Cabin Concept: Emirates
Thoughtful touches and sophisticated finishes are designed to make Emirates’ new Premium Economy cabin an instant contender, says April Waterston
Emirates has taken its signature A380 experience to the next level with a new Premium Economy cabin product, together with enhancements and a refreshed look across all cabins onboard its newest A380 aircraft.
Pushing forward
“The Emirates A380 is already one of the most sought-after travel experiences in the skies, and now we’ve made it even better,” says Sir Tim Clark, president, Emirates Airline. “While others cut back, Emirates is working hard to restore the products and services that we’ve had to suspend or adjust due to pandemic precautions, and introduce new offerings and enhancements. True to our fly better promise, Emirates continues to invest to offer our customers the best possible experience.
“Our Premium Economy product was carefully developed in keeping with Emirates’ brand positioning as a full-service airline of the highest quality.”
Comfort and space
The Emirates A380 Premium Economy cabin features 56 seats in a 2-4-2 cabin layout. With a pitch of up to 40-inches, each Premium Economy seat is 19.5 inches wide, and reclines eight inches into a comfortable cradle position.
Covered in cream-coloured anti-stain leather with stitching detail and a wood panel finish, similar to Business, each seat is designed for optimal comfort and support with six-way adjustable headrests, calf rests and footrests. Each has a 13.3” screen, one of the largest in its class to access a wide range of inflight entertainment. There are easily accessible in-seat charging points, a wide dining table and smaller, side cocktail table.
Premium Economy is located at the front of the main deck, with three lavatories dedicated to those passengers inflight.
Refreshed interiors
Throughout the interior, passengers see new design touches featuring the Ghaf (prosopis cineraria) tree motif. An indigenous evergreen plant, the Ghaf is considered the national tree
of the United Arab Emirates, and has deep cultural and ecological significance. The clean and airy champagne colour scheme is set off with wood panelling and bronze accents taken from Emirates’ latest Boeing 777 Gamechanger interiors. The latest generation of Emirates’ awardwinning inflight entertainment system is now offered in all cabins to offer improved and superior image quality. In-seat screens feature ultra-wide viewing angles, a capacitive touch screen, LED backlight and full HD display.
Flavours to savour
For now, the new Premium Economy cabin will have the same catering as Economy. Depending on the route, passengers can expect regionally inspired menus including chicken with sundried tomato pesto sauce and paneer makhani or spicy payasam, alongside fresh fruits, salad, crackers and cheese, and sweet treats.
Outside of Premium Economy, Emirates has also made minor changes to other cabins on the new A380s. In Business, all 76 seats have been refreshed to feature champagne-coloured leather covers and wood finishing. This look has been inspired by executive jet style and is similar to the Business offer on Emirates’ Boeing 777 Gamechanger aircraft.
The same classic colour scheme has also been applied to the Onboard Lounge at the back of the upper deck, a feature offered exclusively to First and Business passengers.
“Our First, Business and Economy experiences reset industry standards when they were introduced, and we are confident that our Premium Economy will also make its mark as a distinct premium offering,” says Sir Tim Clark.
“Until we have a viable number of seats in our inventory to bring to market, we plan to offer the Emirates Premium Economy experience as a complimentary upgrade to valued customers. We’ll also deploy our newest A380 aircraft on various routes so that our customers can experience our latest offering in all classes.”