Emirates takes the title for top consumer website

Emirates.com has come out on top in a global survey rating the usability of the world’s leading airline websites.

Ranked first against a tough field in the ‘Global-Local Monitor’ survey, Emirates’ global websites were assessed for how well they had been localised or adapted to the country’s language and culture by the User Experience Alliance (UXalliance), a global network of leading user research firms.

Over 70 experienced professionals from 17 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas examined ten leading airline websites for compatibility to their local markets. Five expert representatives from each country took into account the proper use of local languages, character sets and culturally sensitive imagery on each of the sites.

Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Corporate Communications said: “Emirates has always prided itself on its understanding of cultures around the world and we have worked hard to ensure customers from all our markets have access to information that they can relate to and easily comprehend. We are delighted to have ranked first amidst such a competitive field and are confident that we can continue to set the benchmark in website excellence.”

Emirates currently has 96 localized websites in 13 languages, representing the broad mix of destinations that the airline serves.

People around the world are becoming increasingly reliant on the internet to assist them in the completion of everyday tasks, including the booking and management of international and regional travel. In line with this growing trend Emirates has invested heavily in its IT infrastructure.

“We have a highly skilled and dedicated team supporting our online properties and we continue to look for ways to enhance each site’s usability. Our online bookings continue to grow exponentially each year and our online communications have become an extremely important sales tool. It is important for global companies like Emirates to produce collateral that directly reaches our target markets and we are confident that emirates.com is a true reflection of our inter-cultural mentality,” added Boutros.

The new Emirates website was launched on 12th December 2007.