To bring back the confidence in air travel, Emirates will offer a free hotel stay on layovers longer than 10 hours beginning December 1, 2020.
The United Arab Emirates flag carrier is resuming the Dubai Connect service. Its perks will apply to passengers traveling on two Emirates flights, using the best available connection with a connecting stopover time of 10 to 24 hours. The airline is offering one night stay in a four or five-star hotel in addition to airport ground transfers, meals at the hotel, and assistance with a United Arab Emirates visa on arrival, if required. The service applies to all cabin classes.
However, passengers who need to undergo a COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival, are not eligible for the service. Those passengers will get access to the Emirates Dubai Connect lounge.
Dubai Connect service comes as an effort to boost confidence in travel. In July 2020, the airline announced they would cover costs of medical treatment, hotel quarantine, and even funerals if the travelers caught COVID-19 while flying with Emirates.
Emirates continues to increase capacity despite the current crisis. On November 18, 2020, Emirates announced plans to increase its Airbus A380 service to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) starting from November 27, 2020. Flights to Manchester Airport (MAN) are planned six times a week from December 2, 2020, and flights to Moscow, Russia will go from the current two-a-week service to daily operations from November 25, 2020.