Air Arabia, currently the largest low-cost carrier operating in the Middle East and North African regions, has opened a new city check-in facility in Dubai. According to the carrier, “the new service assures the convenience of travel before passengers get to the airport.”
The new facility is located in Al Shindagha in the Al Fahidi area of Dubai. The opening of this latest facility brings the total number of City Check-in facilities in the UAE available to Air Arabia customers to 12, spread across the whole country.
The new facility allows customers to drop off their bags with the airline and obtain their boarding passes up to 24 hours before their flights and up to eight hours before their scheduled departure time. The new location will also include a convenient bus transfer service which will connect the Shindagha City Centre City Check-in facility with Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) which is due to commence in the coming weeks.
The new facility operates daily from 10:00 to 22:00. Customers are also able to purchase additional baggage allowance, select preferred seats, or adjust their flight plans at the facility.
Air Arabia passengers flying from Sharjah International Airport can visit any of the City Check-in facilities located in Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, and Ajman, while passengers traveling with the carrier from Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport (AUH) can use the airline’s City Check-in facility in Abu Dhabi.
According to a statement by the carrier, the provision of such facilities for its customers “is intended to streamline the pre-flight procedure, save time, and eliminate airport waits, allowing passengers to continue straight to their flight upon arrival at the airport.”
As part of its ongoing growth strategy and dedication to quality, the debut of the new City Check-In facility is “consistent with the airline’s commitment to providing affordable and value-added solutions that meet its customers’ evolving needs.”
While it is unusual for low-cost carriers to provide such added-value “frills” as downtown check-in facilities, Air Arabia has seen an opportunity to do so. While providing the service helps the carrier steal a march over its rivals in terms of customer service, the airline also certainly almost makes a cost saving by processing passengers off-airport, rather than paying a handling agent to provide such services within the busy airport terminal setting.
Air Arabia operates a fleet of 45 Airbus A320 family aircraft. These comprise 36 A320s, three A321s, and six A321NX(LR). The carrier also has 73 A320neos on order, alongside 27 A321NX plus 20 A321NY(LR) aircraft.
The carrier’s Abu-Dhabi-based subsidiary operates 10 A320s. The carrier also has sister airlines based in Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco.