Emirates’ new 777 first class suites have 40 square feet of space. (Image: Emirates)
First class cabins are on their way out at many international airlines, but the few carriers that keep them are constantly upgrading them, in order to differentiate the product from increasingly spacious business class seating. The latest entrant in the first class competition is Emirates’ 777 fleet. And this comes on the heels of Singapore Air’s big launch of its luxury first class suites last week.
At the Dubai Air Show this week, the carrier rolled out new cabin designs for its 777s, turning to Mercedes-Benz and its S-Class cars for inspiration. The renovations will cover all three classes on the planes, and will include upgraded entertainment systems as well. Emirates’ first new-look 777s are due to start flying between Dubai-Geneva and Dubai-Brussels next month, but it will take a long time to refit the existing fleet: The carrier noted that it currently has 165 777s, and 164 more on order from Boeing. (On most US routes, Emirates flies its big Airbus A380, so US-based travelers will likely only see this on beyond-Dubai flights.)
The new first class cabin has six individual suites in a 1-1-1 layout, dropping a suite from the current 1-2-1 configuration. Suites offer 40 square feet of space, with privacy provided by a sliding door. The fully-reclining seat is 78 inches long and up to 30 inches wide. The seat and its components are fully adjustable, and the middle suites come with “virtual windows,” giving occupants real-time views from outside the aircraft. (Nice touch!) Suites also have 32-inch HD video screens, adjustable mood lighting, temperature controls, minibar, a full-length wardrobe and “chandelier-style lights.”
No word yet on fares, but for comparison purposes, SFO-Dubai round trip in first class currently runs about $15,000. In business class, it’s about $8,000. Economy class is about $900.
First class suite made up for bedtime. (Image: Emirates)
Emirates’ new 777 business class cabin has fully-flat seats that offer 72 inches of pitch in a 2-3-2 layout- nice but it means that some unlucky passengers may still get stuck in a middle seat. This seems odd for the likes of Emirates since most of the newer business class sections from other global carriers have done away with middle seats in favor of all-aisle access.
My experience flying in a middle seat on Emirates in business class was actually not all that bad. Why? Because it was an overnight flight and I felt quietly isolated there in the middle with no bumps from other passengers or service carts. I enjoyed looking up at the ceiling and seeing stars 🙂
Anyway, business class seat controls and inflight entertainment systems have touchscreen controls, and seats provide individual lighting controls, privacy panels between seats, an area to stow shoes, a footrest and a minibar (yes, seriously).
Emirates new economy class has the despised, shoulder-rubbing 10-across seating in a 3-4-3 configuration— something that United has taken a lot of heat for installing on its new B777-300s that include its new Polaris business class seats, and more recently on its B777-200s. On the bright side, Emirates says that its economy seats will have “up to 33 inches of pitch” which is more generous than average, but not all seats will get that much.
Here are more photos of Emirates new cabin designs:
Also, check out the cool and immersive interactive experience including 360 views here.
First class suites have sliding doors. (Image: Emirates)
First class suite with seat upright for dining. (Image: Emirates)
The new business class cabin for Emirates’ 777s- note the middle seats. (Image: Emirates)
Business class has 2-3-2 seating- note the middle seats. (Image: Emirates)
Economy seating is 10-across on redesigned 777s. (Image: Emirates)
Have you flown Emirates lately? What did you think? Please leave your comments below.
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If those fortunate enough to afford flying in a business class as nicely appointed as this is still complain about the “burden” and “suffering” experienced having of having to “make do” with a middle or window seat, they really need to hang their heads in well deserved shame and get a life!
Most people on wish they could “suffer” like this when they squeezed themselves into those atrociously narrow ten abreast, 3-4-3, flying abominations (for coach/economy passengers) otherwise known as Boeing 777s!
Thankfully, and unlike United, which thinks 30” or 31” inches of row pitch is somehow even remotely acceptable for longer and long haul flights in its aircraft (narrow or wide-body), at least Emirates says it will offer “up to” (whatever that means – a few, higher priced rows? Most rows?) 33” inches of row pitch in coach/economy on its 777s.
Couple that with nifty, super large screens Emirates offers for its consistently award winning, passenger pleasing seatback IFE, that United’s recently “densified” 777s lack of any size in their horrible, ten abreast, 3-4-3, coach/economy sections, and which is also rapidly being stripped out of United’s 737s as they’re further “densified” to a beyond miserable 30” row pitch, and is is any wonder why passengers in all classes, are fleeing America’s airlines for the ME3 at every opportunity?
And please, don’t even bother with the “whine-a-thons” or excuse-a-thons about how Emirates enjoys some sort of unfair advantage.
Our airlines enjoy so many goverment/taxpayer advantages and tax preferences, it’s laughable when they complain about others.
First and foremost, our airlines now enjoy a de facto government sanctioned oligopoly where just four airlines control something approximating 83-85% of the market overall, and in many cities with fortress hubs near monopolies for corporations based in those cities, and residents who live there.
Then there’s the various and assorted subsidies, tax exemptions, other tax “preferences”, not to mention the shelter afforded all of the Big 3 whiners in bankruptcy court where they abrogated labor contracts and fobbed off long underfunded pension plans to the taxpayer, all with the express permission and approval of…yep, you guessed it, the Federal Magistrate in a US District Court, in lower Manhattan, the state of Delaware or occasionally, someplace else.
The only people who can afford these insane classes of service are people on huge expense accounts and the untouchable elite. For 99% of us there is absolutely nothing special or interesting about Emirates, or Etihad for that matter. I think one of the main reasons for their insane luxury is that it’s aspirational for people who don’t know any better. Nothing to see here folks.