Partnership to help Emirates expand reach in Chinese market and bring
convenience to its customers’ fingertips
Emirates Collaborates with Huawei to Bring Enhanced Mobile App
Experience and Benefits to Users
LAGOS,NIGERIA: 9 September 2020 – Emirates has announced a collaboration
with Huawei, one of the world’s top smartphone brands, to promote the
Emirates app to Huawei phone users and build a more convenient and
rewarding experience for passengers as travel demand recovers in the
post-pandemic era.
Since January 2020, Emirates passengers have been downloading the
Emirates app (Android version) at AppGallery and benefiting from its
rich range of functions. The recent enhanced collaboration between the
two parties extends the shared platform to include SmartCard
Integration, providing a quick booking option for Emirates app users in
the Chinese mainland and the UAE, as well as the ability to easily
access their travel and flight information. Emirates-themed wallpapers,
icons and fonts will also be created for travel enthusiasts to download
and inspire their next travel plans and to customize their mobile
experience.
Commenting on the partnership with Huawei, an Emirates spokesperson
said: “It’s our pleasure to build a collaboration with Huawei in order
to provide the best possible customer experience, not only onboard and
on the ground, but also online. Considering Huawei’s strong market
position in the Chinese mainland and the UAE, we are proud to
collaborate with them on promoting our app. The engaging tools that are
available on the Huawei AppGallery can help us create closer bonds and
experiences with more customers, especially in China, which is a
significant market for us. The next phase of our collaboration will roll
out soon and is aimed at benefitting passengers at every step of their
journey, from trip planning to arriving at their destination.”
Subsequent phases of the joint cooperation will see Emirates and Huawei
planning to expand features available to the airline’s customers by
integrating the Emirates app with the Huawei Wallet platform. The new
features will enable Skywards members to store membership details and
loyalty points, in addition to boarding passes and vouchers in the
Huawei Wallet. Furthermore, Emirates customers will also soon be able to
enter any of its worldwide lounges by simply tapping their Huawei device
at the door.
The collaboration may also extend in the near future to include payment
options and rewarding experiences, allowing easy redemptions of Skywards
Miles and the ability to earn Huawei points. Users can also earn rewards
points from designated banks in the UAE, to be used for the purchase of
Emirates tickets or Huawei phones and accessories. The shared platform
will also allow redemptions with car rental companies, telecommunication
providers as well as airport taxi partners to bring more benefits to
Emirates passengers and Huawei users.
Mr. Lu Geng, Director, Middle East and Africa Partnerships and
Eco-Development at Huawei Consumer Business Group, added: “Innovation is
part of our DNA and in Emirates we have found a like-minded partner
whose desire and ability to continuously be at the forefront is
integrated into their culture. In this era, where consumer behaviours
have changed as we emerge from the pandemic, people rely more than ever
on their smartphones to make decisions, including travel-related ones.
This encouraging collaboration paves the way for us to explore future
solutions and bringing even more inspiration to travellers and making
their travel more convenient and rewarding.”
To date, the Emirates app has had more than half a million downloads
from AppGallery. The Emirates app provides easy access to a range
services and functions from flight search and air ticket booking, to
check-in, seat and meal selection, as well as Skywards login and account
information. The most recent innovative functions of the Emirates app
also include ice playlist creation and syncing to aircraft seats and the
Airport Wayfinder for directions at Emirates’ hub, Dubai International
Airport.
Dubai, as the hub of Emirates, is one of the most popular global
destinations for leisure, MICE and business travellers. The city
re-opened to tourists on 7 July, and in the immediate three weeks after
that, Emirates saw more than 1.6 million searches for destination Dubai
on emirates.com, and an increase in bookings with travellers coming from
more than 30 countries. With safety as a priority, Emirates is gradually
expanding its passenger services to over 80 cities in September,
allowing travellers to connect safely and conveniently to the Americas,
Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific via Dubai.
As one of the top three app marketplaces globally, AppGallery is
available in more than 170 countries and regions and connects 700
million users to Huawei’s smart and innovative ecosystem. Not only does
AppGallery ensure user privacy and security, it also provides unique
functional experiences and enhanced app discovery. It aggregates quality
popular applications worldwide, with apps across 18 categories including
news, social media, and more.