Emirates Skywards

Emirates airlines may be one of the youngest of the major airlines, but they have invested so much into infrastructure, and grown so quickly, that they are already a major contender. With the excellent Emirates Skywards rewards program you can swiftly gain Skywards miles to be redeemed for future flights, upgrades with Emirates or partner airlines, or on an array of other products and services. But the Skywards program isn’t just about piling up points; it’s also about helping to manage your travels - giving you tools to help the frequent flier manage their busy schedule.

Profile

Created in 1985 and owned by the Government of Dubai, Emirates focus on quality over quantity offering an excellent service with flights to 100 destinations in 60 countries across the globe. While not having the long history of some European or American airlines, Emirates has expanded rapidly and created plenty of industry buzz around itself.

In 2006 the airline captured headlines by ordering 10 of Boeing’s new 747-8F aircraft and topped that in 2007 with an order for 120 Airbus A350s, 11 A380s and 12 Boeing 777-300ERs. With access to state of the art aviation technology it has brought better quality travel experiences to Emirates passengers.

Over 700 Emirates flights take off every week from Dubai and in 2008 Emirates delivered 21.2 million passengers to their destination both safely and in style.

Destinations

With its hub in Dubai, Emirates has an excellent network across the entire Middle East flying regular flights to Bahrain, Beirut, Damascus, Cairo, Muscat and Tehran. However, the airline’s reach spans much wider than just the Middle East with flights to almost all the major cities in Central Europe, Australasia, Middle East, Africa and five cities in North America (Toronto, New York, San Francisco, Houston and Los Angeles).

Should you need to fly somewhere outside of their reach, you can choose one of Emirates partner airlines (and still accrue Skywards points) by flying with Continental Airlines, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Korean Air, South African Airways, United Airlines and Virgin Blue. With your Skywards card, the world really is yours for the taking.

About the Emirates Skywards Frequent Flyer Program

Skywards points are earned in two ways, depending on which type of flight you purchase. A Skywards Flex ticket will reward you with 100% of the base miles from the flight, while a Skywards Saver ticket will give you 50% of the base miles. Flying First Class rewards you with 150% of bonus miles available, while Business Class flights receive 75%. Points are also accrued by flying with one of Emirate’s partner airlines.

Membership is given in three tiers and you earn tier miles with each Skywards mile to allow you to move up the ladder. Membership categories are Blue, Silver and Gold with the higher levels rewarding you with a higher rate of mile accumulation. All Skywards members are entitled to elect a personal travel coordinator (often a secretary or personal assistant) who is then able to redeem rewards on your behalf, check your stored flight itineraries, keep abreast of your mileage balance, and update your seating, special meal and drinks preferences. Members also gain a host of other benefits like online booking, online upgrades, wait-list priorities, self-service check-in, access to special offers, personal preference tracking, pre-assigned seating and much more.

To achieve a high-point balance even faster, you may consider the Citibank Emirates credit card which rewards you with Skywards points on your card purchases.

The points you do build up can be spent on flights and upgrades with Emirates and its partners, Arabian Adventures tours, nights at international hotels like the Marriott, car hire from Budget, leisure and lifestyle products and discounted products/services through the Emirates online shopping portal.

Skywards applicants must be over 17 years of age. For fliers aged 2 to 16 there is the Emirates Skysurfers program which requires parental consent but works the same was as Skywards.