Emirates has introduced an exciting new deal that will help international students to see more of their family, and more of the world during the year.

Whether it is to travel between home and school, or to see more of the world with friends during school breaks throughout the year, student travellers can enjoy special discounts off Economy and Business class fares, additional baggage on top of Emirates’ generous standard allowance, and a free date change of their booking up until seven days before travel.

In addition, their family and companions can also enjoy this unique offer, as long as they are accompanied by the student on one of the trip sectors.

Millions of students have chosen to further their education in institutions outside of their home country, and data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics shows that the figure is on a rising trend as young people become more savvy about their travel and education options. Many international students also travel during the school year with their friends or to gain new experiences.

In line with Emirates’ proposition as a global connector of people and places, the airline is launching this offer to encourage students to see more of the world and help them visit their families more often, with flexibility to amend their booking in case travel plans change.

Tickets must be booked by October 31, using the promotional code STUDENT. All tickets have a maximum stay validity of 12 months.

Students can earn miles to redeem flights, upgrades and a range of exciting rewards when they sign up to the Emirates Skywards loyalty programme.

Health and safety

Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air.

The measures include the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers.

Ensuring the safety of travellers, visitors, and the community, Covid-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.

Free, global Covid-19 cover

Customers can now travel with confidence, as Emirates has committed to cover Covid-19 related medical expenses, free of cost, should they be diagnosed with Covid-19 during their travel while they are away from home.

This cover is immediately effective for customers flying on Emirates until October 31 (first flight to be completed on or before October 31), and is valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first sector of their journey.

This means Emirates customers can continue to benefit from the added assurance of this cover, even if they travel onwards to another city after arriving at their Emirates destination.

Six flights per week to Maldives

The Dubai-based airline has recently increased its services to the Maldives from five a week to six times a week to meet customer demand.

Emirates, which runs the world’s biggest airline by international traffic, resumed services to the Maldives on July 16 after a three-month hiatus in the wake of border closures by the Maldivian authorities to control the coronavirus outbreak.

The Maldives reopened its borders on July 15.

Resorts and hotels on uninhabited islands as well as liveaboard vessels were allowed to host tourists (please see a rolling list of resort reopenings here).

Guesthouses and hotels located on inhabited islands were to be allowed to reopen on August 1 but a surge in coronavirus cases in capital Male forced the authorities to extend a ban on guesthouse operations until October 15.

With the border reopening, 30-day free on-arrival visa is issued to all tourists with a confirmed booking for a stay at any registered tourist facility in the country.

There is no mandatory quarantine or testing on arrival, but tourists have to complete an online health declaration form and provide a negative PCR test result taken at least 72 hours prior to their departure.

Visitors with symptoms of the Covid-19 respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus or those travelling with someone who has similar symptoms are also tested at their own expense.

Photo: @mathindhaaboatu / Aviators Maldives