Today I was invited to take a first look at Emirates Premium Economy Class on its newly delivered A380, registration A6-EVN.
The new Premium Economy cabin is the first on any airline in the Middle East, with 56 seats in a 2-4-2 cabin layout.
The airline received its newest A380 aircraft from Airbus facilities in Hamburg last week; your remaining order for 5 A380s will also be delivered with Premium Economy cabins, throughout 2021 and 2022.
Key Details
- Pitch: up to 40 inches
- Width: 19.5 inches
- Recline: 8 inches
- Seats: 56 seats
- Location: Forward of Economy Class on the lower deck of the A380
I interviewed Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ chief operating officer. He said that the new Premium Economy was created due to high customer demand; Emirates passengers are looking for a better product than Economy, but still affordable.
He mentioned that there are 5 more A380s with Premium Economy configured to join the Emirates A380 fleet.
Over time, another 55% of the fleet will also be retrofitted with the Premium Economy product.
Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer, Emirates
Emirates will begin flying the new A380 with Premium Economy seat from January 4 on EK003 / 004, between Dubai and London Heathrow.
Free upgrades
Emirates has stated that it will not sell these seats (such as Premium Economy) until they reach a critical mass of aircraft. So, for now, they are only complimentary upgrades for Elite Skywards members and certain paying Economy Class fare passengers (presumably passengers with full Y fare tickets).
For now, there are no more details about the Premium Economy soft product, only details about the seat itself. Emirates has stated that it will not sell these seats (such as Premium Economy) until they reach a critical mass of aircraft across the network.
Updated Cabin
For the rest of the A380 cabin, Emirates made some minor changes; however, they chose not to revise the layout or design.
The cabin details and finishes have also been updated; these changes range from new motifs and colors, to the sweeping stairs that lead from the main deck to the upper deck, to renovated design finishes and modern accessories in the shower spa.
Executive class
Emirates maintained its popular A380 Business Class seats; which offer direct access to the corridor for all passengers, recline to a completely flat position and have a minibar, among other features.
All 76 seats have been renovated to feature champagne-colored leather covers and wooden finishes, inspired by business jets, similar to Emirates Boeing 777 Business Class “Challenging player” aircraft.
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Refurbished business class seat on the Emirates A380 -
Refurbished business class seat on the Emirates A380
Seeing this personally, I was very impressed with the cabin’s decor; the seat fabric inspired by the business jet offers a modern and sophisticated look throughout the Business Class cabin.
A full video analysis of the new A380 cabin will arrive later this week.