Emirates Airline announced this week that it would begin nonstop service to Orlando, Florida, beginning this fall. Yes, that means that Mickey Mouse is now a direct flight away from the Middle East.
"We are here to announce today some very good news for Orlando and all of Central Florida, in fact for the whole state of Florida," Phil Brown, the executive director of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. "For the first time ever, we are welcoming non-stop service to Dubai with our newest airline partner, Emirates airlines."
The new service, which will be the only nonstop service from the city to the Gulf, will be Emirates' only Florida service, and takes the company to 10 destinations in the United States.
The company will have daily flights starting September 1. Local media reported that tickets would start around $1,000, a figure that is sure to further aggravate American competitors who are already up in arms over the expansion of Gulf airlines into the United States market.
Orlando, home to Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in America, with Emirates President Time Clark telling USA Today that the city was "one of the world's premier leisure and conference destinations, a dynamic business center and a destination which Emirates has long wished to serve."
We're already booking our tickets for the spring - we can't wait for the new "Frozen" ride at Epcot that is expected to open in early 2016.