flydubai, Dubai's innovative low-cost airline, will make its debut at this year's Arabian Travel Market (ATM) and will showcase its expanding network and range of innovative services. The airline's two-storey stand has a multi-faceted interactive design giving visitors the opportunity to sample the flydubai experience at first-hand, including the in-flight entertainment (IFE) as well as the innovative ways passengers can book and pay for flights. flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said: “We are excited to make our ATM debut this year and will use the exhibition to promote our network, fleet and services to a global audience of travel and tourism professionals. There will be interactive demonstrations of our great onboard product showing that we deliver uncomplicated low fare travel." In just under three years, flydubai has grown to become the second largest carrier operating out of Dubai International Airport. In addition to establishing the industry's strongest Middle East network it has targeted destinations that did not previously have international flights such as Abha, Gassim and Yanbu in Saudi Arabia. It became the first low-cost carrier to offer direct flights to destinations such as Kazan in Russia and Kharkiv in the Ukraine. flydubai also provides the most comprehensive network of all Middle Eastern carriers to Central and Eastern Europe operating to 13 destinations across eight countries. Over the past 12 months, the airline has been working to make travel a little less stressful and more convenient for passengers by signing a series of deals with Global Distribution Systems (GDS) providers to allow thousands of travel agents around the world access to its fares. Through this, travellers can now connect to any other available airline from a flydubai flight. Elsewhere, flydubai is at the forefront of adopting innovative technology including the revolutionary ‘Fiber-To-The-Screen®' (‘FTTS®') IFE system from Lumexis. At more than 500 hours of entertainment, including 156 movies, 161 TV programmes and 288 music albums, flydubai offers more choice than any other low-cost carrier in the world. Through the system, passengers can also access the latest news from UAE-based English-language website Emirates 24/7 and the Arabic daily newspapers Al Bayan and Emarat Al Youm. Commenting on the region's success to date, Al Ghaith added: “Travel and tourism here in the Middle East continues to grow. In 2011, 55 million people visited the region compared to just 18 million in 1990 and that number is expected to increase by a further 5% this year. This growth is due in large part to the emergence of low-cost carriers, such as flydubai, that have opened up new destinations and provided affordable travel options to passengers." flydubai operates flights to more than 45 destinations across 29 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Subcontinent, CIS and Central and Eastern Europe from its base at Dubai Terminal 2. Its fares include everything a person needs to travel – i.e. the price of the seat, all taxes and 7kg of hand baggage – with everything else, such as checked baggage, seats with extra legroom, refreshments and in-flight entertainment offered as optional extras, putting passengers in control of how much they choose to spend. Flights can be purchased from flydubai's website (flydubai.com), its call centre (+971 4 231 1000), flydubai Travel Shops and through travel partners. Visit flydubai at ATM on stand UAE 1050 in Hall Three, which is located next to the exhibitions of Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Dubai Airports. Now in its nineteenth year, the Arabian Travel Market has grown to become the largest showcase of its kind in the region and one of the biggest in the world. Attracting more than 2,200 exhibitors and 22,000 attendees in 2011, this year's edition will take place from 30 April – 3 May at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
