EK is finally catching up!

Today at ITB (one of the largest trade shows in the travel industry), Emirates unveiled their new business class seating for the 777, which in its current configuration is decidedly lacking when compared to their competitors. While they typically make a splash and receive lots of attention from news media and travel bloggers for their admittedly quite nice A380 First Class, not much mention is made of its 777 business class product. Why, you ask? Probably because unlike most other truly premium business class cabins out there, it is neither lie-flat, nor does it offer direct aisle access for all business class passengers as it’s a 2-3-2 config. I, personally, am a firm believer that everyone should have direct aisle access in longhaul business, and whether you’re spending points or crazy dollars, I know I’m not alone.

Emirates 777 New Business Class Seating (photo credit: Emirates.com)

Let’s break it down:

What’s awesome:

• it’s lie-flat; welcome to 2008.
• trendy diamond stitching a la SQ, DL, and a few high end bespoke auto interiors.
• 23″ IFE screen which will feel downright huge (EK does good IFE)
• still nice and private
• the addition of a personal minibar, which IMHO is of minimal utility, but still a nice touch
• the forward foot bench is definitely an improvement

What’s not:

• you get to watch what your neighbors are watching
• terrible placement of the control tablet
• it’s still a 2-3-2 config, and the middle seat looks particularly confining

The Bottom Line:

It’s a much-needed improvement, and certainly better than something like UA’s 2-4-2 configuration, but 2-3-2 still feels a bit like an afterthought to me. Emirates is doing something right, because people are filling these seats in huge numbers, but I was hoping for something more from the airline that brought us the onboard shower and what is perhaps the most-photographed suite of any airline offering such a product.

Let’s go fly it

When and where do we get to fly this new business class? The launch route hasn’t been confirmed, but the timeline is November 2016 when EK takes delivery of the first new 777-300 from their latest order. We plan on transferring over some American Express Membership Rewards to Emirates Skywards, as transfers are instant and redeeming business class fares is quite reasonable for shorter routes. Stay tuned for updates…