Emirates has been introducing Premium Economy throughout its fleet. The pattern of launching a Premium Economy comes as the gap between Economy and Business Class grows. Take United Airlines as an example. They are combining their Global First (First Class) offering with their BusinessFirst (Business Class) to offer a single United Polaris Business Cabin, which is better than their original Business Class cabin but not quite as elitist as their current Global First (all be it with a newer and with a better thought-out Polaris seat).
If you read our review of the current United Polaris Business you can see that the new Polaris Business Seat is a great deal better than the older BusinessFirst seat. Like other airlines, the gap between Economy, which is now delivering seats in horrific 11 across cabins, and Business Class continues to expand.
What To Expect From Emirates Premium Economy?
Emirates partners with Qantas for many of its routes, and both offer Premium Economy. Equally, one can look to other Premium Economy offerings such as British Airways premium economy (pictured above), which I fly on a regular basis, or airlines such as American Airlines and Delta Airlines who are also launching a premium economy service to get an idea of what is on offer.
Expect a separate, dedicated check-in counter as well as priority boarding. Seats should be more private and wider than in Economy with multiway adjustable headrests. There should be much more legroom and room to recline than in economy, along with small, intimate cabins with more attentive service. The food offering should also be better; you can expect a full bar service and a larger free baggage allowance.
The carrier is introducing the seats on all of its new A380 and 777s and plans to retrofit the seats onto some aircraft already in its fleet. A380s will have about 56 such seats in the front of the bottom deck of the aircraft, while the 777s will have between 26 and 28.
Emirate’s new Premium Economy seats, or “sleeperettes,” have a pitch of about 38 inches, up to 6 inches more than the current economy product, and will come with better service, food, and a private toilet. Emirates spokespeople say there will also be more excellent food and tableware, a larger entertainment screen, a fancier amenities kit, and occasionally, a more generous baggage allowance.
Of course, being Emirates, the offering will be glitzier (see our review of Emirates First Class to see how glitzy they go!), with more gold and colors than more traditional airlines, but the offering should be comparable.
Whatever Emirates does, Etihad and Qatar Airways are likely to follow, so look forward to Premium Economy on all three airlines.
How much does Premium Economy Cost on Emirates?
Premium Economy usually costs between 1.5 and 2 times the cost of Economy. So a £500 GBP return flight from London to Dubai in Economy is likely to cost around £1,000 – £1500 GBP in Premium Economy.
The Future
Emirates actually feels that they have underestimated the demand for Premium Economy, which has better food, recline, and space. Remember, you can now pay to enter the Emirates lounges, so if you are traveling in Premium Economy, you can pay to access their lounges pre-departure.
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