Today has been a massive day for the largest Gulf carrier, Emirates. The Dubai based carrier unveiled three new cabins, a brand new and completely revamped First Class cabin as well as a refreshed and modern Business and Economy Class at the Dubai Airshow which is currently being held at Dubai World Centre airport in Dubai.
First Class
The new suite has been completely re-designed and the airline stated that the inspiration came from Mercedes Benz S-Class. The new suite’s continue to have sliding doors meaning they’re fully enclosed, ample storage for bags and small items and in front of you is where you’ll find snacks and beverages, the current seats have beverage storage either to the left or right of your seat.
Emirates’ new suites were designed in partnership with quite a number of brands including Boeing, Jacques Pierre Jean Design studio, Rockwell Collins and Teague. You’ll also notice the colours of the suites have changed quite a bit, there’s a lot more greys and browns instead of flashy gold. The suite is 84” long, the seat is 78” long and has a width of 30.”
The technology inside the suite is pretty incredible and is really interesting. The actual seat has a mode called ”zero gravity” and this makes you feel weightless. believe it or not, the airline worked with NASA to produce it. Emirates states that there’s enough room to get changed even when the bed has already been made, that’s a good idea of the amount of space the seat will provide. Each seat will include a 32-inch IFE screen, window seats will feature binoculars and the amenities that are already found onboard.
The current 777’s that feature a First cabin contain 8 seats but to have more space requires cutting some seats, the new 777’s will feature only 6 First Class seats in a 1-1-1 configuration. I posted about the leak in the seatmap months ago and it’s cool to see that it was almost correct. Emirates have also been very innovative and introduced some really impressive technology for the middle seats. The middle seats will feature virtual windows which are powered by fibre optic lighting. This is an industry first and I’m really excited to see this in real life.
Here’s what Emirates’ CEO Tim Clark had to say about the new suite:
“Emirates pioneered the First Class private suite concept back in 2003, and today it’s the industry benchmark when it comes to first class travel. Over the years we have continually improved on our private suites, adding thoughtful refinements and features. We are very excited about our new fully-enclosed suite which is a real game-changer in terms of privacy, comfort, and thoughtful luxury. This is the first time an Emirates product has been so influenced by another luxury brand, but it is a natural fit as both Emirates and Mercedes-Benz have the same unwavering commitment to fine detail, uncompromising quality, and a drive to push the boundaries.”
Business Class
Business Class is also getting a refresh on the 777-300ER’s and the airline will stick to the 2-3-2 configuration that was introduced some time ago. The 42 new seats are inspired by a sports car and feature very nice good finishings with grey and brown tones which I think looks a lot nicer and more elegant than the current seats.
Each seat can be made into a flatbed measuring 78 inches and the seat has 72-inches of pitch. The seats are all leather and are 20.5” wide, have a minibar, 23” IFE screen, minibar and of course a heap of power ports and outlets.
I’m not a fan of the configuration and the seats look a bit tight but I’ve yet to try them so can’t make a definite opinion on them.
Economy Class
The airline will also be updating their Economy cabin on the 777. The new 777’s will hold 306 Economy seats in a 3-4-3 configuration which is now sadly the standard in Economy seating, interestingly the last row of seats will be in a 2-3-2 configuration.
Each seat has a pitch of pitch of 33” and can recline 6′.” Every seat features a 13.3” IFE digital screen, power outlets and USB charing ports.
The new 777’s will be first introduced onto Brussels and Geneva services starting December 1st. It’s expected that Brisbane, Perth & Chicago could be the next routes to receive the new product and that’s very good news.
Emirates haven’t said much about the refitting schedules but they have said they will be fitting the new seats on the A380’s and the seat count will be reduced to 11 on that aircraft.
Overall I’m very impressed with the new Suites and cannot wait to try them!
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