Iconic Australian team to train in Doha, Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi and Doha will play host to the Carlton Football Club, one of Australia’s most distinguished sporting teams, who have chosen Qatar and UAE as their training base for a week-long high performance, pre-season camp.
 The club, which is based in Melbourne, is the most successful team within Australia’s largest and most popular domestic sporting organisation - the Australian Football League (AFL).
 In its first ever visit to the region, the club is spending two weeks based at the ASPIRE Academy for Sport Excellence in Qatar with the delegation of 50 players, coaches and fitness staff then set to arrive in Abu Dhabi on November 3.
 The team will utilize the world-class training facilities at the Emirates Palace and will have the opportunity to experience a vast array of recreational activities across Abu Dhabi for team development and bonding.
 “We are honored to be part of this event and to host Carlton Football Club at Emirates Palace and in Abu Dhabi which is certainly becoming the region’s sports city and hub,” said Bugra Berberoglu, Emirates Palace General Manager. The club will find all it needs with the wealth of facilities and services the Palace will offer especially with our sports facilities that are second to none.”
 Top of the team’s agenda will be hosting a unique community sporting event on Friday November 4 at the Emirates Palace. 
 The day will include an open training session aimed at educating the public about AFL, followed by an introductory youth training session held by the players for children aged five to 12.
 Former AFL premiership player, now Carlton’s Senior Coach, Brett Ratten said the team was very excited about their first visit to Abu Dhabi and was looking forward to spending time introducing the concepts of AFL to the locals.
 “Our time in Abu Dhabi will be divided between our pre-season training commitments as well as promoting our team and our game within the region,” Brett said.
 “There is a lot of interest in our trip from our members and supporters, so we are look forward to experiencing all the gifts the UAE has to offer and promoting this back to Australia.”
 Carlton’s visit has already generated much attention from Australian media and will provide a direct boost in promoting Abu Dhabi tourism opportunities into the Australian market. 
 The visit was a direct outcome of a previous Emirati delegation trip earlier this year to Australia, by the Department of Municipal Affairs, who were looking at infrastructure management and world’s best practice. 
 “As a football team we are looking for every advantage to ensure that we can move to the top of our game, which is why we decided to hold our first overseas pre-season training camp here,” Brett said.
 “With a wealth of training and leisure facilities, Abu Dhabi is a top international sports hub for elite sporting clubs across the world, who are looking to push the benchmarks of their pre-season training.”

Arik airline to start UAE flights in November

Good news!!!
Nigeria's Arik Air is expected to launch services from Abu Dhabi International Airport next month.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) and Nigeria's largest international carrier said operations would start on Tuesday November 29.
ADAC added that it was looking to West Africa for further route launches in the future.
Three non-stop weekly flights will connect the UAE capital to the city of Lagos, the companies said in a statement.
The new service, which will departing Abu Dhabi on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, which will offer passengers Lagos, with other travel connections to Senegal, Cote D'Ivoire and Ghana.
James E Bennett, CEO at Abu Dhabi Airports Company, said: "Abu Dhabi Airports Company is delighted to welcome Arik Air as the first West African carrier to operate to Abu Dhabi International.
"The capital's airport operator is working closely with various airlines to support their development initiatives that will ultimately benefit Abu Dhabi International Airport passengers with more choices."
Arik Air currently offers flights to 25 destinations in Nigeria, around Africa and across the rest of the world.
From Lagos it serves 19 cities with 229 weekly departures and from Abuja it flies 133 weekly services to 15 airports.

Etihad to open new premium lounge at London Heathrow

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is to open a new premium lounge at London Heathrow airport as part of the airline’s flights moving from Terminal Three to Terminal Four on 30 September 2009.

First and business class customers and Etihad Guest Gold and Silver card holders will have access to the new lounge, conveniently located opposite the gates most commonly used by Etihad Airways for flight departures.

The lounge gives passengers an opportunity to relax in style and enjoy a range of services and facilities. These include individual treatment rooms where therapists from Six Senses Spa will offer facials, foot and leg massages. Customers can also enjoy five-star dining facilities in the lounge with a selection of foods from around the world, all cooked in an open kitchen.

A modern timber panelled business centre provides individual workstations and privacy for those with laptops. Other features include a prayer room, a relaxing seating area with Poltrona Frau leather chairs and a bathroom and shower facilities for customers to freshen up in prior to departure.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer, said: “We are proud that we will soon be offering one of the best customer lounges available at London Heathrow.

“Our new premium lounge at the airport represents a major investment and demonstrates the airline’s continuing commitment to deliver world-class premium products and services to its first and business class customers on the ground as well as in the air.”

Etihad Airways unveiled its first new premium lounge outside the UAE in July 2009 in Frankfurt, Germany.

Etihad Airways also provides a complimentary limousine service for its first and business class passengers flying in and out of London Heathrow. First class customers flying to London Heathrow are also the first to take advantage of the airline’s new first class product.

The airline’s highly-anticipated new first class suite entered into service between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow on Wednesday 25 August.

The new private suite provides first class customers with an extra-large leather seat, upholstered by world-renowned leather company Poltrona Frau, which extends to a fully-flat bed, 80.5 inches in length.

Within the cabin customers also have access to a large and luxurious changing room with a full length mirror, wash basin and leather fold-down seat to allow passengers to freshen up at any time during the flight.