Late last year I wrote about how Emirates announced that they would introduce two cabin A380s in 2015.
While the A380 is already the highest capacity jet out there, Emirates will be taking capacity to new heights (no pun intended), as they’ll be increasing the capacity of some of the new A380s they’ve yet to take delivery of.
Emirates has already taken delivery of roughly half of the 120 A380s they have on order, and they don’t plan on reconfiguring any of their current A380s to remove first class.
Emirates’ two cabin A380s will feature a total of 615 seats, 58 of which will be in business class. In April we learned that Copenhagen will be the first destination to receive the two class A380, though in the meantime Emirates has published several more routes to receive this plane. These include:
- Dubai to Copenhagen on EK151/152 as of December 1, 2015
- Dubai to Bangkok on EK376/377 as of December 1, 2015
- Dubai to London Gatwick on EK9/10 as of January 1, 2016
- Dubai to Kuala Lumpur on EK342/343 as of January 1, 2016
Up until now we haven’t actually received any info on what the seatmaps will look like on the new A380s, though. Now AusBT has the scoop as to what we should expect.
Presently Emirates’ three class A380s feature first class at the front of the upper deck, business class throughout the rest of the upper deck, and economy on the lower deck.
With the new configuration, Emirates will be switching things up in an interesting way. The lower deck will continue to exclusively feature economy class seats. However, the upper deck is being switched up quite a bit.
Not only is Emirates cutting first class, but they’re reducing the number of business class seats from 76 to 58.
Interestingly the Emirates A380 business class seats will be towards the back of the upper deck.
That’s because Emirates will continue to offer a bar for business class passengers, and that’s most practically placed in the very rear of the cabin.
Meanwhile the front of the Emirates A380 upper deck will consist of economy seats, in a 2-4-2 configuration. That’s right, the economy seats will be in front of the business class seats, which is the first time that has been done, as far as I know.
Presumably this means there will at least be some nice lavatories for economy passengers seated on the upper deck, given that there’s the empty space which otherwise currently house the two shower suites.
Bottom line
I’m very curious to see the two cabin Emirates A380 once it’s in service. With over 600 seats it’ll be the highest capacity aircraft in the world. I can only imagine what a challenge it’ll be for the crews to work!
I do find it especially interesting that the business class cabin will be behind the economy class cabin. I’d say the upper deck economy seats on the A380 will be the best economy seats in Emirates’ fleet.
What do you make of Emirates’ two class A380 layout?
Heard you the first time @Mrs Wendy Callaghan
Re The remark by Wonkachoclate July 29th 2015
I am an educated female with a first class degree in social work. I have just seen this site by chance for the first time.
My daughter and her family live in Dubai and we visit her two or three times a year. Although, my daughter and her family travel in first or business class we travel economy. I have no air miles and I would prefer...
Re The remark by Wonkachoclate July 29th 2015
I am an educated female with a first class degree in social work. I have just seen this site by chance for the first time.
My daughter and her family live in Dubai and we visit her two or three times a year. Although, my daughter and her family travel in first or business class we travel economy. I have no air miles and I would prefer to spend my money on my house. We have a big house with two bathrooms in a middle class area. However,we are not rich, so In my opinion the joke regarding people travelling by economy class needing a shower is not only a sick joke. It is something that a person with little intelligence would say. It would not enter my mind to think it never mind post it on social media.
I am an educated female with a first class degree in social work. I have just seen this site by chance for the first time.
My daughter and her family live in Dubai and we visit her two or three times a year. Although, my daughter and her family travel in first or business class we travel economy. I have no air miles and I would prefer to spend my money on my house. We...
I am an educated female with a first class degree in social work. I have just seen this site by chance for the first time.
My daughter and her family live in Dubai and we visit her two or three times a year. Although, my daughter and her family travel in first or business class we travel economy. I have no air miles and I would prefer to spend my money on my house. We have a big house with two bathrooms in a middle class area. However,we are not rich, so In my opinion the joke regarding people travelling by economy class needing a shower is not only a sick joke. It is something that a person with little intelligence would say. It would not enter my mind to think it never mind post it on social media.
The 2-class A380s will become the standard for the BKK-HKG route starting in October 2017, at least from what I can tell. I was really hoping to try the EK F A380 on this relatively cheaper route (for cash), but the window of opportunity is closing too quickly for me.
Downloaded my tickets to day Man to Dubai Flt. EK20 should be on upper deck,47A and 47B
is this correct? a short time back same flight the the Econ. Upper deck only went to row 39??
Dennis...
You have a point Dennis.
According to the seat maps that i have on the Emirates A380 2class - the upper deck economy rows end at 39 - and row 47 is on the lower deck.
To verify what you have been allotted - you should log on with your Booking ref number to the 'Manage my booking' slot on the Emirates website and then go to seat selection and refer to the...
You have a point Dennis.
According to the seat maps that i have on the Emirates A380 2class - the upper deck economy rows end at 39 - and row 47 is on the lower deck.
To verify what you have been allotted - you should log on with your Booking ref number to the 'Manage my booking' slot on the Emirates website and then go to seat selection and refer to the seats maps provided.
To get to upper deck plan you need to tap in 'U' from the lower deck map.
Its all explained.
Hope you do get your chosen Upper deck seats.
For me- i no longer use Emirates, as, since they now charge for seat selection - the competition offers a better deal.
I just got downgraded from first to business (booked on points) from Prague-Dubai in September this year due to Emirates changing the plane on the route to a 2-class A380 instead of the original 3-class as booked. Very disappointing as had been saving up points and looking forward to the shower on board and Emirates First Class Experience!
That's really bad Mark. No wonder you are disappointed in Emirates.
I and my friends and co -travellers have also decided to change ships.
The charges that Emirates now make for making a seal choice-request in advance make them much more expensive than the competition on the Mauritius- UK route. The only other airline that has opted for seat request charging is BA on that route. So with that obstacle to choice and comfort and preference - good bye Emirates.
Complete disaster !!
You pay for Business class and have to wait for economy to get off before you, Whoops
That's a shame Kevin.
On my flight on the 2 class A380 Emirates, from Dubai to Mauritius, I did not notice if the Business class or upper deck economy class passengers were first off. Next time I'll watch out more.
I like window seats and as solo traveller I avoid all three seats side rows. It's more confortable for me having just someone next to me when getting out of my seat. A380 in coach, as in the A350, B787 or B777 is a pain.
The Upper coach in the A380 with two seats is just great. Why don't they introduce a Premium Ecomony?. There's a big leap between Business and Coach and this dedicated front cabin could be a nice option.
I Intended to review my trip ion an Emirates A380 Two Class from Dubai to Mauritius in October, but I was sat right at the back (as all upper deck economy seats were taken well in advance) on a crowded flight and i couldn't make it to see the upper deck.
But PLEASE ssssh about suggesting that it might tempt Emirates to charge more for the upper deck economy seats !
You are...
I Intended to review my trip ion an Emirates A380 Two Class from Dubai to Mauritius in October, but I was sat right at the back (as all upper deck economy seats were taken well in advance) on a crowded flight and i couldn't make it to see the upper deck.
But PLEASE ssssh about suggesting that it might tempt Emirates to charge more for the upper deck economy seats !
You are right about three abreast - for single travelers (or doubles) -to be avoid at all costs.
And definitely on 787's where the crew can override the individual window shade controls and black out all the windows. I was on a day flight from LON -LAX on a 787 .Not only was the three abreast seating very tight and uncomfortable - but the windows were blacked out by the crew override for about 9 of the 11 hour day flight. Never get me on a 787 again.
Hi paul well one more week and off on my travel s land of smile s here we come first time on 380 2 class sitting 25 b up stairs hope my seat has not been changed emirates say i lose another 6000 miles in june what is the point in getting in the first place just to get taking off me haha well have a lovely xmas paul and a happy new year ps hope they will let me have a drink at bar up stairs that would be great happy travels
Thanks Geoff- have a great time, and let us all know what the Emirates A380 economy upper deck is like.
Don't bank on that drink.
Am sure i will think of something paul haha try and charm my way in
We are off to Mauritius from Heathrow in September, business class all the way and back.
LHR to DXB is 3 class A380 and DXB to MRU is this new 2 class A380. Be very interesting to compare. Have to say off the bat, the 3 tier is the preferred plane, baring all the concerns people have mentioned.
The flip side is there are a LOT business class seats on the 3 tier...
We are off to Mauritius from Heathrow in September, business class all the way and back.
LHR to DXB is 3 class A380 and DXB to MRU is this new 2 class A380. Be very interesting to compare. Have to say off the bat, the 3 tier is the preferred plane, baring all the concerns people have mentioned.
The flip side is there are a LOT business class seats on the 3 tier planes, so having less seat may have a slightly more intimate feel. Just so long as economy people know their place and stay the hell out lol.
As an economy flier it'd be a nice to be upstairs, but as a one time business traveller, I'm not so sure this is the business class flight you'd want.
Your trip will give you a good chance to compare the 3 class as well as the 2 class A380's on Emirates.
No doubt you will be spoiled by the excellent Emirates Business Class Service.
I will also be traveling the same route in September in the other direction,but only one of my flights will be on the 2 Class A380 from Dubai to Mauritius.
If I am on your flight -...
Your trip will give you a good chance to compare the 3 class as well as the 2 class A380's on Emirates.
No doubt you will be spoiled by the excellent Emirates Business Class Service.
I will also be traveling the same route in September in the other direction,but only one of my flights will be on the 2 Class A380 from Dubai to Mauritius.
If I am on your flight - (& i will be in Economy) - i will try to be an 'Invisiblekid if I venture into the business class cabin , otherwise i am sure the Emirates Cabin Crew will turn me back.
I wish you a good trip to my country.
Will certainly reply with my thoughts. Interestingly at 1st booking it was 3 tier for all legs. Then when we picked up the paper work it had changed to 2 tier for the Mauritius flights inbound and outbound. Just checked again this morning and it's now only the outbound.
Earning a few flier points and might even try for a 1st class upgrade with cash and miles if any seats available.
Yes, the same with me. My outward flight Mauritius Dubai seems to be still a 3 Class version, but the return flight Dubai Mauritius is the 2 Class . Finding that out started my posts on this website, as the seat maps on seatguru seatmaestro and seatexpert were not accurate, did not provide the information required (or not there at all) . The posts i have received on this website have been very helpful and...
Yes, the same with me. My outward flight Mauritius Dubai seems to be still a 3 Class version, but the return flight Dubai Mauritius is the 2 Class . Finding that out started my posts on this website, as the seat maps on seatguru seatmaestro and seatexpert were not accurate, did not provide the information required (or not there at all) . The posts i have received on this website have been very helpful and informative.
The Emirates Office in Mauritius were also very helpful.
I will post my comments on the trip here, as well as on the airlikes.com website.on my return in October
Another sorry - Should have been K.
Sorry - should have been DXB
Thanks paul i all ready lost 6000 miles in june i travelled to Thailand xmas and ask about a upgrade they said i would get one in may when i went again to Thailand but no upgrade haha i have been flying with them 8 years now but i think am happy and lucky to be going on me hols anyway
Agreed, Emirates is a very impressive Airline, and now that their 2 Class A380's have Economy seats on the forward upper deck - they're even better. You are lucky that they use that version to Bangkok.
As for business class - I upgraded once ,but it cost quite a lot extra as you have to pay the Business Class Surcharges and taxes tariff I was on an A340 and although the space was much...
Agreed, Emirates is a very impressive Airline, and now that their 2 Class A380's have Economy seats on the forward upper deck - they're even better. You are lucky that they use that version to Bangkok.
As for business class - I upgraded once ,but it cost quite a lot extra as you have to pay the Business Class Surcharges and taxes tariff I was on an A340 and although the space was much more generous, I wouldn't ever pay the full whack they charge - .
It didn't take the airlines long to add a 'fuel surcharge' to their fare calculations- but it sure is taking them a long time to take it off.
I did ask emirates how much to upgrade and use my mile s aswell they said 1000 pounds one way it looks like i will just have to be happy with my seat 25 b on 380 2 class upstairs hope i can use posh tolets with showers haha i travel from Newcastle to Bangkok so i have seat 25b from dubai to Bangkok only i will try to book it on way back thanks paul
My guess is that the posh loos and the showers went out with the First Class seats.
What do Emirates use from NCL to DBX - 777's I suppose. I avoid them as much as possible.
All three abreast (or 4 abreast) seating- and as the advert says - When you've just climbed over 35,000 feet - who wants climb over 4 more!
25b ? My tip would be to go for...
My guess is that the posh loos and the showers went out with the First Class seats.
What do Emirates use from NCL to DBX - 777's I suppose. I avoid them as much as possible.
All three abreast (or 4 abreast) seating- and as the advert says - When you've just climbed over 35,000 feet - who wants climb over 4 more!
25b ? My tip would be to go for the A or J (i.e. window seats). as when I have had upper deck seats on an A380 I have taken along a soft bag and a cushion- and placed them on the cupboard shelf between the seat and the window-leaned over on to them, and had a fairly good nights sleep.
Hello i have 22800 skywards miles and 7200 tier mile s can any one tell me how many i need for upgrade i fly to Thailand 2 times a year with Emirates
Hi Geoff - I would advise you to contact any (or preferably your nearest) Emirates Office and ask them.
I had a similar query and emailed the Emirates Office in my region, and they answered me and were most helpful.
The Skywards rewards programme is quite a minefield , especially as these awards-miles expire at some point.
There's also lots of criticism on some travelers forums over the Emirates 'High Street' scheme...
Hi Geoff - I would advise you to contact any (or preferably your nearest) Emirates Office and ask them.
I had a similar query and emailed the Emirates Office in my region, and they answered me and were most helpful.
The Skywards rewards programme is quite a minefield , especially as these awards-miles expire at some point.
There's also lots of criticism on some travelers forums over the Emirates 'High Street' scheme where you can choose a gift instead of a travel freebie or upgrade. The gift cannot be picked up anywhere except Dubai and the place is outside the Airport and only open during the day (& not at night) . If you opt for the gift to be sent -you have to pay the Fedex fee & Customs and it can come to more than the 'gift' is worth. Hope it works out for you - best not to let the award miles expire after you earned them with so much travel on Emirates.
Thanks paul
Well you never know Geoff. Maybe some Emirates staff member will tune in to One Mile at a time and take you seriously and then you'll whoop with joy.
Happy Travels .
Yes sorry i mean upgrade haha i was to busy laughing to notice
Don't you mean 'upgrade'.
In any case I wonder if anyone from Emirates ever reads these posts
Well i think its a great idea having economy class in front of business as i have got seat 25b on upper deck for my xmas flight i think emirates are the best airline in the world and the staff are lovely been flying with them 8 years now and am not just saying this to get free update
To add to my comment on the Economy seats upper deck. Note that Seat row 24 does not have a window at 24A or 24K.
As for seat map sites
Seat guru does not show the bulkhead and service area between rows 32 & 33. and does not warn that 24A and 24K do not have a window. ...Some Guru!
Seat maestro does show the service area but also errs in including...
To add to my comment on the Economy seats upper deck. Note that Seat row 24 does not have a window at 24A or 24K.
As for seat map sites
Seat guru does not show the bulkhead and service area between rows 32 & 33. and does not warn that 24A and 24K do not have a window. ...Some Guru!
Seat maestro does show the service area but also errs in including two nonexistant seat rows at 22 & 23 ! Some maestro !
Seat expert does not seem to know that there is more than one version of the Emirates A380
Some expert !.
Just to add to the very interesting info posted by contributors above.
Re:- The Emirates A380 2 class version with Economy seats on the Upper Deck
This version is being introduced on more and more routes (where there is apparently less demand for First Class).
However - I have found out that only rows 24-32 can be chosen and reserved in advance- Rows 33-39 are not shown on the seat map supplied...
Just to add to the very interesting info posted by contributors above.
Re:- The Emirates A380 2 class version with Economy seats on the Upper Deck
This version is being introduced on more and more routes (where there is apparently less demand for First Class).
However - I have found out that only rows 24-32 can be chosen and reserved in advance- Rows 33-39 are not shown on the seat map supplied to clients by Emirates- They are kept back and allotted at the discretion of the Airport Duty Officer.
OK- you have a chance if you have this 2 Class version at your point of departure- but not so much hope if you only pick up this version at Dubai as a connecting flight.
Simon,
If this is all you have to dread, then life cant be treating you too badly
Some of the comments on here are quite cringeworthy....."I was met with chaos", "some economy were let off before business", "immigration lines will be 1-2 hrs"......maybe take a trip to Syria or Africa and see some real issues to address
thank you so much stephanie for this report - i am off on the A380 in business next week to copenhagen and have been dreading finding this out - it destroys the business class experience for me - definately will look at QATAR now they are flying from adelaide to copenhagen and birmingam uk - i love emirates service and connections but this is possibly the deal breaker for me
Having travelled with Emirates over the past 2 years quite frequently and lucky enough to have been in business and First, I was intrigued to see the 2 class A380. I wasn't impressed and I will for certainly look for the 3 class flight option for my future flights. From Dubai, you board the aircraft using the upperdeck air bridge. You are met with chaos. Economy is to the left of the door and also...
Having travelled with Emirates over the past 2 years quite frequently and lucky enough to have been in business and First, I was intrigued to see the 2 class A380. I wasn't impressed and I will for certainly look for the 3 class flight option for my future flights. From Dubai, you board the aircraft using the upperdeck air bridge. You are met with chaos. Economy is to the left of the door and also right of the door, you are then directed to you seat, having then to walk through the next economy cabin. My seat was 6E and I would most definitely not recommend this seat. This is the first row of the business cabin. You are next to the crew wardrobe and the crew are in and out of it all flight. You also have the curtain divide next to you. There's a constant flow of economy passengers walking through to have a nosey, just off to use toilet or see the bar. If you are going to have more passengers then they should have more crew as I found their standards had slipped. Disembarking in Manchester we had to wait for the economy passengers to disembark before we could, the very front economy cabin were held back until business were let off but the cabin in between disembarked first.
I would have liked to have seen the bar moved to the front of the aircraft, then business class then economy but hey ho I guess it all comes down to cost!
I have just noticed that the Two Class A380 has been assigned to Manchester and not Gatwick!
Hi Benn - thanks for the above (and for all the comments) - i have a booked business flight for early next year to Copenhagen (home) from Australia (adopted home) and i have to say i am slightly perturbed as to how it is all going to work - Hassan above has helped to allay my fears with the boarding (economy upstairs board via downstairs - which seems appropriate) but as for disembarking - cant...
Hi Benn - thanks for the above (and for all the comments) - i have a booked business flight for early next year to Copenhagen (home) from Australia (adopted home) and i have to say i am slightly perturbed as to how it is all going to work - Hassan above has helped to allay my fears with the boarding (economy upstairs board via downstairs - which seems appropriate) but as for disembarking - cant wait to see how it pans out really! and cant imagine copenhagen airport will cope with a full 615 seat flight - it only just copes with the 777 as it stands
Will the economy seats on the upper-deck cost more than the ones below?
Ben - I'm really confused!
To me the diagram shows business class in rows 6-23, and economy in 24-39. That makes me think business is in front of economy, no? What am I missing?
While not strictly the same set up, BA famously operate their mid-J 747s with the World Traveller Plus cabin in front of Club World. This was mostly to take advantage of the many split cabins and generous doors on the jumbo, so that WT+ would get its own space within the plane. BA pax and routes are a little different to Emirates, but BA do occasionally have issues with the cabin being sandwiched between Club...
While not strictly the same set up, BA famously operate their mid-J 747s with the World Traveller Plus cabin in front of Club World. This was mostly to take advantage of the many split cabins and generous doors on the jumbo, so that WT+ would get its own space within the plane. BA pax and routes are a little different to Emirates, but BA do occasionally have issues with the cabin being sandwiched between Club and First. One issue is that First has two dedicated lavs that are actually closer to the premium eco cabin, and the other is that the Club Kitchen is located in the galley behind. For the most part however, pax are either unaware these two exist, or are scared enough of the BA dragons not to take advantage.
What is currently happening on destinations such as BKK, is Y being overbooked by 40-50 seats, and all getting bumped up into J. Full of back-packers.
At several airports including DXB, the J pax board straight from the lounge, so this will keep boarding exclusive.
However it will be impossible to police the dis-embarking, and people nipping to the bar down the back during the night.
I'm surprised they are keeping the bar for a...
What is currently happening on destinations such as BKK, is Y being overbooked by 40-50 seats, and all getting bumped up into J. Full of back-packers.
At several airports including DXB, the J pax board straight from the lounge, so this will keep boarding exclusive.
However it will be impossible to police the dis-embarking, and people nipping to the bar down the back during the night.
I'm surprised they are keeping the bar for a limited premium section. Perhaps it makes it easier to switch configs, or they want to streamline the A380 experience, or maybe it's to make up for the fact they will be the last ones off the aircraft.
Many aircraft have flat bed seats in Business other than the A380...see
http://www.seatguru.com/charts/longhaul_business_class.php
@M - Yes. Only the A380 has fully flat seats in business; all other aircraft have angled lie-flat.
why not all business upper deck, just curious
Will this have fully flat beds in business class? Which aircraft still has angled flat?
I imagine keeping the bar behind the business class section makes it a lot easier to ensure that passengers from economy don't try to wander in and get some of the alcohol/ food.
What do the crossed out seats represent?
Didn't CO announce plans in late 2009/early 2010 (shortly before the UA merger) to install F seats in the back of the Bombardier Dash-8 (Q400)? Seem to recall reading something about it, but of course the situation vis a vis scope changed dramatically through the merger, but today the Q400s operate with F in the forward section.
New business model: charge $100 per shower in Y.
Ben, why is that many airlines are removing the first-class seats? Isn't it profitable? Mostly there's only 6-12 seats per plane and the cost is at least $5k / one-way so it should worth it. Any idea?
I wonder if they have kept the bar at the back to minimse conversion costs if they decide to go back to traditional configuration on these aircraft.
Don't like layout myself, noisier behind the engines and issues with de-planing, they are never going to be able to get economy to stay seated whilst business passengers walk past them!
I have a friend who's at a really high position with Emirates operations. From him I know that in dubai, all economy passengers will continue to board via 2 jet bridges on the lower deck. Those seated on the upper deck will have to use the front staircase inside the aircraft to board/deboard the plane via the lower level jet bridges. The upper level jet bridge will still be exclusively available to premium passengers in...
I have a friend who's at a really high position with Emirates operations. From him I know that in dubai, all economy passengers will continue to board via 2 jet bridges on the lower deck. Those seated on the upper deck will have to use the front staircase inside the aircraft to board/deboard the plane via the lower level jet bridges. The upper level jet bridge will still be exclusively available to premium passengers in business class. I think that's pretty interesting because that way the J passengers will not be blocked or have to wait for long behind Y passengers to board/deboard.
I just wonder what the system will be like at airports that use only 1 or 2 jet bridges and that too on the lower deck.
@ Hasan -- Hmmm, that's interesting. As far as I know the economy cabin will continue past the upper deck door, so either way business class passengers would have to walk past economy passengers. Curious to see how they implement that. Qatar Airways does something similar, whereby they make the rear upper deck economy passengers use the lower deck jet bridge and then walk up the rear stairs.
I can't wait to tell my friends: "I was sitting up front on an Emirates A380!"
This will be a complete disaster , expect; at busy times... airport immigration lines to be 1-2 hours if multiple jets land at the same time .... Recently flew in on LH before a EK A380 at SFO , the baggage carousel backed up, for it was taking 1 hour to clear immigration so even if you cleared immigration ( GOES ) quickly , it was 45+ min for your bags .... talked to a...
This will be a complete disaster , expect; at busy times... airport immigration lines to be 1-2 hours if multiple jets land at the same time .... Recently flew in on LH before a EK A380 at SFO , the baggage carousel backed up, for it was taking 1 hour to clear immigration so even if you cleared immigration ( GOES ) quickly , it was 45+ min for your bags .... talked to a co worker , from landing to getting out of customs was 90 min .... with GLOBAL ENTRY and on a regular A380 not the high density ! ... I would avoid these jets like the black plague .... the baggage situations seems to be a huge issue in many airports the carousels cannot process 750+ bags very quickly, at SFO they actually stopped the belt for the bags piled up .....Should be interesting at Copenhagen .... thats the smallest airport of the bunch .....
Does this mean no more cheap BKK - HKG shower suites?
@ Jon -- This plane is only being placed on one of the daily Dubai to Bangkok frequencies, and not the one which continues to Hong Kong. So no changes as far as the Bangkok to Hong Kong flight goes... yet.
I'm surprised as well. I wonder how logistics will work in regards to disembarking the plane. I understand the 2-class a380s are mostly for high volume/low yield flights but I think they could have put the business class bar up in the front where the first class bar is (and not have a bartender.)
I'm also curious what EK will do with all that space where the shower suites are located. Prayer area?
@ Joey -- Great questions. Wouldn't be surprised if they maybe put the purser's "office" at the front of the upper deck, which is also what Qantas does. Maybe slightly larger lavatories as well. But I doubt they'll have any sort of "amenities."
That's not a plane. That's a bus. Let's see how the halo effect holds up when these sardine cans start flying.
I'm surprised they didn't try to put the bar up front and stick with more traditional configuration. While having the business class in the back is nice from the boarding perspective (you don't get all the economy pax walking by) it doesn't sound appealing when deplaning since now you're stuck behind all those economy pax.
I'm going to guess that they will continue to board Y through the lower deck, and have the Y seated on the upper deck to walk up the stairs at the front near door 1L.
Then they will still have the upper deck boarding exclusively for J pax and have the curtain between Y/J closed during boarding.
Just my guess though.
Ben, they have 140 A380s on order, not 120 as this post says.
James: I would guess why they did business at the back is to keep maximum commonality with the 3-class A380s.
Maybe they should still install the 2 showers. At least the unwashed Economy folk could get in their weekly shower.
*bad joke, I know...
The ratio of business to economy seats is almost identical to the two-class 77Ws that Emirates already has. This is basically around one-and-a-half two-class 77Ws in seat count.
One more benefit for the upper-deck economy seats - they'll probably be some of the first to get off. Which matters when a single flight has 600 people on board. The lines at immigration won't be pretty.
"I do find it especially interesting that the business class cabin will be behind the economy class cabin. I’d say the upper deck economy seats on the A380 will be the best economy seats in Emirates’ fleet. "
This is also a real bizarre move, generally speaking is the ride not a lot smoother at the front end ? Hence why you typically pay more to be up front.
@ James -- Not just a bit smoother, but also quieter, in particular on the A380.
lol at "what do y0u make of.."
I think its going to be interesting.. logistically they'll have a tough time ensuring Y PAX don't board on the upper deck before C... imagine being stuck in the isle while the unwashed stow their bags and grumble!
@ Jono -- Grrr, darn WordPress glitch. Fixed!
So is that 557 people in Economy ? Man I would not want to be at the back of that immigration line.