Emirates Airlines arrived in Colombia to operate the Bogotá-Miami-Dubai route, offering very competitive rates especially on the route from Bogotá to Miami, including luggage, entertainment, food and free Wi-Fi, the latter for members of its loyalty program.
In addition, the airline signed shared agreements with Avianca to Travel via Europe to Dubai and other destinations it operates and with Latam to connect domestic Flights, as revealed in an interview with REPORTUR.co, Scott Lantz, Country Manager for Mexico and Colombia, during the launch of the route this Wednesday. Likewise, he referred to the airline’s expectations with this new route, the criticism of Avianca before entering the Colombian market, among other topics.
REPORTUR.co: What expectations does Emirates have in Colombia?
SCOTT LANTZ: Very high expectations with the new route connecting Dubai with Bogotá via Miami, in terms of passengers of course we want to transport many passengers not only to Dubai and Miami but beyond. We have a network of more than 150 destinations in the world, that is, we want to transport Colombians to India, to Egypt, to Thailand. And on the other hand, to transport Colombian products, we have up to 20 tons leaving from Bogotá to Miami and from Miami to Dubai, for main products such as flowers and fruits.
A: The fares offered by Emirates are quite competitive compared to other airlines, also for the service it offers. Are they going to keep the rates like this or for how long?
SL: We will always have competitive rates depending on the season, high or low, it may vary, but for example today we have a rate of approximately USD 420 round trip to Miami. It is important to mention that our rates include everything, that is, all rates have at least one 23 kilo checked bag of luggage included, a 7 kilo carry-on suitcase and a personal item, on board, all passengers will receive a hot food, alcoholic drinks, all included in our Flights. There is also free WiFi on board for all passengers enrolled in our Skywards loyalty programme. And we also have more than 6,500 entertainment channels on board, that is, movies, podcasts, music, etc. Apart from that we have live television, sports, news. All of this is included in the fare that passengers pay on board Emirates, they will never have to take out their credit card to pay for something on board. This is for all passengers, from tourist, business and first class, we are the first operating from Bogotá with first class to Miami.
A: How much is the first class and business class fare?
SL: First class round trip is USD 4,700 and business is around USD 1,400 round trip to Miami.
A: Why did you decide to enter the Colombian market before going to other South American countries?
SL: We started conversations a long time ago, six years trying to get there, and Colombia is a super important market for Emirates, it gives us a great opportunity to open more destinations, not only Colombia, but connecting Panama, Peru, it is a good place to make connections, like a hub. We are not only going to sell passengers leaving Colombia, of course it is a super attractive destination for passengers from the Middle East or people from the United States from Miami, it is already very easy to get to Colombia with Emirates.
A: What type of aircraft will operate the route?
SL: It is a Boeing 777-300, it has a capacity of eight private suites, 42 in business and 304 in tourist, for a total capacity of 354 places. We hope to reach a good level of occupancy, the intention is to have a profitable route.
A: Avianca criticized Emirates’ entry into Colombia, but now they announced code sharing, why did this happen?
SL: Avianca is a partner in the market, we have just signed a shared code with them for Colombian passengers who prefer to Travel via Europe, for example a Bogotá-Madrid and from Madrid they connect with Emirates to Dubai or beyond Dubai, it is a great opportunity for Colombians who want to Travel via Europe because if they do not have a United States visa they cannot Travel with us via Miami, so it is another option to reach our destinations via Europe. (Avianca joins forces with Emirates with codeshare Flights).
A: Do you have plans to open the operation from other destinations in Colombia to Miami?
SL: We do not plan to operate our own Flights from those destinations, but we have signed an interline agreement with Latam to connect passengers from Cali, Barranquilla, Medellín, from all over to come to Bogotá and then continue with us.
A: That is, do you have agreements with the two airlines?
SL: That’s correct, with Latam for domestic Flights and Avianca for Flights to Europe and connecting from Europe.
