This was published 1 year ago
Emirates’ new superjumbo seats touch down in Melbourne
More than two years after the seats were introduced in Dubai, Emirates has finally brought its first premium economy seats to Melbourne.
Melbourne is the second Australian city to have access to the new cabin, following its arrival in Sydney last August.
The rollout of the premium economy cabins is scheduled to include routes to New York, San Francisco and Singapore by the end of 2023.
Emirates premium economy seats on board its Airbus A380 superjumbo are now available from Melbourne.
From Melbourne, the seats will be available on its daily Airbus A380 services EK406 and EK407 to and from Dubai.
The airline is expecting high demand for seats in the new cabin which have exceeded 90 per cent load since introduction in Sydney, necessitating a second service in December.
By the middle of the year, Emirates expects to be offering 63 weekly services to Australia, restoring Melbourne and Sydney to flying at pre-pandemic levels.
Part of a multi-million dollar retrofit across all its aircraft, the new premium economy cabins will be fitted in 126 planes, including 67 A380s and 53 Boeing 777s. First and business class cabins are also being refurbished, as are economy seats, which will be replaced with a new ergonomic design.
By 2025, Emirates hopes to have 4000 new premium economy seats, 728 refurbished first class suites and more than 5000 upgraded business class seats across 126 aircraft.
“We’ve tried to make premium economy as close to the business class product as you can get,” said Emirates’ divisional vice-president Australasia Barry Brown, comparing the seats to business class cabins of the late 80s and early 90s.
Indeed, the 56 premium economy seats are unusually located at the front of the plane’s main deck, in a 2-4-2 configuration. The distinctive cream-coloured seats are made of anti-stain leather with a wood panel finishing similar to the airline’s business class. The seat pitch (legroom) is 40 inches (102 cm), width 19.5 inches (50 cm) and feature a recline of eight inches (20 cm).
The seat pitch (legroom) is 40 inches (102 cm).
The seats are similar in size to the equivalent seats on Qantas’ A380s, but have five centimetres more legroom than Qantas’ premium economy seats on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and 18 centimetres more legroom than the seats in Emirates’ economy cabin.
There’s also a generous 43-centimetre entertainment screen, in-seat power, a wide dining and cocktail table and a swinging leg rest. There’s a dedicated crew and three bathrooms for the cabin, aligning with the airline’s business class experience.
Passengers will also be treated to a welcome drink, fine china, stainless-steel cutlery, and a separate menu with food and beverages borrowed from business class.
At the airport, passengers will get priority boarding, with a separate check-in in Dubai Airport, plus a hefty 35 kilograms of checked luggage. Don’t expect lounge access though - it’s reserved for business and first-class passengers.
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