Emirates airline offers discounts on excess baggage, options on empty seats

Dubai: Economy Class fliers on Emirates airline can now buy up to three empty adjoining seats on their flights. These seats will be offered to all holding a confirmed booking. (But they will not be able to pre-book empty seats, as these are subject to availability.)

Empty seats will only be offered at the airport check-in counter prior to flight departure, and range from Dh200 to Dh600 per empty seat, plus applicable taxes depending on flight sector.

Baggage discounts

Emirates has also introduced discounts on excess baggage rates, to help those flying on essential trips. These range from 35 per cent up to 60 per cent off on normal rates depending on sector and must be pre-booked and pre-paid up to 4 hours prior to flight departure.

Emirates said the new empty-seat option addresses the needs of a "range of customers seeking extra privacy and space while still flying in economy class."

Emirates has been cutting fares and boosting its offerings in order to attract more traffic during the pandemic crisis. In December, the airline introduced the 'Premium Economy' cabin along with enhancements across all cabins onboard its latest A380 aircraft. The airline has plans to retrofit its existing A380 fleet with these Premium Economy seats.