From yesterday, here it is at SFO: a brand spanking new Emirates Boeing 777-200 LR (Longer Range) straight out of Dubai, on a non-stop flight that lasted almost two-thirds of a day. Click to expand:
Captain Marc, after having flown part of the flight in from the United Arab Emirates:
And this was the reception, starring His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline:
Gina Antonini, until recently a star athelete at UC Berkeley, addressed the crowd on behalf of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is into the idea of Green Flights. What made this flight green? Lots of things, including a continuous decent over Northern California:
San Francisco International Airport Director John Martin, the aforementioned HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, and Steve Kava, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Chief of Staff, all fielded questions at the presser:
And look who’s asking questions – it’s pugnacious New York Times aviation repoter Joe Sharkey, who seemed to be in pretty good shape despite the efforts of the Brazilian aviation system to kill him a few years back. (For now and forever, Nobody Leans on Sharkey’s Machine.)
The mood was jovial, despite the concerns expressed by Mssrs. Matier and Ross, Ashley Harrell and KGO-TV:
Speaking of which, Emirates released a pretty emphatic statement this afternoon:
“Emirates is in full compliance with the laws of the city of San Francisco, the state of California and the United States. Emirates is also in compliance with the Human Rights Commission.
Emirates does not discriminate in hiring in any way, including hiring based on sexual orientation, hiring of single pregnant women or hiring based on weight. We require our cabin crew employees to undergo a medical evaluation to confirm their ability to meet the requirements of the physically-demanding job, but we do not discriminate in hiring based on the results of those findings. Our hiring process is based purely on job qualification.
Emirates is committed to fair practices in employment and hiring in all countries in which we operate. We look forward to serving the Bay Area community.”
Boutros M. Boutros
Senior Vice President, Media Relations, Sponsorships and Events
Emirates Group
So, smiles everyone, smiles!:
Let’s say good bye to Boeing’s big twin…
…as it travels up through Canada, over the pole and down Russia way.
Thursday’s flight is already fully booked, so it looks like EK225 / EK 226 will be a success at SFO.
And if that pans out, maybe we’ll see the A380 superjumbo back at SFO on a regular basis.
Will Dubai become the Hub of Everything? Only Time Will Tell.
More nitty gritty after the jump.
