Emirates has just unveiled a new premium economy seat, which might just be the best in the world. What’s funny is that Emirates is still pretty new to the premium economy game, as the airline only rolled out the product for the first time in 2022, and is still working on installing it on existing planes.
This seat really does look pretty incredible, as it has electric controls and full height privacy screens. It’s really a reminder of how fast seat technology can improve…
Emirates ups the game with new premium economy seat
Emirates plans to launch what it claims is the world’s first electrically powered premium economy seat, featuring a full height adjustable privacy screen between every seat (now, that might be a slight stretch, because Japan Airlines has something along similar lines, though this product does have some unique features that are next-level). As it’s described, the new seat combines industry leading innovation with elevated comfort, giving passengers greater control over their personal space.
These seats will have 39″ of pitch and 20″ of width, and will recline into a cradle position, without intruding on the row behind.
The new divider provides a lot of flexibility, since passengers will have the option to raise or lower it using the seat controls, and lock it into position. This is also Emirates’ first fully electrically powered premium economy seat, allowing customers to adjust their preferred seating position at the touch of a button using the integrated passenger control unit.
As you might notice, the seat also features Emirates’ newly introduced U-Dream headrest. The airline is in the process of rolling this out in economy as well, and the idea is that it’s supposed to provide neck and head support, with passengers being able to adjust the “wings” into multiple positions for personalized comfort.
The Dubai-based carrier is also rolling out wireless charging in premium economy for the first time. Additionally, every seat includes USB-C charging, plus a tray table with an integrated phone holder. As before, seats have 13.3″ 4K HDR touchscreen monitors, and newly delivered A350s also have enhanced aircraft camera views.
Just for context, below is what the previous generation of Emirates’ premium economy seat looks like.
I must say, the new premium economy seat looks stellar. I’ve heard great things about Emirates premium economy in general (both in terms of hard and soft product), and the new experience really seems to take it to the next level.
I love how the privacy partition can be raised or lowered (since it’s annoying when it’s fixed in place, for those situations where you’re traveling with someone), and I also think the U-Dream headrest is really innovative. I’d say this raises the bar for premium economy.
The one thing worth noting is that while 39″ of pitch is above average for premium economy, that’s an area where some other carriers are really pushing into new frontiers. For example, EVA Air’s new premium economy has 42″ of pitch.
Emirates’ new premium economy will debut on Airbus A350
So, when can we actually expect Emirates to introduce these new premium economy seats? The plan is for them to be introduced on newly delivered Airbus A350 aircraft. The premium economy cabin on these planes will consist of 28 seats, spread across four rows, in a 2-3-2 configuration.
As of now, there are no official plans to install this product on other Emirates aircraft. This of course gets at the incredible complexity of airlines investing in new seating types.
Technology improves quickly, seats are ordered many years in advance, and it also takes many years to introduce a common product across a large fleet. Emirates is still actively retrofitting both Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s with premium economy seats, and those will continue to get the previous generation premium economy.
That’s obviously not ideal, but it’s the simple reality of how this industry works. I do have to say, no matter how much Emirates tries to invest in its product, the fleet is always struggling with multiple product generations at once.
Bottom line
Emirates has unveiled a new premium economy seat, which I’d argue really sets the new standard for this class of service. It’s electrically powered and has full height privacy screens that are retractable. Between that and Emirates’ new U-Dream headrest, I’d say this is a mighty impressive product.
Expect this to be installed on newly delivered A350s. Unfortunately there are no plans for A380s or 777s to get these seats for the time being, and instead, they’ll keep having the previous generation product installed.
What do you make of Emirates’ new premium economy seat?
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