Tim Clark travel tips

Emirates has developed a reputation of being one of the best airlines in the world, repeatedly winning awards for outstanding service, extremely comfortable cabins and an upscale traveler experience. How do they do it? The airline devotes both time and money to its fleet and staff. Last year, Emirates announced that it will be investing over $2 billion to enhance its in-flight customer experience, including a massive program to retrofit over 120 aircraft with the latest interiors.

Event organizers in Abu Dhabi will no longer be required to pay tourism tax. Hosting an event in Abu Dhabi had incurred a 10 percent tax per ticket sold. “For further support to the investment environment in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, it has been decided to exempt event organizers from the tourism fee of 10 percent on tickets sold,” a circular from the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi stated recently. The circular also said it is mandatory for event organizers to obtain event licenses in accordance with the regulations specified for this purpose. Event organizers are also required to declare the revenues generated from these events, submit supporting financial statements, and cooperate with revenue auditors or individuals designated by the department of culture and tourism to validate the accuracy of their declarations.

Emirates airline said on Thursday it had committed $200 million to a research fund focusing on reducing the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation, because hitting net zero emissions targets would not be possible with currently available options.

Emirates Airline President Tim Clark said on Tuesday that new Saudi airlines and the expansion of regional competitors will not affect the Dubai-based carrier, adding that he sees resilient demand, especially for leisure travel.

First class travel is not going anywhere despite recent moves by several airlines to cut the posh seats from planes that fly long, intercontinental routes.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, June 8. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.