Non-stop flights from Seattle to Dubai start Thursday
Feb 29, 2012, 6:15 AM | Updated: 9:28 am
Tourists visit a shopping mall in Dubai. (AP Photo/file)
(AP Photo/file)
 Tourists visit a shopping mall in Dubai. (AP Photo/file) |
Starting Thursday, you’ll be able to fly directly from Seattle to Dubai non-stop.
You might be asking “Why Dubai?” And if you go, what will it cost, and what can you expect?
Dubai is located on the Persian Gulf Coast, a desert Shiekhdom that was initially built on the oil industry.
“Dubai realized that their oil reserves were declining over 10 years ago and they decided to build it first as a cruise port. Then as a major hub for an airline, and as a result, tourism has increased dramatically,” says CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenburg. He says the city has grown at a blistering pace and it’s now one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.
“They’ve got the Burj Al Arab, that really crazy looking hotel that looks like a sailboat. They’ve got unbelievably great resorts,” he says.
And that’s just the start.
“If you want to go shopping at the malls, they have a lottery everyday to win a car. It’s just nuts.” Greenburg says.
There’s also the world’s tallest building, an indoor ski slope and amazing beaches.
By now you’re wondering, who can afford all of this? And yes, it is a celebrity playground. But it’s also a business hub, and that’s why Emirates Airline is starting daily direct flights from Seattle to Dubai.
“Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon, we see an opportunity to shorten the time for business people flying to and from Seattle, not only to Dubai, but numerous locations in India, Africa and the Pacific Rim,” says Emirates Airline Vice President Jim Baxter.
The flight is 14 and a half hours, and for those of you who insist on flying first class, there are eight private suites with sliding doors and all the luxuries you can imagine.
“Leather seats that fold into a full flat bed, complimentary mini bars, individual coat closets, and desks with stationary. The thing that I like specifically in first class, is the individual 23 inch digital screen with 1,200 channels,” says Baxter.
That will cost you about $15,000 round trip but Baxter says you can fly economy for about a tenth of the price.
He thinks Seattle is going to be a great market for Emirates Airline and he says the growing interest in Dubai as a travel destination has been great for our local economy. The airline is the largest operator of Boeing 777s, creating thousands of jobs in the Seattle area.
By URSULA REUTIN, 97.3 KIRO FM Reporter
