Emirates’ New Premium Economy Cabin Will Operate Between Dubai & London

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Emirates recently unveiled its new (and first) Premium Economy cabin that has been installed in the latest Airbus A380 to be delivered to the airline and we now know the route on which the cabin will first appear.

Starting from today, 4 January 2021, Emirates’ latest A380 aircraft will operate between Dubai and London as flights EK003 & EK004 on the following schedule:

EK003 DXB 14:30 – 18:20 LHR (Daily)
EK004 LHR 20:20 – 07:20+1 day DXB (Daily)

Note: Emirates currently operates a total of 5 daily flights between Dubai and London Heathrow but only the flights note above will offer the new Premium Economy cabin.

It’s worth keeping in mind that Tim Clark, the President of Emirates, has said that until his airline has “a viable number of seats” available for sale, the new Premium Economy Class cabin will not be sold as a separate cabin but will be offered as a complimentary upgrade from Economy Class to “valued customers”, so Skywards Elites booked to fly on EK003/004 should check to see if they can reserve a Premium Economy seat with their Economy Class reservation.

The only Emirates A380 to currently offer the Premium Economy Cabin is also the only Emirates A380 to boast the airline’s updated interiors across all other cabins.

The suites in the First Class cabin are said to be slightly wider than the existing A380 suites and with taller doors, the motifs and colors throughout the First Class cabin are now less gaudy, the Business Class seats now feature champagne-colored leather covers and wood finishing similar to the finish found in Business Class on Emirates’ newer Boeing 777 aircraft, the famous onboard lounge/bar looks considerably less “blingy”…

…and the Economy Class cabin has been equipped with new seating that is lighter (more efficient) but which Emirates says doesn’t compromise on comfort or function. Each seat now features a wood grain finish on tray tables, as well as a 13.3” personal screen.

Bottom Line

Emirates is debuting its new Premium Economy cabin on its Dubai – London route from today but the product will not be sold as a separate cabin for some time to come. Skywards Gold & Platinum Elites will probably be able to select a Premium Economy seat with an Economy Class booking at the time of booking, while with loads running as low as they are, it wouldn’t surprise me to find out that Skywards Silver Elites get a chance to select a Premium Economy seat at check-in.

If you’re a Skywards Elite and flying in Economy Class on EK003/EK004, please use the comments section to let me know if you’re given the option to select a Premium Economy seat on the new Emirates A380.