Emirates Network & Fleet Discussion - 2021

xwb777 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:53 am

Emirates today has unveiled its new Premium Economy seats onboard its lastest A380 that was delivered.

The new seats will be featured on the airline’s upcoming B777X fleet. The airline will also be retrofitting the A380 fleet.

Quote:

“Emirates today unveiled details of its highly-anticipated premium economy cabin, which offers 56 seats in a 2-4-2 cabin layout.”

“With a generous pitch of up to 40-inches, Emirates’ premium economy seat is 19.5 inches wide, and reclines 8 inches into a comfortable cradle position with ample room to stretch out. Covered in cream-coloured anti-stain leather with stitching details and a wood panel finishing similar to Business Class, each seat is designed to provide optimal comfort and support with 6-way adjustable headrests, calf rests and footrests.”

First Class cabin has saw some changes that included wider and fully enclosed suites.

Business Class cabin has saw further enhancements with seats colors and finishings.

The first destinations to receive the new configuration will be announced in the coming weeks.

Link: https://www.emirates.com/media-centre/e ... ll-cabins/

VSMUT · Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:04 am

Considering the number of roughly 6 hour flights Emirates flies, this looks pretty nice actually. I'd seriously consider it.

chonetsao · Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:06 am

It is certainly not the rumoured futuristic seats. But the furnishing is certainly very luxury. If the price can match competitors I will certainly give it a try!

Avgeek21 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:15 am

Well impressed. Looks comfy!

vhtje · Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:33 am

I like the muted tones, but the faux wood is very gaudy. How practical is that light colour in terms of being able to withstand heavy traffic and the associated knocks and scuffs? I Eire you it will not look pristine fir long.

Faro · Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:55 am

xwb777 wrote:
Emirates today has unveiled its new Premium Economy seats onboard its lastest A380 that was delivered.

Seems like something so exotic now...like another age and another place...when an airline actually takes delivery of a new A380...

How low we have gone with COVID

...

Faro

fil87 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:05 am

Whats so special about this? Underwhelming to say the least. Such an overrated airline.

xwb565 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:39 am

IMO looks better than business on some so called real airlines.

VSMUT · Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:47 am

xwb565 wrote:
IMO looks better than business on some so called real airlines.

Definitely. Compare this with Pakistan Airlines' long haul business, or narrowbody business class on Qatar, Etihad or Turkish.

TUGMASTER · Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:52 am

TBF, that's not far off the old business class of the late 80's/early 90's...
I certainly remember flying on a BA741 in club in 96, which looked very similar.... the recline may have been a tad more, but that's about it.

behramjee · Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:58 am

question...skywards silver and gold members will now get upgraded to Premium Economy from Economy when Y cabin is sold out or will they retain Y to J upgrades for FFPs?

ba319-131 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 12:14 pm

Keeping those seats looking clean will be a challenge to say the least! - looks nice, gaudy wood aside

Polot · Tue Dec 29, 2020 12:16 pm

The seats are nice and I don’t even mind the faux wood on the tray tables, but the faux wood on the sidewalls is a bit too much.

avi8 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 12:29 pm

Can’t even imagine how long it’s going to take to roll it out to the entire fleet. Beautiful design though. Very classy.

IADFan · Tue Dec 29, 2020 12:44 pm

The wood paneling looks like a Griswold station wagon.

817Dreamliiner · Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:06 pm

behramjee wrote:
question...skywards silver and gold members will now get upgraded to Premium Economy from Economy when Y cabin is sold out or will they retain Y to J upgrades for FFPs?

I would imagine they will eventually do one class upgrades, so Economy to Premium Economy and Premium Economy to Business.

Prost · Tue Dec 29, 2020 3:54 pm

Kudos to EK for not decorating the cabin in a quasi dentist office motif.

braniff2hav · Tue Dec 29, 2020 3:57 pm

I have one word ..... day-um ..... that appears to be the nicest PE cabin I've seen to date.

braniff2hav · Tue Dec 29, 2020 3:59 pm

IADFan wrote:
The wood paneling looks like a Griswold family station wagon.

It's the only wood grain I can approve of .... certainly better than AA's old plywood look.

aacun · Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:04 pm

So we’re back to square one . FC, BC and Coach. We just call them differently ......

airzona11 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:16 pm

IMO that might be their best looking cabin

Antarius · Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:17 pm

Polot wrote:
The seats are nice and I don’t even mind the faux wood on the tray tables, but the faux wood on the sidewalls is a bit too much.

Tacky beyond belief.

There is a subreddit called "Awful Taste But Great Execution". Seems like a good candidate for that.

xwb777 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:30 pm

I have been reading that A6-EVN will operate its first revenue flight on 04JAN21 to LHR, operating as EK003/004.

Sooner787 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:37 pm

When I worked for " Very Big Travel Agency" , number 1 complaint we had from clients who
traveled from the US to India on EK was the lack of PE. Problem now solved

cschleic · Tue Dec 29, 2020 4:38 pm

The decor may have a few issues but good to see them finally adding a premium economy considering so much of the competition (excluding the ME3) has something these days.

Crosswind · Tue Dec 29, 2020 6:00 pm

Same seat, Recaro PL3530, as already used by British Airways, China Southern, Iberia, LEVEL and Vistara.

My main concerns would be how well it will wear in service with those very light colours once kids with pens, and adults with red wine and coffee get into it!

a350lover · Tue Dec 29, 2020 6:49 pm

Definitely corporate/high yielding travel will still play a big role in the future of EK. Looks great to me;)

Luke1994 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 7:10 pm

Looks solid, minus that godawful wood trim on the windows.

MetalNeutral · Tue Dec 29, 2020 7:20 pm

This caters to companies whose travel policies now prevent staff from travelling business class, and whose travel budgets have migrated over time to airlines offering Y+ as an option.

If EK maintains their price edge over those airlines that already rolled out Y+ products (as they usually do in Y and J), they may hit a sweet spot in the market that is likely to expand at the expenses of J-class, in the post-Covid world.

Cheers,
MN

Galwayman · Tue Dec 29, 2020 7:32 pm

It looks really really good, the wood especially - I think they've nailed it , worth upgrading from Y but not good enough to downgrade from business . Hopefully Qatar, TK , Ethiad will start adding PE ,,

Well done EK , this is a game changer ...

Galwayman · Tue Dec 29, 2020 7:36 pm

MetalNeutral wrote:
This caters to companies whose travel policies now prevent staff from travelling business class, and whose travel budgets have migrated over time to airlines offering Y+ as an option.

If EK maintains their price edge over those airlines that already rolled out Y+ products (as they usually do in Y and J), they may hit a sweet spot in the market that is likely to expand at the expenses of J-class, in the post-Covid world.

Cheers,
MN

The product clearly meets the sweet spot , it's all about the pricing now as you say - but EK is very clever, hopefully the know what they're doing on price (fingers crossed).

Antarius · Tue Dec 29, 2020 7:38 pm

Galwayman wrote:
It looks really really good, the wood especially - I think they've nailed it , worth upgrading from Y but not good enough to downgrade from business . Hopefully Qatar, TK , Ethiad will start adding PE ,,

Well done EK , this is a game changer ...

PE has been around for 25 years. How is this a game changer?

45272455674 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:10 pm

fil87 wrote:
Whats so special about this? Underwhelming to say the least. Such an overrated airline.

Looks very comfortable.

Overrated - not from my usual seats on Emirates. I’m looked after very well and that’s why I keep coming back to them.

VSMUT · Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:11 pm

Antarius wrote:
Galwayman wrote:
It looks really really good, the wood especially - I think they've nailed it , worth upgrading from Y but not good enough to downgrade from business . Hopefully Qatar, TK , Ethiad will start adding PE ,,

Well done EK , this is a game changer ...

PE has been around for 25 years. How is this a game changer?

It's a gamechanger that a ME carrier has introduced it, because the ME3, Turkish and Ethiopian don't offer it.

It's a gamechanger that a ME connector has it, because PE on 2x6 hour legs is a completely different and more attractive prospect than spending 12 hours in sitting go in a PE seat between Europe, Asia and Africa. If they get the service and price right, they could potentially start stealing business class passengers from lessor carriers in the region. Think Air India or Pakistan Airlines, who have not so good onboard products, and where flights to Europe are so short they barely justify a lie-flat seat.

MikeChin · Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:22 pm

Basically its Business from the 90's, have yet to see it live, if some of the finishes do not look to over the top, but in general it has a real 'Premium Look'.

nine4nine · Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:26 pm

Beautiful. I don’t mind the faux wood paneling at all. It actually makes it seem more luxurious and quasi-PJ experience. Adds warmth to the cabin space as well. Most aircraft cabins are drab cold and lifeless that remind me of Soviet era architecture to be honest.

Those standard white wall panels with microdot print pattern are just plain boring.....

737max8 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:30 pm

Can't believe how much hate there has been for this online...to me looks like the nicest PE cabin I've seen. And definitely looks way better than the PE cabin I flew on American's 777 the other day.

TWA772LR · Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:38 pm

vhtje wrote:
I like the muted tones, but the faux wood is very gaudy. How practical is that light colour in terms of being able to withstand heavy traffic and the associated knocks and scuffs? I Eire you it will not look pristine fir long.

A little gaudy in today's world isn't a bad thing

I can't wait to give it a shot, or even fly in EK period!

jbs2886 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:45 pm

Beautiful seat (like many others, wood panels aside), but underwhelming deployment. Per the PR, only 5 A380s currently will get it and "some" 777X from 2023. Disappointing they didn't do some version (read: less fancy) for the 77W and existing A380 fleet.

Crosswind · Tue Dec 29, 2020 8:47 pm

737max8 wrote:
Can't believe how much hate there has been for this online...to me looks like the nicest PE cabin I've seen. And definitely looks way better than the PE cabin I flew on American's 777 the other day.

I think the “hate” is mainly because Emirates hinted at something industry changing, and then unveiled an off-the-shelf seat used by several other airlines covered in cream leather with some wood trim around the windows. People were expecting something they hadn’t seen before. Whether that’s to your taste or not is a matter for the individual... but the fact remains Emirates are very late to the Premium Economy party and nothing in this product appears to be disruptive to the offerings from the major worldwide airlines.

EMB170 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:08 pm

Probably the single biggest hurdle to my being willing to give EK a try (or any Gulf carrier, for that matter) is the lack of a W cabin on intercontinental routes, something that UA, AA, DL, BA, AF, LH, SU, NH, JL, SQ, CX, QF, and NZ all have. Once international travel comes back, this might prompt me to give EK a try.

Question: I see that the A380 fleet will get this cabin as well as the new 777X fleet. What about EK's existing 77W aircraft? Will they receive it, as well?

AAlaxfan · Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:32 pm

I'd fly that economy class everyday over Euro business and US domestic first.

Antarius · Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:34 pm

Crosswind wrote:
737max8 wrote:
Can't believe how much hate there has been for this online...to me looks like the nicest PE cabin I've seen. And definitely looks way better than the PE cabin I flew on American's 777 the other day.

I think the “hate” is mainly because Emirates hinted at something industry changing, and then unveiled an off-the-shelf seat used by several other airlines covered in cream leather with some wood trim around the windows. People were expecting something they hadn’t seen before. Whether that’s to your taste or not is a matter for the individual... but the fact remains Emirates are very late to the Premium Economy party and nothing in this product appears to be disruptive to the offerings from the major worldwide airlines.

This sums it up well. EK has been peddling mediocre to downright rubbish hard products (excluding F) for years. They just do a good job/ spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising and have managed to fool a lot of people.

TObound · Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:38 pm

AAlaxfan wrote:
I'd fly that economy class everyday over Euro business and US domestic first.

That's not much of a statement. Eurobusiness is just economy with a snack a few inches more pitch.

AAlaxfan · Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:43 pm

TObound wrote:
AAlaxfan wrote:
I'd fly that economy class everyday over Euro business and US domestic first.

That's not much of a statement. Eurobusiness is just economy with a snack a few inches more pitch.

That's exactly my point.

himarhernandez · Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:45 pm

Crosswind wrote:
Same seat, Recaro PL3530, as already used by British Airways, China Southern, Iberia, LEVEL and Vistara.

My main concerns would be how well it will wear in service with those very light colours once kids with pens, and adults with red wine and coffee get into it!

Might be the same seat...but dang, they look like 10 steps above the Iberia ones

gsg013 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:47 pm

aacun wrote:
So we’re back to square one . FC, BC and Coach. We just call them differently ......

YEP you hit it right on the head of the nail. That being said the new First Class products are far superior to what was First Class back in the Day and the Lay Flat J seats are superior to the old recliner business class back in the day. PE is now on par with the old J of 20 years ago, and new J is similar service wise to the old F.

soyuz · Tue Dec 29, 2020 9:56 pm

Looks swish! However. I’ve taken them up on their paid upgrade offers from Y to Business on their BNE-DXB A380 overnight run a couple of times. Money extremely well spent IMO! But this is likely to become a Y to PE only offer on flights that have the premium economy cabin, replacing the possibility to upgrade to J. Having said that, I shall only have to worry about that if EK ever retrofit their older A380s and if they reintroduce the A380 to BNE, which could be a long way away, if ever.

Crosswind · Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:08 pm

Antarius wrote:
This sums it up well. EK has been peddling mediocre to downright rubbish hard products (excluding F) for years. They just do a good job/ spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising and have managed to fool a lot of people.

I think Emirates have capitalised on the fact that a lot of people notice the fake gold trim and walnut accents before they notice other things. I’m still staggered that over 50% of their fleet Business Class, including on some really long flights, is recliners with a old-school middle coffin seat in the middle block of 3. The A380 product was decent, but again hasn’t been touched in over 10 years til now. Even the 2016 refresh of Business Class on the 77W came with a note that it wouldn’t be retrofitted.

Qatar even on their pre Q-suite 777s were fully flat... and were actively re-configuring their fleet to the latest product. Emirates seems to take the aircraft in the layout they were delivered in and run with that for a very long time... despite where the market might go in the meantime, while their competitors seem mere willing to refresh their cabins. And even a lot of Western airlines not famed for their product have invested hugely in new seats... while Emirates soldiers on unchanged.

sandyb123 · Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:10 pm

fil87 wrote:
Whats so special about this? Underwhelming to say the least. Such an overrated airline.

Ok so I am guessing you are not an EK fan and it’s fair to say I am. I’ve flown all over the globe with them in y j and F and I have found them to offer the best service and best cabins of any airline globally.

I’m sorry, but to say this is underwhelming is completely naive. It looks absolutely outstanding and as many have said it out-classes many airlines J. I often use miles to upgrade from Y to J or J to F but if this is as comfortable as it looks I’ll seriously consider this for sub 8 hour flights (like from my home port to Dubai).

Sandyb123

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