Most travelers have had their wings crushed this year. But as the jetset slowly returns, companies that have the funding and the incentive to continue running flights (even, probably, at a loss, since most tourists are banned or unwilling to book travel right now) like Qatar Airways and Emirates are competing to take market share and make the most of their resources.
Qatar Airways recently launched a scandalous new way for customers to experience their private jet program and introduced Hazmat suits on their commercial jets to add another layer of biosecurity to their operations.
Emirates has now launched another business card of its own, aimed at increasing “travel confidence” worldwide: It has announced that it will begin paying passengers’ medical and quarantine bills, should a customer become ill with COVID-19 or be forced to cough thousands of dollars for the hotel quarantine.
Specifically, Emirates will cover medical expenses of almost AU $ 245,000 and quarantined hotel costs of approximately AU $ 160 per day for 14 days, in the event that passengers are diagnosed with the Virus during their trip.
How CNN Travel This coverage is reportedly available to all passengers and “is valid for 31 days from the time they fly the first leg of their journey, so that passengers can continue to have the benefit even if they are traveling from their Emirates destination.”
How News.com.au Reports, if travel restrictions are loosened (Australians currently can’t fly anywhere anyway), this would change the game; “Currently in NSW, returning travelers must now pay around $ 3,000 in hotel quarantine fees, as well as another $ 1,000 for an additional adult and $ 500 for an additional child.”
“In Queensland, the new cost for return travelers, which includes daily room and board, is $ 2,800 for 1 adult, $ 3,710 for 2 adults, and $ 4,620 for 2 adults and 2 children.”
However, Emirates will not continue this initiative until such time as a more substantial part of the population will actually travel. As DMARGE recently reported, at best Australian borders would open once again in January 2021 (with hotel quarantine requirements).
However, Emirates coverage will only be valid from now until October 31, 2020.
While Emirates is the first operator to take this step to offer COVID coverage, it is not the first competitor in the tourism industry to offer such an initiative.
How CNN Travel reports: “The Central Asian nation Uzbekistan has promised the sum of $ 3,000 as compensation to visitors who hire Covid-19 while on vacation there.”
“Meanwhile, the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, which reopened its borders to selected countries in June, agrees to cover the cost of accommodation, food, drinks and medications for visitors who test positive for the virus during their stay.”
This also occurs in a context where Emirates does not have the domestic routes to maintain it at a time like this, as airlines like Qantas or American Airlines do. It is also one of the richest operators in the world (allowing it to continue operating).
This may explain its persistence in the execution of international flights.
As aviation expert Rico Merkert recently confirmed to DMARGE, continuing to operate flights at this time has been “excellent for developing the brand and gaining market share.” It is also “more difficult to gain customers than to lose them in this business (once loyalty schemes and a decent product come into play),” added Professor Merkert.
“They … understand the importance of aviation to their economy (as a hub with fairly new and expensive infrastructure there and a lot of competition from the UAE and elsewhere),” the professor of supply chain management told DMARGE. and transportation from the University of Sydney. referring to Qatar Airways.
This latest move by Emirates suggests that Dubai’s flagship airline may be heading in the same direction.
