Emirates CEO issues apology after Dubai flood chaos; says airline has 30,000 suitcases to return
The CEO of Emirates Airline issued an apology letter to customers over the weekend after historic rains in the United Arab Emirates caused record flooding and mayhem at Dubai’s airport. Hundreds of flights were grounded and thousands of customers were stranded as a result. “I would like to offer our most sincere apologies to every customer who has had their travel plans disrupted during this time,” company chief Tim Clark wrote in the letter published on the airline’s website Saturday. “We know our response has been far from perfect. We acknowledge and understand the frustration of our customers due to the congestion, lack of information, and confusion in the terminals. We acknowledge that the long queues and wait times have been unacceptable.” While the airline’s service hub at Dubai airport remained open, “flooded roads impeded the ability of our customers, pilots, cabin crew, and airport employees to reach the airport, and also the movement of essential supplies like meals and other flight amenities,” Clark wrote. He said that the airline diverted dozens of flights on Tuesday as the worst of the storm raged, and that “over the next 3 days we had to cancel nearly 400 flights and delay many more, as our hub operations remained challenged by staffing and supply shortages.” Emirates on Wednesday issued a notice urging travelers not to come to the airport, except for in emergency situations. It also suspended check-ins for those meant to fly out of Dubai, put an embargo on ticket sales and halted connecting flights from other cities to Dubai, leaving some passengers stuck around the world. As of Saturday, Emirates’ regular flight schedules had been restored. In the letter, Clark said the airline still had more than 30,000 pieces of luggage to return to customers. “We have put together a taskforce to sort, reconcile, and deliver some 30,000 pieces of left-behind baggage to their owners,” he said, adding that it will “take us some more days to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers and bags,” and asking for customers’ “patience and understanding.”<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2024-04-23/unaligned/emirates-ceo-issues-apology-after-dubai-flood-chaos-says-airline-has-30-000-suitcases-to-return
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Emirates CEO issues apology after Dubai flood chaos; says airline has 30,000 suitcases to return
The CEO of Emirates Airline issued an apology letter to customers over the weekend after historic rains in the United Arab Emirates caused record flooding and mayhem at Dubai’s airport. Hundreds of flights were grounded and thousands of customers were stranded as a result. “I would like to offer our most sincere apologies to every customer who has had their travel plans disrupted during this time,” company chief Tim Clark wrote in the letter published on the airline’s website Saturday. “We know our response has been far from perfect. We acknowledge and understand the frustration of our customers due to the congestion, lack of information, and confusion in the terminals. We acknowledge that the long queues and wait times have been unacceptable.” While the airline’s service hub at Dubai airport remained open, “flooded roads impeded the ability of our customers, pilots, cabin crew, and airport employees to reach the airport, and also the movement of essential supplies like meals and other flight amenities,” Clark wrote. He said that the airline diverted dozens of flights on Tuesday as the worst of the storm raged, and that “over the next 3 days we had to cancel nearly 400 flights and delay many more, as our hub operations remained challenged by staffing and supply shortages.” Emirates on Wednesday issued a notice urging travelers not to come to the airport, except for in emergency situations. It also suspended check-ins for those meant to fly out of Dubai, put an embargo on ticket sales and halted connecting flights from other cities to Dubai, leaving some passengers stuck around the world. As of Saturday, Emirates’ regular flight schedules had been restored. In the letter, Clark said the airline still had more than 30,000 pieces of luggage to return to customers. “We have put together a taskforce to sort, reconcile, and deliver some 30,000 pieces of left-behind baggage to their owners,” he said, adding that it will “take us some more days to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers and bags,” and asking for customers’ “patience and understanding.”<br/>
