CHICAGO, 2014-8-11 — /Travel PR News/ — Emirates, a global connector of people, places and economies, has launched a daily nonstop passenger service to Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
The new service will operate as flight EK 235 departing from Dubai International Airport at 9:45 a.m. and arriving at O’Hare at 3:25 p.m. The return flight, EK 236, will depart O’Hare at 8:35 p.m. and arrive in Dubai at 7:10 p.m. the next day. Chicago-Dubai travelers will fly on a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft.
A launch event was held on August 5, 2014 in International Terminal 5 at O’Hare to celebrate the arrival of Emirates inaugural flight. The program included remarks by Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino,Choose Chicago CEO Don Welsh and Emirates COO Adel Al Redha.
“On behalf of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, we truly welcome this connection that will deepen the ties between two of the world’s busiest airports in terms of commercial travel, with a combined traffic flow of approximately 133 million passengers in 2013,” said Commissioner Andolino. “We look forward to building on O’Hare’s successful relationship with Emirates and know that many international travelers will take advantage of this new route.The addition of Emirates service alone will generate approximately $200 million in annual economic activity and furthers the Mayor’s goal of Chicago hosting 55 million visitors by 2020. ”
In addition to passenger service, the Chicago-Dubai flight will carry up to 17 tons of cargo and increase trade links between the two cities. Emirates began operating cargo service to Chicago in 2013 and currently flies a twice-weekly, dedicated freight service out of O’Hare that carried nearly 12,000 tons of cargo last year.
“The Dubai-Chicago route extends our passenger network to America’s third-largest city and complements our existing dedicated freighter service that operates to O’Hare,” said Emirates’ Al Redha.. “This new route will allow us to offer Emirates’ unique product and award-winning service to passengers flying to and from the Midwest to our home in Dubai or onwards to over 140 global destinations including the Far East, Africa and India.”
“We are thrilled to be part of this celebration with Emirates and look forward to sharing our remarkable city with you,” Welsh said. “Our city offers the very best hotels and some of the best restaurants in America, not to mention extensive cultural attractions. We thank you for choosing Chicago!”
Emirates began serving U.S. travel destinations and Chicago is the ninth U.S. gateway to join the Emirates network.
While aboard the Chicago-Dubai flight, passengers will enjoy Emirates’ renowned service provided by a multilingual crew from more than 120 countries, gourmet on-board dining and multi-award-winning inflight entertainment system -ice Digital Widescreen – with more than 1,800 channels of movies, TV programs, music and podcasts. The aircraft features a three-cabin configuration with eight private First Class suites, 42 Business Class lie-flat beds and 216 Economy Class seats.
About Emirates- Emirates was founded as an airline in 1985. It now flies to 143 destinations in 81 countries across six continents, providing air services that enable trade and travel to its home base in Dubai and beyond. Based in Dubai, Emirates is one of the world’s most recognized airline brands through its support of premier sports and cultural events.
On-board its modern and efficient fleet of 223 aircraft, Emirates offers award-winning comfort and service, delivered by friendly cabin crew representing more than 160 nationalities.
###
VIPs at the Emirates launch event at O’Hare – Emirates’ flight attendants flank CDA Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino, Emirates COO Adel Al Redha and Choose Chicago CEO Don Welsh Photo courtesy – John Konstantaras