Dubai: Emirates airline’s ‘Premium Economy’ seats are on sale. The new cabin class, which gives a deluxe feel to Economy, will be available to travellers on the London, Paris and Sydney routes – serviced by the Airbus A380 - from August 1.
A one-way Premium Economy ticket to London will cost Dh4,430 on August 2 – that’s more than double the price for an Economy seat on the same flight. A Business Class experience will cost more than Dh12,000. If UAE residents are interested in seeing the Eiffel Tower this summer, a Premium Economy seat to Paris will cost Dh4,880 on August 1 – that’s a 114 per cent increase on the Economy fare for the same flight. Business will be close to Dh12,000.
On the Dubai-Sydney 14-hour flight, the Premium Economy might be more of a necessity for some passengers. A one-way ticket in the soon-to-be-launched cabin will be Dh9,900 on August 2 – that’s less than half of the Business fare of Dh23,250. The Christchurch (New Zealand) route will also get the treatment from December. On December 1, Premium Economy is at Dh8,740 compared to Dh5,070 for Economy and Dh23,380 for Business.
Inception
Emirates first announced the launch of a brand-new premium economy class in December 2020 as the pandemic brought global travel demand to a halt. Industry experts at that time predicted that business travel would be the last customer segment to return given the increased emphasis on online communication tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Premium economy, considered a bridge between Economy and Business class, gives passengers an upgraded experience from economy, without having to splurge Dh10,000-Dh20,000 for a business or first-class seat.
Emirates President Tim Clark has said that the Premium Economy will “enhance the income per seat miles in kilometer” and allow Emirates to have a much more diversified offering. The airline is reportedly looking to have Premium Economy seats installed in 20-30 aircraft by mid-2023.
