Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
Here is an open secret. I love flying Emirates. In my opinion (which you may not care about), Emirates is jointly ranked at the top in Economy (with Singapore Airlines) and Business (with Virgin Atlantic). If you live in Dubai, Emirates is the default …
Author: Points of Arabia
Finally! Emirates Signs Deal For 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliners
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
This took a long time coming. But better late than never, at least for Boeing. As you may know, Dubai AirShow 2019 is on and many airlines have placed aircraft orders. This year was looking bleak for Boeing, largely due to the 737 Max catastrophe. Ther…
Etihad Guest Changes – All You Need to Know
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
Etihad Guest – the frequent flyer program – has been changed. The best thing is that the changes are positive. Chauffeur Service is Back for Gold and Platinum Members Etihad has been restricting its chauffeur service since some time. Earlie…
Round Up of Black November / Single’s Day Deals in UAE
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
Move over Black Friday. Many online stores in UAE are offering great discounts and offers this November. Some are even calling it Black November. Here is a round-up of all the deals I have come across Amazon Amazon had acquired Souq.com in 2017 and ent…
Earn Up to AED 800 on Money Transfers with UAE Exchange
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
On April 7, 2019, I had written about various money transfer and remittance options from the UAE. I had discussed the size of remittances from UAE and the pros and cons of each option. Further, I had mentioned how exchange houses dominate the remittanc…
Qatar Airways and Indigo Announce Codeshare Agreement
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
Qatar Airways and Indigo announce a codeshare agreement to strengthen connectivity between Qatar and India. After a few days of media speculation, this news sounds underwhelming. I had been following the trail this week and there were plenty of specula…
Review – Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card by Emirates NBD
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
As some of you know, I recently acquired the Marriott Bonvoy Mastercard by Emirates NBD. After using the card for a few weeks, these are my thoughts in a nutshell. Great Sign-up bonus of up to 200,000 Marriott Bonvoy points Earn up to 6 points per US$ …
Flight Delayed at Dubai Airport? These are Your Options to Stay and Snooze
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
On Thursday, many passengers travelling on Air India flight from Dubai to Mumbai were stranded for 24 hours at the airport. Some took to social media to express their ordeal and dissatisfaction with Air India. There are conflicting versions on the numb…
Citi UAE Partners With Gulf News For Credit Card Cashback
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
If you have subscribed to Gulf News, this offer would be hard to miss. I see full-page of half-page advertisements everyday. Is this offer worth it? Let us find out. Get Citi Credit Cards with Gulf News It is important to note that the cashback is subj…
Etihad Free Abu Dhabi Stopover Extended Till July 2020
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
Earlier, I had written about a great offer from Etihad. You can book a flight with a stopover at Abu Dhabi and get up to two nights stay for free. This was applicable for economy tickets and also for one-way fares. Subsequently, Etihad extended the off…
Buy Emirates Skywards Miles for 50% Bonus (Targeted)
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
I manage the Emirates Skywards accounts for a few members of my family. Well, manage is bit of an exaggeration. I have pooled all our miles into a family account as nobody in my family flies Emirates enough to have a shot at redeeming miles. As I had e…
Etihad and Air Arabia Alliance – Four Possible Reasons
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
Earlier this week, Etihad and Air Arabia made a surprise announcement. The airlines formed an alliance to launch a new LCC to operate from Abu Dhabi. This would be the first LCC to operate from Abu Dhabi and the fifth airline in UAE (after Emirates, Et…
Shipping Options From US To UAE
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
Today, Emirates formally launched UAE delivery for online purchases made on US websites (Amazon.com, Walmart etc). This has been in beta stage for sometime. Incidentally, Emirates is not the first to provide such services. There are several players doi…
Saudi eVisa Extended to US / UK / Schengen Visa Holders from All Nationalities
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
Till only a few days ago, visit to Saudi was largely limited to business travelers, workers and their families. Pilgrims were allowed to visit the holy cities of Mecca and Madina but other travel was restricted. Things are changing and fast. In Septemb…
Best Credit Cards in UAE (October 2019)
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
In a previous post, I had written about some of the best credit cards in UAE as on August 2019. This is the second part of the series. In my opinion, these are some of the best credit cards to consider in October 2019. FAB Elite Infinite / Infinite / S…
Etihad and Abu Dhabi Airport to Trial Autonomous Wheelchairs
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
Wheelchairs are a common sight in predominantly transit airports such as Abu Dhabi or Dubai. In fact, I have witnessed some heated discussion in the blogosphere where it is alleged that passengers of a certain nationality tend to abuse the wheelchair f…
Pay Your Rent and Other Payments With Citi PayAll
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
I accept that I am a credit card freak. Given a choice, I would pay every dime (or fils) with my credit cards. Not because I am in need of ‘credit’. But because I love earning reward points, miles and cashback. The two posts below provide a…
Free Stopover in Muscat on Flying Oman Air (All Classes)
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
In March 2019, Oman Air had offered a complementary nights stay at the magnificent Al Bustan Palace for passengers travelling Business Class. A few months later, Oman Air offered a free night at the Grand Millennium Muscat for all passengers. However, …
Saudi Arabia Tourist Visa – All You Need To Know
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
As announced earlier, Saudi Arabia has launched an e-Visa for tourist purposes. This significantly opens up the thirteenth largest country in the world to tourists. As of now, passport holders from 49 countries are eligible for the visa. Read below for…
Dubai Airport Launches Free Taxi Service For Intra-Terminal Use
Written by Points of Arabia @ BoardingArea
Here is the thing about large airports. At times, it takes a lot of time and energy to walk between gates (if you are on transit) or between the boarding gates and the exit. The moving walkways help, but the commute can be particularly exhausting for c…