p15 news Nov6 3/11/09 17:59 Page 15
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Interview Conrad Clifford
Revenue growth
Sales in the UK market have been difficult,
Clifford admits, but there are no plans to follow
British Airways by charging for allocated
seating to increase revenue.
The service on Emirates’ Manchester routes
could change however, Clifford revealed, with
the addition of a first-class cabin for top end
business traffic, including premiership foot-
ballers, planned for as early as next year.
Heathrow is also set to see a dedicated secu-
rity channel for business and first-class passen-
gers, similar to that offered by Virgin Atlantic.
Sales at Heathrow were healthy because of
Emirates’ A380 superjumbos, meaning people
picked the airport over others, said Clifford.
But the attractiveness of the A380 has to be
weighed against security delays which Emirates
hopes to bypass with the dedicated channel.
It has opened talks with BAA but Clifford said
it could be three years before it is in place.
Outside London, the airline still needed to
develop the market at Newcastle. One issue
was connection times at Dubai for the daily
Newcastle flight.
Birmingham had been suffering as the
recession in the Indian sub-continent had hit
‘People should be
friends and relatives traffic.
But by the end of January, Birmingham will
have a full Emirates lounge on the same scale
as one just opened at Manchester, which Clif-
ford hopes will give an edge over competitors.
talking about us’
Managing capacity
The front and back ends of Emirates’ aircraft
cabin have been hit by the recession in the UK,
and Clifford says the late booking trend has
made 2009 even more problematic.
In his first interview, new Emirates UK boss Conrad Clifford
“The business market is down significantly.
Leisure is down less than business so is not so
tells Chris Gray about his plans to boost the airline’s brand
bad. The real issue is that even for long-haul
people seem to be making decisions as little as
Y
ou might think an airline with its “We have got an absolutely fantastic service 10 days in advance – that’s incredible.
name emblazoned across Arsenal and I’m not sure that people are aware of it. “We think everything is empty and then
Football Club’s ground has little to People should be talking about us and I don’t suddenly all these people come in. That does
worry about regarding its public know that they are,” he says. not make it easy to plan capacity.”
profile. But Conrad Clifford, Emirates UK “We are making no cuts at all when other Emirates is planning for extra capacity in
vice-president, believes the airline is not well airlines are and we need to get that across to Africa after starting a Dubai-Durban service
known enough, and has signed up ad agency agents and the public in general.” in October, joining its Capetown and
VCCP to boost its UK profile. Clifford joined Emirates from Johannesburg routes.
Virgin Nigeria in September, Curriculum vitae The route completes the
Playful campaign taking over from Vic Sheppard, triangle of South African
VCCP was behind the successful meerkat advert who retired after 13 years.
Current job
destinations used by tourists
Vice-president, Emirates UK and Ireland
for comparethemarket.com, which has 500,000 Apart from the need to who like to fly into one airport
Facebook fans and 30,000 followers on Twitter. beef up marketing, Clifford
Previous jobs
and out from another.
Clifford says Emirates could plump for says there will no major change
■ Chief executive, Virgin Nigeria
It also aims to pick up cus-
something equally playful that emphasises the in Emirate’s UK business and
■ Asia, South Pacific and Africa director,
tomers travelling to the 2010
Menzies Aviation
quality of the airline’s service. trade terms of 5% basic World Cup and its sister com-
■ Commercial director, Virgin Atlantic
“I think the product message is not strong commission rate plus a range pany Emirates Tours UK is
■ Trainee, Cathay Pacific
enough and I would like to see it strengthened. of net fares. offering World Cup packages.
06.11.2009 15
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