Emirates Airlines, the largest airline in the UAE will resume normal food and beverage services on all flights from next month onwards.
The airline in Dubai is taking its in-flight services back to what they were in the days before the coronavirus days. This means that multi-course menus with hot and cold meals, as well as complimentary drinks on flights, will again be offered to travelers.
To cut down on contact between passengers and crew, the airline had previously moved to pre-packaged meals and restricted beverage service. The airline will now “return to its signature service while following the strict hygiene protocols.”
Enhanced hygiene measures include mandatory passenger facemasks, workers’ personal protective equipment and digital menus instead of paper ones. Upcoming travelers can view the menu set offered on their flight using the Emirates application.
In-flight showers and takeaway bars
Travelers with Emirates flying First Class can get ready to use the shower service again. The airline has resumed its onboard shower spa services on its A380 flights, enabling passengers to refresh while in the air at 40,000 feet.
To help keep travelers safe when using the services, new health and safety policies are in place. These include disposable towels for bath and spa items given in individual amenity bags.
There’s also a new takeaway bar set-up for premium customers flying on Emirates A380. Due to social distancing procedures, the Emirates Onboard Lounge has limited seating space, but travelers can order takeaway drinks and pre-packaged snacks to take back to their seats. Workers operating the bar area will wear personal protective equipment, and on planes, even when going to and from the bar or shower areas, passengers must keep their face masks on at all times.
Complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes are given to all Emirates travelers. Passengers are also covered for COVID-19 related medical expenses if they are diagnosed with the virus while traveling.
When the UAE closed its airspace to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Emirates paused its commercial passenger flights in March. Since then, as travel constraints around the world ease, the Dubai airline has been slowly resuming its network. It currently operates flights to 99 destinations around the world on almost 70 percent of its original network.
