Emirates Skywards program.

As soon as I had my e-ticket in my hand I singed up for the Emirates Frequent Flyer Program called Skywards. Collecting miles always makes me think of the George Clooney movie “Up in the Air”. I am not sure if you have seen the movie but he collected so many miles over the years that I am sure he could have flown a couple of times around the world – for free!

If you are a frequent flyer then it makes sense to register. There are a lot of benefits and advantages for the frequent flyer. If you are not a regular traveler then it still makes sense to register and I will explain why.

How does the skywards program work?

I went onto the Air Emirates site and signed up for their Skywards program. It is a simple process and after I filled in some personal information it was time to key in my e-ticket number. This is where the fun and the benefits started. From the dashboard you can manage your booking.

First of all I could select my seat for all the flights. I had quite a lot of flights starting from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro,Dubai and Bangkok. On my way back from Bangkok I had a stopover in Hong Kong. This comes in quite handy because you can view the seating in the airplane and choose the most comfortable place. For long flights I always try to choose a seat close to the emergency exits. You have more leg space but could end up next to a screaming baby.

The other thing I really liked was the fact that I could choose my meal before the time. They had a large selection from vegetarian to seafood meals. I noticed on all the flights that I received my special dietary meal before the other passengers. There was never a mix-up with my food and I was very impressed.

I also liked the fact that I could check-in on-line. That saves a lot of time. 24 hours before your flight departs you can check-in on-line and when you arrive at the airport you only need to get your boarding pass and hand in your luggage.

Free vouchers came as a nice surprise.

One of the very cool functions was the announcements that popped up on the dashboard. I was checking in on-line for my flight to Dubai when I noticed that I qualified for free vouchers. I followed the link,subscribed and when I arrived at the check-in counter the next day I was presented with free vouchers,which included a free night hotel stay in Dubai,visa,meals and airport transfers!

The Skywards program has the following additional benefits:
•Earn miles (I earned 12,500 miles for all my flights)
•Redeem and spend miles
•Membership tiers (Blue to Platinum) with additional benefits
•VIP Lounges

For more detailed information about the Skywards program please visit the Emirates.com website.

When: March 2013