By Rich Tomaselli
Barely a year after adding daily flights between Boston and Dubai, Emirates Airlines has announced the addition of a second daily flight between the two cities.
The news comes on the heels of the Obama Administration saying it will review claims made by U.S.-based American, Delta, and United airlines that the three major Middle East Gulf carriers receive subsidies from their respective governments that have skewed the marketplace.
The second daily nonstop flight is on sale now; it launches on Oct. 1.
Emirates initially started service in Boston last April with a Boeing 777-200ER, but quickly upgraded that to the 777-300ER, which offers three classes of seats that include eight first class suites, 42 business class seats, and 304 economy class seats.
Just this year alone Emirates has added daily service to Orlando, a second daily service to Seattle, and upgraded its aircraft on the Dubai-Chicago route.
While some industry experts thought another of Emirates’ U.S. destinations would receive a second daily flight before Boston — such as Los Angeles or San Francisco — Boston makes sense. While Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar battle the three big U.S. airlines, Emirates has a codeshare agreement and a strong relationship with JetBlue — which has a hub in Boston and can connect travelers to virtually anywhere in the U.S.
Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airlines, told the Boston Herald last year that “For the life of me, I can’t see why Boston wouldn’t take a double-daily frequency or A380s in the air. On the basis of the forward bookings, the route would take it.”
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