop flight doing away with the hassles of stopovers in the other airlines. However, the experience on the subsequent flights had gone downhill from there from paying extra charges and request for special meals (veg) were ignored. The last one was terrible if not traumatic for me, when a check-in counter staff (who upon investigation, turned out to be a supervisor or a manager that might explain but not justify his behaviour) had to look down his nose on me for "just having a blue skywards card" and thus was actually useless. He was very arrogant, rude and probably a racist (I am Asian) since he was all smiles and amiable when dealing with Westerners. I am going home again next month and I am thinking not to take Emirates flight again but there seem to be no better alternative as other airlines do not offer direct flights to my home country except for Etihad which means I have to take the extra trip to Abu Dhabi. I believe Emirates Airlines had to deal with these issues for damage control. Majority would still prefer it due to its convenient flight schedules and better facilities, however, no organisation can stay at the top for long if it does not maintain a good customer service.

Emirates - Good or Bad
Posted by Colin, Dubai, UAE on 15 May 2008 at 07:39 UAE time

I agree with the sentiments raised in the article. I have been a silver card member for nearly seven years with EK and in the past few years I have witnessed a marked reduction in the level of service. Yes the fleet is aging so the interior may begin to look a little tired. This I can accept but this does not justify the level of service to drop which for me is the biggest bugbear.
The EK staff (not all but the ones at the limo pick up area at the airport in particular) seem to have lost the realisation that customers are not there as an inconvenience and at 12.30am in the morning we would also rather be at home in our beds too.....

Emirates - Good or Bad?
Posted by Andy, Dubai, UAE on 14 May 2008 at 17:06 UAE time


I feel that some of the comments made about Emirates are valid and others not so. I am a Gold card holder. I travel frequently both locally and to more far flung lands. My percepcion is that the booking system is good, the check in for business (and Gold and Silver) is decent, but the big let down is the economy check in (which most people use) and also when you actually get on the plane. The seats ARE uncomfortable (getting old???), the food leaves a lot to be desired, and some of the service for food and drink is very disappointing and sparse. I don't have a real complaint about staff, although as with any company, one grumpy steward or stewardess lets the other smiling happy staff members down. Another big 'no' for me is the airport at Dubai - the seating facilities are VERY inadequate at busier times and many times I have asked for someone to move a bag or take their feet of some seats so that we can sit. Airport staff are not very proactive in controlling public areas. Will the new terminal be better? My thoughts on the whole thing are that there are other flight companies to use, and I AM currently using others at the moment and spreading my options as Emirates does seem to be falling behind.

I dont agreee at all!!!!
Posted by Zz, Dubai on 14 May 2008 at 10:32 UAE time


Sorry Mrs Gemma, I dont agree at all!!! I think, you, people forget a lot!! Go and fly with other airlines!!! And I promise you that you will do a quick come back and fly again with EK again. I have never seen in my life such an airline with the a huge range of services, helpful staff!!!What I read in the other comments, it seems to me, that one bad experience happened to these people and they start judging all airlines how bad and how horrible it is.
The EK airline is growing and I wish all the best them and hope less unhappy customer will fly with them.

Emirates Airlines
Posted by MRB on 14 May 2008 at 09:12 UAE time


It's such a shame to see Emirates squandering its prestige and reputation. My experiences as a gold card member this year have been worse than when I first joined the Skywards reward programme 5 years ago. That's how far their customer service has dropped. Complaints are met with indifference or rudeness. The simplest issues go unresolved. I, for one, am sick of it and investigating other options.

Emirates Service
Posted by Hassan Kamal, Karachi, Pakistan on 14 May 2008 at 08:29 UAE time


Totally agree with Gemma. Emirates service over the last few years has deteriorated considerably. Since 2002 we have been devotees of Emirates to such an extent that we switched our loyalties from Chelsea to Arsenal once Emiratesdecided to sponsor the latter. We travel first class whereever the airline operates and business class otherwise. I must say that even in the premium classes the service standards have gone down both in the air and on the ground. Now as the summer vacations are approaching and we plan our holidays to Europe Emirates does not feature as the airline of choice. We are also considering Etihad although they do not have a very good schedule as most of the flights to Euroope leave very late night or early in the morning, which is a drag if you have children.

EMIRATES TOO BIG FOR ITS BOOTS
Posted by Sharon Garrett, Dubai, UAE on 13 May 2008 at 16:14 UAE time


Couldn't have agreed more with the sentiments raised in Gemma Greenwood's article. I was a big fan of Emirates but increasingly find the customer service so disappointing that my loyalty is shifting. Incidents of lost luggage also seem on the rise with 2 friends both experiencing poor customer service when faced with this situation - not even a letter of apology to accompany the returned baggage. How difficult is that after all?? I agree they need to stop believing their own hype.

Emirates Airlines
Posted by YA, dubai, uae on 13 May 2008 at 13:44 UAE time


Gemma is absolutely right in her comments, from 1998 until today the transformation of EK has only been to the worse and human capital is a contributing factor. The staff on the ground and on board are now unskilled, indifferent and very slow. I witnessed a similar event like the one described by the other reader, a member of staff grabbing cheese from the trolley in plain sight on business class. The old business class seats no longer function, the AB 330-200 is by far the worse and most uncomfortable aircraft in the sky and EK has too many of them. The Ice system is "capricious" and needs re-setting too often. Recently, on a 6 hr flight from Milan, it took 3 hrs and 20 mins from take off to completion of dinner service ... Mercy! Some of travel on business, not for fun, a few hours of sleep are precious! And ... the transporation in these miserable volvos driven by persons who can very rarely find the address they are supposed to pick you up or drop you off, is another downfall.

Emirates Airline
Posted by RJE, Dubai, UAE on 13 May 2008 at 12:57 UAE time


Couldn't agree more. Their advertsising dollars are spent stroking the egos of themselves and awards that are now in archives. The only head lines they make now is when they are spending or making dollars. You hit the nail on the head with the word inconsistency. I have seen an Emirates Check in agent stand up, point and yell his head off at a customer over the counter. It wouldn't matter what the customers point was would it!!! The only time I have seen an Emirates cabin crew member look like they are enjoying what they do is when they are engaging with themsleves...not with passengers. I have already made the switch to Etihad as yes they exude a supriority complex like no other. All this, and they have just jacked up their prices and given oil prices as the excuse. Yes I know oil is over $120 barrell, but some weeks ago it dipped as far as $112. Didn't see them reduce their price though?????

Emirates Airlines
Posted by JR, Dubai on 7 May 2008 at 11:53 UAE time


I agree completely.
I have been travelling with EK for 3 years now and my experiences have ranged drastically.
Having expeienced EK at its best - I understand the foundation of the hype - but unfortunately 90% of my experiences in the last 2 years have not supported it in the slightest.
Unrepaired seats, dirty aircrafts, lack lustre and indifferent cabin crew make the cost of passage seem very high. On one particular flight, I was astounded to watch a crew member pick up and eat the left over cheese from my tray - IN FRONT OF ME ?
I will continue to travel with EK because it is convienient due to the location of the airport and the destinations to which they fly directly to. You should note however that this should not be mistaken for loyalty.

Is Emirates Airline getting far too big for its boots?
Posted by sunny.joseph, Dubai, UAE on 7 May 2008 at 08:46 UAE time

I had sent two pages of concerns to Emirates regarding a flight I took with my 7 months pregnant wife in February. I got a response from them after almost two months, which stated we are the best and we have the best systems in place. In brief I felt they never cared.

They offered me 5000 goodwill air miles, which I politely refused.

Thank you Gemma for this reality check article, I hope someone wakes up and realises that all is not so green.

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