UAE-based Emirates has been named Best Business/First Class Airline by readers of Travel Weekly, the travel industry’s leading business publication in the US.

It is the first time Emirates has been nominated for the Travel Weekly Readers’ Choice Awards, a statement from the airline company said. Winners were selected by readers’ votes and announced at the 10th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards Gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York.

"We believe that our First Class and Business Class offering is exceptional in terms of our product, service and overall customer experience,” said Matthias Schmid, vice president of sales US at Emirates Airline. “Travel professionals are very important to the success of our business and the fact that this recognition has come from our industry peers is particularly significant to us.”

Emirates flies to 128 destinations in 74 countries and currently operates 56 passenger flights per week between Dubai and the US. Daily services are operated by Boeing 777-300ER or 777-200LR aircraft from Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth, Seattle, Washington, DC, and Emirates offers a twice daily service from JFK, increasing to a double daily A380 service from January 1, 2013.    

Emirates’ premium class passengers can enjoy luxurious First Class Private Suites, signature shower spas on the A380, and lie-flat Business Class seats. The dining service combines regionally inspired dishes with fresh, local ingredients and passengers are invited to order their favourite cocktail prepared by a dedicated bartender in the Business Class Onboard Lounge.

The airline also offers premium class passengers a door-to-door chauffeur drive service and over 30 lounges across the airline’s network, including dedicated lounges at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.

Passengers in all classes experience Emirates’ award-winning cabin crew service and ice, Emirates’ in-flight entertainment system with 1,400 channels of on-demand entertainment.

Since its launch in 1985, Emirates Airline has received more than 500 international awards, including the prestigious Air Transport World ‘Airline of the Year Award’ in 2011. – TradeArabia News Service