Emirates revamps interiors of 120 planes, premium economy arrives on most of fleet
Emirates has announced a more than $2 billion investment to make 360-degree improvements to the onboard experience, including a [...]
Emirates has announced a more than $2 billion investment to make 360-degree improvements to the onboard experience, including an extensive program to retrofit more than 120 aircraft with the latest interiors, as well as a series of other service improvements in all cabins beginning in 2022.
Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, said, "While others are responding to industry pressures with cost cuts, Emirates is flying against the grain and investing to deliver ever-better experiences for our customers. During the pandemic, we continued to launch new services and initiatives to ensure that our customers travel with safety and ease, including digital initiatives to improve customer experiences on the ground. We are now launching a series of intensive programs to take Emirates' signature flight experiences to the next level."
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Updated cabin interiors in all classes: the most significant investment is an extensive and record-breaking refurbishment of the aircraft fleet interior, in which cabins will be retrofitted with new or reupholstered seats, new panels, flooring, and other cabin features. For the benefit of all Emirates passengers, every class will be upgraded and new Premium Economy cabins will be installed. After the retrofit, Emirates will have a total of 120 aircraft with Premium Economy seats (the only airline in the region to offer this class), as well as upgraded interiors and features in all other cabins. With its first aircraft scheduled to enter the Emirates Engineering Center for retrofitting in November, planning and testing work has begun in earnest.
Starting in August, Emirates passengers can expect:
New inspirations, new menus: an award-winning team of chefs, a world-class catering team, and a wide variety of suppliers have come together to Design and deliver the best dining experience in the sky. New menus will be served on Emirates routes in First Class, with dishes such as sautéed salmon trout with moqueca sauce and Creole rice, roasted duck breast with orange thyme jus, steamed broccolini, and fondant potatoes. New menus will also be introduced in Business and Economy on September 1.
Deliberate vegan choices: Emirates' new vegan menu is carefully curated to cater to the growing number of customers pursuing this thoughtful lifestyle. Vegans, or anyone interested in a delicious and healthy plant-based meal, will enjoy Handmade gourmet dishes such as pan-roasted oyster mushrooms, tasty jackfruit biryani, and sliced kohlrabi garnished with burnt orange. Desserts are a decadent affair with choices of chocolate truffle cake with hazelnut, pistachio and gold leaf, or green grape tart decorated with candied rose petals, vanilla custard and yuzu pearl shimmering berry compote.
Champagne and Caviar Experience: Emirates' First Class experience, which has always been a benchmark for service excellence, has been further enhanced in 2022. Customers can now enjoy unlimited portions of Persian caviar as part of the "dine on demand" service, with an exquisite pairing of the famous vintage Dom Perignon champagne. Emirates is the only airline with an exclusive agreement to offer the luxury brand on board.
Cinema in the Sky: First Class customers can create a memorable cinematic moment on board by ordering movie snacks while enjoying the 5,000 channels of Emirates' in-flight entertainment system. The movie snack menu includes tastier classics such as lobster rolls, juicy skewers, edamame and salted popcorn and can be ordered on demand. All passengers can also curate their own pre-flight experience by simply browsing and preselecting movies or TV shows on the Emirates app, which can then be synchronized with the in-flight entertainment system upon boarding, maximizing the seamless travel experience.
Farm to Fork - Sustainable Supply Chain: Emirates customers departing on flights from Dubai can start munching on fresh vegetables picked by Bustanica, the world's largest vertical farm and a recently opened $40 million joint venture investment through Emirates Flight Catering. Emirates is continuing to invest in sustainable operations and supply chains, seeking out local food suppliers and farms wherever possible to serve the freshest produce on board.
Specialized hospitality training for cabin crew.: Emirates has partnered with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, one of the world's top hospitality management schools, to develop the Emirates Hospitality strategy and encourage inspiring customer experiences. Emirates cabin crew have already begun to engage in intensive training programs focused on delivering the four pillars of service: excellence, care, innovation and passion.