Transport

Note: Dubai Online is currently offering discounts of 10-15% on Seawings flights. To obtain the discount you must complete the booking form on this page. You will then be contacted by a member of the Seawings team.

Dubai based Seawings LLC, the only seaplane tour operator in the Middle East, has announced that due to growing demand, they will now start flights to and from the Emirate of Fujairah on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Located on the Indian Ocean at the foot of the Hajar Mountains, the Emirate of Fujairah is known for its phenomenal wreck dives, plentiful coral reefs and abundant marine life.

The forty five minute ‘dock to dock’ flight provides views of Dubai’s most iconic landmarks including the Palm Jumeirah, The World Islands, Burj Al Arab, Historic Dubai Creek, Dubai Festival City, The Hajar Mountains, Dibba Coast and historic Fujairah before landing on the East coast of the UAE.

Seawings passengers get to enjoy the beautiful coral reefs, majestic mountains and brilliant beaches in a fraction of the time and in a way that many people would never experience.

Stuart Wheeler, CEO of Seawings said, ‘Considering the enormous potential in the east coast and with the tremendous growth in the tourism, we have been working hard to ensure that Seawings is conveniently located and offers customers a range of benefits within our product offering. By opening this new location, we look forward to catering to the demands of a larger segment of individuals and groups. Our passengers can explore the marvels and history of the UAE in a unique and convenient way without wasting time and energy on road travel. We will keep on offering new services and adding new tour options based on the customer requirements.’

Seawings - flights from Fujairah

Emirates Airline passengers can now pack more baggage and incur no extra charges.

All passengers travelling after May 4 2009 can now travel with an extra 10 kg of luggage.

The move means that the free baggage allowances are now:

• Economy Class – 30 kg
• Business Class – 40 kg
• First Class – 50 kg

Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President Revenue Optimisation, said ‘Emirates has moved to these new free baggage levels to further demonstrate our commitment to putting the passenger first. By offering travellers the flexibility to carry significantly more baggage we will be allowing them to take more gifts for family and friends or take advantage of the outstanding shopping in Dubai and across the extensive network of Emirates destinations.’

The Palm Jumeirah Monorail is now open to the general public.

The driverless light rail system travels runs along the trunk of Nakheel’s artificial island, from the Gateway Towers station to Atlantis.

A round trip costs Dh25 and a single Dh15.

The monorail on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah will now open ‘later this year’.

The Middle East’s first monorail system was originally scheduled to open in December 2008 but was later delayed to April 2009.

The monorail is 5.4 km long and runs from the trunk of the Palm Jumeirah (Gateway Station) to the crescent (Atlantis Station). When operating at full capacity it will be capable of transporting 6,000 people per hour.

Testing has already been completed. Here’s a short video:

Refurbishment work on Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport is now complete.

The airport’s smallest terminal now includes:

• A new façade and wider drop-off area
• An increase in the number of check-in counters from 22 to 36
• Dubai Duty Free – 1400 sq metre store in Departures, and 50 sq metre store in Arrivals
• Restaurants – McDonalds’s, Baskin Robbins, Costa Coffee etc.
• Shuttle bus service to Terminal 1 (20 minutes) and Terminal 3 (30 minutes)

Emirates Airline has announced that it will shortly redeploy two Airbus A380s currently flying between Dubai and New York.

From June 1 2009 the super-jumbos will be switched to the Dubai-Toronto and the Dubai-Bangkok services. New York will now be served by the smaller Boeing B777-300ER.

The change has been brought about by a drop in demand on the New York route.

Emirates Airline has dropped fares to 85 destinations throughout the world. The fares are valid for tickets issued in the United Arab Emirates before February 15 2009 with a travel date prior to May 31 2009.

The airline says the move has been prompted by lower fuel prices.

InterContinental Hotels Group have announced that their new Holiday Inn Express hotel in Al Garhoud will open this summer.

The Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport will offer budget accommodation close to Dubai International Airport and boast 381 rooms.

Dubai International Airport recorded a 9 percent increase in passenger arrivals and departures for the year ended 31 December 2008.

Passenger throughput for the year was 37,441,440, compared to 34,348,110 in 2007. Prior to the opening of Terminal 3, the airport was actually operating above capacity. Despite this, the number of planes departing on time actually improved by 20 percent over the previous year.

The volume of cargo passing through the airport also saw a similar increase.

The Palm Monorail welcomed its first official riders last week. A group from the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and developers Nakheel rode the light rail system on the Palm Jumeirah from the Gateway Station to the Atlantis Aquaventure Station. The 5.5 kilometre journey took 8 minutes.

Nakheel announced that the monorail will open to the public in April 2009.