(August 03, 2008 – Los Angeles, CA) – TravelTalkMEDIA announced today that Sandy Dhuyvetter, Executive Producer and Host of TravelTalkMEDIA, RADIO and TV, will fly aboard the newly outfitted Emirates Airline Airbus A380 during the aircraft’s inaugural flight from Los Angeles on Tuesday, August 5.

Emirates Airline will showcase the Airbus A380, the industry’s most fuel efficient aircraft, at LAX’s Flight Path Museum. Following a 9:15 a.m. touch-down and water cannon ceremony, the aircraft will host a two-hour familiarization flight, allowing VIPs and media to experience firsthand the A380 and Emirates’ award-winning on-board amenities and service. The two-hour journey up the West Coast and back will depart at 11 a.m.

About the event, Ms. Dhuyvetter said, “The TravelTalkMEDIA team and I are totally excited, as you can imagine, to take part in this historic event. We plan on filming as much of this experience as possible to show our audiences the all the features of the Airbus A380. We’ll experience first-hand the many amenities that this aircraft offers as the A380 ushers in as a whole new era of comfort for airline passengers previously only enjoyed on private jets.”

The A380 seats 489 passengers (14 first class, 76 business class and 399 economy class) in an upper and lower deck, three-class configuration, and offers top-of-the-line comfort, including fully-equipped bathrooms with shower facilities and two lounges for first and business class passengers with full bar service, sofas and a 42-inch LCD screen. Emirates Airlines has 58 of the A380s on order and hopes to introduce the aircraft on their LA-Dubai flight sometime in the future.

The familiarization flight is scheduled to begin in San Francisco, at the San Francisco International Airport, and fly to Los Angeles.

According to Nigel Page, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, the Americas, “The A380 familiarization flights will give guests from San Francisco and Los Angeles a chance to feel and experience the new aircraft as well as learn more about Emirates’ world-class amenities and comforts. The events will offer an exciting introduction to the airline in advance of our launch of services from Los Angeles and San Francisco later this year.”

While aboard, Dhuyvetter will have the opportunity to interview Emirates executives and industry experts.

“We could not be more pleased that Emirates invited us on this inaugural flight,” Dhuyvetter said. “Emirates Airlines has a long history – over 20 years – of providing first-class flying to its passengers. The purchase and use of the A380s is just one more example of the airline providing that high-quality service.”

Powered by American aircraft engine maker Engine Alliance’s GP7200 engines, Emirates’ A380s can fly up to 7,456 miles on a full load, has 13 tons of belly-hold capacity for cargo and offer better fuel economy per passenger mile than most hybrid passenger cars.
 

About Emirates Airlines:
On 25th October 1985, Emirates flew its first routes out of Dubai with just two aircraft - a leased Boeing 737 and Airbus 300 B4. Then, as now, the goal was quality, not quantity, and in the years since taking those first small steps onto the regional travel scene, Emirates has evolved into a globally influential travel and tourism conglomerate known the world over for a commitment to the highest standards of quality in every aspect of business.
Though wholly owned by the Government of Dubai, Emirates has grown in scale and stature not through protectionism but through competition-competition with the ever-growing number of international carriers that take advantage of Dubai’s open-skies policy. Not only do they support that policy, but see it as vital to maintaining identity and competitiveness. After making its initial start-up investment, the Government of Dubai saw fit to treat Emirates as a wholly independent business entity, and today they are thriving because of it. Growth has never been lower than 20 per cent annually, and the airline has recorded an annual profit in every year since its third in operation.
 

About Airbus A380:
Features of the A380 aircraft include: two full-length decks with 50 percent more floor surface than any other high capacity aircraft; broader seats, increased personal storage, additional head room and wider stairs; 220 windows to provide ample natural light in the cabin during daytime hours; and the lowest onboard noise level of any existing passenger aircraft. The A380’s wide-bodied cabin has exceptionally efficient air filters. With four high level air outlets instead of the traditional two, the cabin air gets refreshed every three minutes helping passengers feel fresher both during and after the flight. The overall design offers additional space for passengers and reduces stress and fatigue. All in all, more space for every passenger to relax and appreciate the quietest cabin of any airliner currently flying. The environment also benefits from the design of the A380. The craft’s engine emissions are well below current international limits, contributing to improved air quality around the airports it will serve. With a new wing design and composite materials accounting for 25 percent of its structural weight, the A380 is a much more efficient aircraft all round. And by producing only about 75g of CO2 per passenger kilometer, the A380 is contributing to the aviation industry's commitment to constraining greenhouse gas emissions. The Airbus 380 has received corporate certification under the stringent ISO14001 standards that recognizes Emirates use of a robust Environmental Management System to minimize the environmental impact of the aircraft throughout its life cycle.

About TravelTalkMEDIA:
TravelTalkMEDIA, established in 2001, is one of the world’s largest travel industry new media companies, providing travel-related information, news, and entertainment to the travel and tourism industry worldwide. TravelTalkMEDIA broadcasts through its TravelTalkRADIO and TravelTalkTV subsidiaries. Programming is distributed to one million listeners in 130 countries each month through online and conventional radio distribution via satellite and cable. Radio broadcasting reaches listeners through distribution networks in North America, the UK, China and 22 other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. TravelTalkNEWSLETTER is distributed to 25,000 travel industry professionals and consumers each week. TravelTalkRADIO reaches millions of listeners around the globe each month. For sponsors, TravelTalkMEDIA utilizes state-of-the-art technology to distribute sponsor-specific information to 250,000 travel industry professionals, travel agents, travel journalists and travel consumers. In addition, TravelTalkMEDIA utilizes a global media system (newspapers, magazines, wire services, and websites) to distribute information on sponsors to 1,500 U.S. and international media companies. For more information, visit TTM online at www.TravelTalkMEDIA.com.

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