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Will Emirates Charge Business Class Passengers For Its Onboard Shower?

Feb. 19, 2017
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3 min read
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Will Emirates Charge Business Class Passengers For Its Onboard Shower?
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The last few months have been somewhat turbulent for the previously soaring Dubai-based Emirates. In November the airline announced a 75% drop in net profit for the first half of its fiscal year, and the following month reports emerged that the carrier was reviewing the size and responsibilities of its workforce. Emirates has also made attempts to increase its revenue — it implemented fees for optional advanced seat selection in economy, and access to the Business and First Class Lounges in Dubai can now be purchased for $100-$200 by passengers in any cabin.

But it appears the airline isn't done making changes. According to cabin crew website Paddle Your Own Kanoo, Emirates CEO Tim Clark informed the airline's staff that multiple factors — including overcapacity, price wars and a strong US dollar — had damaged the carrier's financial results and he was prepared to move aggressively to fix the airline's issues. "Hyper-change is the only constant," proclaimed the chief executive to his employees in his quarterly update.

So if Emirates wants to improve its finances, what can it do? Paddle Your Own Kanoo reports that options for enhancing the airline's ancillary revenue stream are rumored to include charging for premium meals and beverages available to order, chauffeur car service for economy passengers in Dubai for a fee... and offering business class passengers the opportunity to pay for use of the A380's onboard shower.

The Emirates onboard shower is a popular perk of the A380 first class cabin.

The Emirates A380 Shower Spa is one of the more famous features of the aircraft's first class cabin and the shower lavatories already get a decent amount of usage during flights. While there's no word yet on how much Emirates would consider charging for the service, adding business class passengers to the mix could theoretically create heavy demand for those facilities.

Business class on the Emirates A380 already gets stellar reviews — TPG Associate Editor Emily McNutt flew in the cabin from Dubai (DXB) to New York (JFK) just two months ago and reported that "from the seats to the service, the meal and the lounge at the rear of the aircraft, this experience was like none other I’ve had in the sky." Extending a perk like shower access to business class passengers, even for an extra fee, might very well push more people toward purchasing business tickets instead of first.

So is this a good idea? Would you pay as a business class passenger to use the onboard shower? Or is it only worth it if it's included in the ticket price?

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H/T: Live from a Lounge via View From The Wing

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  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
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  • Annual Fee is $325.
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