Does anyone know in what order Emirates launched its US routes and with what equipment?

According to Emirates website, in 2004... "Emirates makes its first flight to North America, a nonstop 14-hour flight to New York’s JFK Airport. This marks the first nonstop passenger service from the Middle East to North America, a continent that Mr. Flanagan describes, in aviation terms, as the most important in the world.". I couldn't find information about the aircraft used, but my guess would go with the A345.

thgsr08 wrote:

According to Emirates website, in 2004... "Emirates makes its first flight to North America, a nonstop 14-hour flight to New York’s JFK Airport. This marks the first nonstop passenger service from the Middle East to North America, a continent that Mr. Flanagan describes, in aviation terms, as the most important in the world.". I couldn't find information about the aircraft used, but my guess would go with the A345.

Yes. It was the A340-500.

Any idea what came after JFK? I know JFK was the first (as it is for many) but what came after?

After New York, key events were:
16 Nov 2005: JFK #2
29 Oct 2006: HAM-JFK (#3)
(29 Oct 2007: YYZ 3x weekly)
3 Dec 2007: IAH 3x weekly
1 Aug 2008: A380 service launch, to JFK
26 Oct 2008: LAX 3x weekly
15 Dec 2008: SFO 3x weekly
1 May 2009: SFO, LAX to daily
???: ending HAM-JFK

New routes during this timeframe were launched with 777-200LRs and then later upgauged to 777-300ERs. I stopped tracking after April 2010.

simairlinenet wrote:

After New York, key events were:
16 Nov 2005: JFK #2
29 Oct 2006: HAM-JFK (#3)
(29 Oct 2007: YYZ 3x weekly)
3 Dec 2007: IAH 3x weekly
1 Aug 2008: A380 service launch, to JFK
26 Oct 2008: LAX 3x weekly
15 Dec 2008: SFO 3x weekly
1 May 2009: SFO, LAX to daily
???: ending HAM-JFK

New routes during this timeframe were launched with 777-200LRs and then later upgauged to 777-300ERs. I stopped tracking after April 2010.

Interesting! Didn't know IAH was the second US route for EK!

The first flight from the Middle East to North America?

[photoid][/photoid]

32andBelow wrote:

The first flight from the Middle East to North America?

It wasn't, unless they're excluding Israel. It wasn't even the first nonstop from Dubai to North America, that was MH with their KUL-DXB-EWR route.

I remember seeing the EK Ad in a mall that time when they were launching the DXB - JFK route non stop, I was like wow non stop! it was on the A345.

Egyptair’s CAI - JFK is running since well before 2004. I recall it used to have a JFK - LAX leg as well.

350Ops wrote:

Egyptair’s CAI - JFK is running since well before 2004. I recall it used to have a JFK - LAX leg as well.

But Egypt is a country on the African continent not in the Middle East, it's in North Africa where as the Middle East is a region on the continent of Asia!

32andBelow wrote:

The first flight from the Middle East to North America?

Really considering that for many years before Emirates even started flights from the Middle East to North America EL Al, Gulf Air, Iran Air, Iraqi Airways, Kuwait Airways, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Saudia all operated to North America from the Middle East.

Not 100% sure about Middle East Airlines but I think that they previously operated from Beirut to JFK at some point in the 1980's.

Plus Malaysian using Dubai as a stopover on their KUL to JFK route as already pointed out by another poster.

Wasn’t SV flying nonstop to the US by the time EK launched JFK, I may be wrong?

Cunard wrote:

32andBelow wrote:

The first flight from the Middle East to North America?

Really considering that for many years before Emirates even started flights from the Middle East to North America EL Al, Gulf Air, Iran Air, Iraqi Airways, Kuwait Airways, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Saudia all operated to North America from the Middle East.

Not 100% sure about Middle East Airlines but I think that they previously operated from Beirut to JFK at some point in the 1980's.

Plus Malaysian using Dubai as a stopover on their KUL to JFK route as already pointed out by another poster.

Nonstop is the key word, LY for sure was flying nonstop from TLV. MH from DXB. I believe KU was via LHR at that time and GF I don’t believe was nonstop. I do not recall when RJ went nonstop to North America.

By the time EK started JFK most airlines in the Middle East were not flying there, due to the consequences of 9/11 terrorist attacks. So when EK stated that they were the first, that was playing with words, as said SV, GF, KU, and some US airlines were flying to DMM for oil businesses. So the link from North America to the Middle East was always there.

chepos wrote:

Cunard wrote:

32andBelow wrote:

The first flight from the Middle East to North America?

Really considering that for many years before Emirates even started flights from the Middle East to North America EL Al, Gulf Air, Iran Air, Iraqi Airways, Kuwait Airways, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Saudia all operated to North America from the Middle East.

Not 100% sure about Middle East Airlines but I think that they previously operated from Beirut to JFK at some point in the 1980's.

Plus Malaysian using Dubai as a stopover on their KUL to JFK route as already pointed out by another poster.

Nonstop is the key word, LY for sure was flying nonstop from TLV. MH from DXB. I believe KU was via LHR at that time and GF I don’t believe was nonstop. I do not recall when RJ went nonstop to North America.

Nonstop is the key word but it wasn't in the quote that said ''the first flight from the Middle East to North America''!

Of which I replied that it wasn't and gave a list of airlines that had previously flown from the Middle East to North America regardless of it being non stop or not and long before Emirates entered the market.

Non stop or not the Middle East was previously well connected to North America by those airlines that I listed in my earlier post.

vorellanaj wrote:

EK could had been used their witdrawn 77E fleet to fly to East Coast when their were new

Did you actually read your post before submitting it because it makes absolutely no sense at all!

EK could had been used their witdrawn 77E fleet to fly to East Coast when their were new

Cunard wrote:

350Ops wrote:

Egyptair’s CAI - JFK is running since well before 2004. I recall it used to have a JFK - LAX leg as well.

But Egypt is a country on the African continent not in the Middle East, it's in North Africa where as the Middle East is a region on the continent of Asia!

The "Middle East" is a region that spans multiple continents. It does not mean specifically Asian. Egypt is considered a middle eastern country. https://www.britannica.com/place/Middle-East
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East

simairlinenet wrote:

After New York, key events were:
16 Nov 2005: JFK #2
29 Oct 2006: HAM-JFK (#3)
(29 Oct 2007: YYZ 3x weekly)
3 Dec 2007: IAH 3x weekly
1 Aug 2008: A380 service launch, to JFK
26 Oct 2008: LAX 3x weekly
15 Dec 2008: SFO 3x weekly
1 May 2009: SFO, LAX to daily
???: ending HAM-JFK

New routes during this timeframe were launched with 777-200LRs and then later upgauged to 777-300ERs. I stopped tracking after April 2010.

1 Aug 2008: A380 service launch, to JFK. I remember that day. T4 came out to see the arrival of the EK A380

On Final Approach
CIMG0015 by bewel15, on Flickr

CIMG0016 by bewel15, on Flickr

CIMG0017 by bewel15, on Flickr

Touch Down
CIMG0019 by bewel15, on Flickr

CIMG0021 by bewel15, on Flickr

Approaching the T4 Ramp
CIMG0023 by bewel15, on Flickr

CIMG0025 by bewel15, on Flickr

Water Cannon Welcome
CIMG0027 by bewel15, on Flickr

CIMG0028 by bewel15, on Flickr

Approaching the Gate
CIMG0028 by bewel15, on Flickr

CIMG0035 by bewel15, on Flickr

On the Blocks
CIMG0039 by bewel15, on Flickr

CIMG0040 by bewel15, on Flickr

Those Emirates A345 F class was the precursor for over-the- top (full enclosed) J and F class we see today in many airlines. Emirates was (or still is??) the trendsetter back then.....also those 2-3-2 gold and wood platted J class. o.0

Looking back, It's surprising how EK used JFK as A380 launch as opposed to Heathrow.

Sometime after launch, did EK downgrade the A380 off the New York route for a while or am I making things up?

The 2008 A380 visit was a "one-off" proving flight and the route continued B777 operations for several years after that, before the A380 was permanently installed on EK201.

aeropix wrote:

The 2008 A380 visit was a "one-off" proving flight and the route continued B777 operations for several years after that, before the A380 was permanently installed on EK201.

There may have been a one off but the first 3 routes were LHR, JFK and SYD-AKL with the first 5 frames and they would have started late 2008.

Arion640 wrote:

Looking back, It's surprising how EK used JFK as A380 launch as opposed to Heathrow.

Sometime after launch, did EK downgrade the A380 off the New York route for a while or am I making things up?

I thought LHR was started before JFK? Not sure they ever took the A380 off JFK totally.

aeropix wrote:

The 2008 A380 visit was a "one-off" proving flight and the route continued B777 operations for several years after that, before the A380 was permanently installed on EK201.

It was not one-off. There used to be 3x weekly in August 2008. I was 14 year old and did my first international travel - had flown on EK B777 in June 2008 from DXB to JFK and back in August 2008 on EK B777. I did a lot of tantrums to force my dad to change our flight so as to fly on A380. He didn't as that would change our layover time at DXB from 3 hrs to about 11 hrs.

ZK-NBT wrote:

aeropix wrote:

The 2008 A380 visit was a "one-off" proving flight and the route continued B777 operations for several years after that, before the A380 was permanently installed on EK201.

There may have been a one off but the first 3 routes were LHR, JFK and SYD-AKL with the first 5 frames and they would have started late 2008.

Arion640 wrote:

Looking back, It's surprising how EK used JFK as A380 launch as opposed to Heathrow.

Sometime after launch, did EK downgrade the A380 off the New York route for a while or am I making things up?

I thought LHR was started before JFK? Not sure they ever took the A380 off JFK totally.

JFK was the first destination. And it launched just months before the global financial crisis starting showing its signs on international air travel. Not long after its launch EK pulled the A380 from the JFK route citing lower demand and put the aircraft on the LHR route. People on a-net started drawing up conclusions and panicking - understandable given the largest A380 customer (58 orders at the time) struggled to fill the aircraft on a prime route. A decade later and EK now has 103 in service with orders for 59 more...

I want to say DFW and SEA were launched in 2012.

LAXdude1023 wrote:

I want to say DFW and SEA were launched in 2012.

Correct for SEA. To add on, MCO started in 2015 and FLL started in December 2016.

fraspotter wrote:

Cunard wrote:

350Ops wrote:

Egyptair’s CAI - JFK is running since well before 2004. I recall it used to have a JFK - LAX leg as well.

But Egypt is a country on the African continent not in the Middle East, it's in North Africa where as the Middle East is a region on the continent of Asia!

The "Middle East" is a region that spans multiple continents. It does not mean specifically Asian. Egypt is considered a middle eastern country. https://www.britannica.com/place/Middle-East
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East

I agree 100%. In earlier times the Near East included everything from Turkey and Egypt up to but not including India, the Middle East was the Indian subcontinent, and the Far East was what we more commonly call East and Southeast Asia. I don't know why the geographic entity known as the Middle East migrated west and the term Near East fell out of favor - it is a much more logical division of southern Asia - Near, Middle, Far. Does anyone know?

In the 2006 period, EK Thai and SQ all flew A345 to NYC (SQ to Newark, other two to JFK).

UAEflyer wrote:

By the time EK started JFK most airlines in the Middle East were not flying there, due to the consequences of 9/11 terrorist attacks. So when EK stated that they were the first, that was playing with words, as said SV, GF, KU, and some US airlines were flying to DMM for oil businesses. So the link from North America to the Middle East was always there.

If we want to get really technical, EK can only say that they were the first UAE carrier to fly DXB-JFK since as others have explained here, MH flew the route before them and of course RJ, LY, MS, and others have been flying Middle East-JFK for decades

vorellanaj wrote:

EK could had been used their witdrawn 77E fleet to fly to East Coast when their were new

, .
Eh, not necessarily. Not all 77Es are created equal, and I'm not sure which variants EK used but my guess is that they weren't the max weight versions. I'm fairly confident that, for example, they never flew the 77Es nonstop to Australia. Also, EK was a much smaller carrier at the time with not nearly as much name recognition; they may not have been ready to reach the US market until the A345s came online.

LAXdude1023 wrote:

I want to say DFW and SEA were launched in 2012.

Yes, I believe they were announced together and commenced within a month or two of each other. DFW got the 77L and I think SEA started with a 77W.
The DFW flight--and perhaps the flight number itself--was originally a second daily IAH flight, hence the atypical arrival and departure times compared with most north american markets that are only at 1x daily.