Emirates Collaborates with Huawei to Bring Enhanced Mobile App Experience and Benefits to Users

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.