Emirates is bringing premium economy to the Boeing 777
Emirates is bringing its new premium economy product to 105 additional Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s, the airline announced Tuesday at the Dubai Airshow.
The refit program kicks off in December 2022, with 52 A380s and 53 777s receiving the new product. On the 777, three rows of premium-economy seats in a 2-4-2 configuration will replace five rows of economy-class seats aft of the business-class cabin, for a total of 24 seats.
Premium economy on the A380 also has a 2-4-2 configuration, located on the main (lower) deck of the aircraft, with 56 seats installed.
Tuesday's announcement means Emirates plans a fleet of 111 aircraft with premium economy. Six of the Dubai-based carrier's A380s will have the product installed by the end of 2021.
Emirates premium economy features a leather seat with a pitch of up to 40 inches, a width of 19.5 inches and a recline of 8 inches into a cradle position, with leg and footrests. The seat features a 13.3-inch personal television, featuring Emirates' extensive ICE personal entertainment system.
"Emirates is investing in this retrofit program to ensure that we continue to serve our customers' needs, and provide the best experiences in the sky," Emirates president Sir Tim Clark said in a statement. "Since we introduced our premium economy seats a year back, we've received a hugely positive response. Customers have been amazed by the quality and comfort."
Related: Emirates unveils ritzy new premium economy cabin aboard the A380
TPG's senior aviation business reporter, David Slotnick, who is on site at the airshow, tried the seat out at a static display in the convention hall and said he thought they were the most comfortable premium-economy seats he's tried.
The premium economy refits will be done entirely at Emirates' engineering center in Dubai.
"It is also a source of pride that the entire retrofit project will be conducted at our home base in Dubai," Clark said.
The initial six aircraft with premium economy will debut on routes between Dubai (DXB) and Frankfurt (FRA), London Heathrow (LHR), New York-JFK and Paris (CDG) by the end of December, Emirates said.
Currently, Emirates is operating flights between Dubai (DXB) and Paris (CDG) with aircraft fitted with a premium economy cabin, though it's not selling premium-economy tickets on these flights. Skywards elite members can select seats in the premium-economy cabin at no extra cost.
For a product due to launch at the end of next month, Emirates premium-economy fares are curiously still not on sale. And the head of Emirates Skywards recently told TPG writer Benji Stawski that award redemptions for premium economy won't be happening anytime soon.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month