Emirates announced the opening of a new AED 3 million (roughly $800k USD) cabin crew specific space at company headquarters in Dubai. Dubbed “The Crew Zone”, it is a dedicated space for Emirates cabin crew that is open 24/7.
The Crew Zone is meant to help Emirates recruit and retain crewmembers and features everything from educational workshops to tech zones and support, a beauty and wellbeing hub, an interactive lounge area, and many other support services specifically designed for cabin crew.
According to the airline, the space “aims to provide Emirates’ crew with a welcoming area to grab a coffee and snack while finalizing inflight reports, seek advice from stakeholders and colleagues, attend workshops on both professional and personal topics, have a consultation at the Beauty Hub, collect documents and devices, or unwind and recharge with colleagues.”
Emirates Group headquarters is located next to Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport (DXB), which is Emirates’ primary base of operations. The Crew Zone can accommodate 200 crewmembers at a time and is divided into seven distinct areas:
- Emirates Crew Engagement Zone – Designed to connect crew with Emirates’ newest initiatives, product launches, in person trainings and workshops.
- Emirates One Device Hub – Help desk staffed 24/7 to assist with questions about Emirates’ One Device program. All crew receive either an Apple iPhone or iPad for use onboard and this space provides help with device setup and troubleshooting.
- Emirates Crew Lounge – Setup like a traditional airline lounge with seats and tables. Crew can use this space to recharge, enjoy a coffee, finish their flight reports upon landing, and catch up with colleagues.
- Emirates Facilities Distribution Service – Drop off and pick-up area for documents that crew require such as visas and regulatory documents. New devices can also be picked up here.
- Emirates Crew Computer Zone – Individual workstations with computers for crew to finish tasks, book personal flights, and print documents.
- Emirates Crew Connect Services – 24/7 customer service desk for Emirates crew which allows them to get in-person help for their questions.
- Emirates Beauty Hub – Launched in 2023 and now located in The Crew Zone, the beauty hub is open 5 days a week. Cabin crew can make appointments to learn about make-up application, nutrition, fitness, skincare, haircare tips, and attend complimentary group events.
While we’ve seen many airlines, especially Gulf carriers like Emirates, going above and beyond with their passenger lounges, it’s nice to see the crew getting some love here. Emirates has a truly global group of cabin crew hailing from around the world. The company wants to attract and retain top talent which is why they decided to open this crew specific lounge.
To my knowledge, this is the only lounge in the world exclusively for cabin crew but, it makes sense that the company wants to provide them with the tools necessary to do their jobs to perfection. Emirates crews are recognizable at airports around the world due to the polished nature of their appearance so it’s nice to see the carrier providing them with support to uphold these standards.
The press release does make mention of crew using the lounge after arriving back in Dubai after working a flight, though I imagine most of them just want to get home after a long few days of work (Emirates operates some seriously long routes). What are your thoughts on the opening of this cabin crew lounge?
Summary
Emirates has opened a new facility exclusively for its cabin crew. The Crew Zone is located at Emirates Group headquarters adjacent to Dubai International Airport. This is a cool concept and a way to recognize the hard work of the company’s crews. To my knowledge this is the first cabin crew-specific space for any airline but we could see others follow suit.
(Images courtesy Emirates)