Emirates 777 Business

Emirates 777 business seating

The new Business Class was unveiled at Dubai Airshow 2017 on the Boeing 777-300ER, then it was retrofitted to the airline’s 10 Boeing 777-200LRs (Longer Range). Here’s how the new product feels and which are the main differences compared to the previous Business Class.

VOLUME UP! Boeing 777-300ER (A6-EGJ) Emirates departing #Dubai (DXB) bound for Porto (OPO), flight EK197, November 19th.Video: AeronewsGlobal.com ???????? #emirates #UAE #b777

Emirates’ 777-300ER has three cabins: first, business and economy. The first-class cabin is made up of eight closed suites, each 20.5-inch wide with 69 inches of pitch. The business-class cabin, where I was, consists of 42 angle-flat seats, each measuring 20.5-inches wide with 60 inches of pitch. Emirates’ Airbus A380 business class will be used on the Boeing 777X. Compared to the 2-2-2 and 2-3-2 seat configurations, we find in Emirates 777 business class the new 777X will adopt what is becoming an industry standard 1-2-1 that ensures every passenger has direct aisle access.

Publicată de Aeronews pe Marţi, 19 noiembrie 2019

Two years ago we’ve been to Dubai Airshow to witness, first-hand, the global debut of Emirates’ new cabins for the Boeing 777-300ER. The highlight of the debut was the new First Class private suite, a game-changer product we’ve reviewed 4 months later, in March 2018 to Brussels and back (video).

Dubai Airshow 2017 also saw the debut of the new Business Class – which we’ve also sampled on the flights to BRU and back – as well as a new Economy Class and upgraded IFE. At this year’s Dubai Airshow we’ve experienced the new Business Class again on-board the 777-300ER on static display, so here are our thoughts on the product.

WING VIEWS / Downtown #Dubai, #BurjKhalifa, Sheikh Zayed Road and The World. Emirates 777-300ER (A6-EGJ), November 19th. Video: AeronewsGlobal.com ???????? #emirates #UAE Boeing

Publicată de Aeronews pe Marţi, 19 noiembrie 2019

Back in November 2017, Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, stated: “The in-flight experience is the heart of our brand and service proposition. The new 777 interiors that we are unveiling today are part of Emirates’ ongoing investment to continually raise the bar and exceed our customers’ expectations. Aside from our new fully enclosed First Class, Business Class features our latest fully-flat leather seats with personal minibars, Economy Class seats have adjustable full leather headrests, and the in-flight entertainment system has been upgraded for all cabin classes. Throughout the aircraft, our customers will see modern and airy cabins, with painstaking attention to detail evident in design touches such as the textured wall & ceiling panels, lighting features and more.”

Flying high: Emirates and Mercedes-Benz

As a reminder, the new First Class private suite for Boeing 777 echoes several design lines found in Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class flagship limousine. The collaboration with MB is no coincidence as both Emirates and MB are at the forefront of their industries, setting the standard through innovation, latest technologies and customer-oriented products. The partnership between the airline and the car manufacturer inspired several design details in the new First Class private suite, including the soft leather seating, high-tech control panels, and mood lighting. Moreover, Emirates’ First Class passengers arriving or departing in the UAE enjoy a complimentary chauffeur-drive service from aircraft to home and vice versa in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

New Business Class: sports car-inspired design

The ties with the automotive industry don’t end here as they continue also in the new Business Class cabin. Emirates says that the design and shape of its new Business seat on-board the 777 was inspired by the interior of a modern sports car, with a diamond stitch pattern on the full leather cover, ergonomically designed headrest, and a sleek overall look and feel. The seat has a pitch of 72 inches (183 cm) and moves into a fully flat sleeping position. It also has touchscreen controls for the seat and in-flight entertainment system, several personal lighting options, privacy panels between seats, a shoe stowage area, footrest, and a personal mini-bar.

Different layout: 777-300ER versus 777-200LR

Currently, Emirates has 155 Boeing 777s in commercial service (cargo and passenger versions) plus 126 777X on-order. At last month’s Dubai Airshow, Emirates placed an order for 50 Airbus A350-900s, as well as 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The new First Class private suite can be found on 9 Boeing 777-300ERs, which boast the following layout: 6 First, 42 Business and 306 Economy Class seats. The new Business Class can also be found on 10 Boeing 777-200LRs (38 Business seats and 264 Economy), but in a different layout compared to the 777-300ER: 2-2-2 versus 2-3-2. The clear advantage brought by the Longer Range is that every passenger travelling in the new Business cabin has direct aisle access. As you already know, Emirates’ Premium Economy product will be presented in April 2020 at Arabian Travel Market, Dubai and will debut on the Airbus A380 in November 2020.

Retrofitting the new Business Class on the 10 Boeing 777-200LRs was done in Dubai by Emirates Engineering from March 2018 until April 2019. Total cost of the refurbishment, which has been completed 3 months ahead of schedule: over US$150 million. On the 777-200LR there is no First Class, but the Ghaf tree – considered the national tree of the United Arab Emirates, and a signature design on the latest Emirates aircraft – is also present on-board the Triple Seven.

Besides the installation of new seats, the reconfiguration of the 777-200LRs also involved other changes such as new wiring for the lighting systems, raising the ceiling height in the Business Class cabin, and modifying the aircraft galleys to incorporate the new social space in Business. The Engineering team spent over 160,000 man hours on the refurbishment project, working with more than 30 suppliers and handling over 2,700 spare parts. On average, it took about 35 days for the team to completely strip and reconfigure each Boeing 777-200LR.

Chauffeur-drive and T3 Business Lounge, DXB airport

If you want to experience the new Business Class on the 777-200LR you can do that also on flights to Porto, a route opened this summer. After spending a few days at Dubai Airshow this November, we’ve flown to OPO with Emirates, flight EK197. The chauffer-drive from our hotel in Dubai to DXB airport, Terminal 3 – used by Emirates and flydubai (for some destinations) – was in a BMW 5 Series. It’s worth mentioning that for some destinations (see the First Class flight we took last year to Brussels and back), Emirates also offers complimentary chauffer-drive from the airport to the hotel, as well as from the hotel to the city’s airport on the return flight.

Coming back to our flight to Porto, we’ve arrived at Terminal 3 after a 20-minute drive. As it was early in the day, the dedicated First and Business Class check-in counters were mostly empty. We didn’t use them as we’ve already checked-in online and only had cabin baggage, so we breezed through security, then headed towards the huge Business Class lounge to unwind before boarding.

If you’re not familiarized with the lounge, you can easily get lost. That’s why it’s best to spend a few seconds and consult the board at the lounge entrance to have a clear picture of the lounge’s areas: Moet & Chandon Champagne Lounge – it’s never too early for champagne, right? – children’s Play Room, smoking lounge, Quiet lounge, Fine Dining, Costa Coffee, Health Hub, Timeless Spa, prayer room, mother & baby care, and Skywards Desk. For aviation enthusiasts, who always want to photograph planes parked at the gate from the best angle, the lounge offers good views, although the textures on the large windows and the architecture of the lounge, with its design elements, get in the way of getting a great shot of the aircraft.

Our thoughts on the new Business Class

Having flown several times with Emirates in the previous 777 Business Class product, we think that the new one feels more polished, more refined and with better attention to details, regardless where you look. On-board the 777-200LR, the seats are 2 inches (5 cm) wider, improving – even if by a bit – comfort on long-haul flights. Also on the 777-200LR, the overhead bins in the centre of the cabin have been removed for an airier and more spacious feel. Design-wise, the new Business Class colour scheme is more elegant, more refined than the old one, with champagne coloured finish and diamond stitch pattern on the full leather cover for the seats plus the ergonomically designed headrest first unveiled on the 777-300ER.

Making new friends at 40,000 feet

We also like the fact that Emirates tried to replicate the on-board bar from its Airbus A380s to the 777-200LR, which boasts a social area in Business Class (not present on the 777-300ER). The mini lounge area features snacks, sandwiches and fruits, as well as beverages for passengers to help themselves to during the flight should the mini-bar found at every seat won’t be enough. More than this, the social area is a nice touch and a subtle invitation from Emirates to passengers to socialize, make new friends or business connections while the aircraft is cruising at 40,000 feet.

Last, but not least, the new generation of Emirates’ award-winning ice inflight entertainment system is present not only in First and Business Class, but also in Economy. Each in-seat screen features ultra-wide viewing angles, a capacitive touch screen, LED backlight and full HD display, providing improved image quality and a richer, more immersive viewing experience. At 23 inches (59 cm) wide, these are the largest screens in Business Class, while the screens in the new First Class private suites are 32 inch (82 cm) wide.

With Emirates’ in-flight entertainment system you’ll hardly get bored. ice offers up to 1,500 movies from all genres and in 44 languages. The icecatalogue is updated monthly with approximately 100 new movies from around the world as well as music, TV shows and documentaries. To help passengers plan their trip more effectively, Emirates introduced a new function on its app to allow customers to browse the expansive entertainment catalogue, create bespoke playlists ahead of their flight and then sync it to their seats once they arrive on-board. The youngest passengers are catered for with a large selection of children’s movies and TV channels. ice also features varied content such as Emirates’ own Food and Wine Channels giving customers a behind-the-scenes look at how it creates its onboard menus, expert-led LinkedIn Learning courses and uTalk language lessons for beginners. Photos: Teodor Stefan / Aeronews, Emirates.

Dubai Airshow / Boeing will position a 777X test aircraft in Dubai in summer 2020.

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GOOD MORNING, Dubai! After 2 full and interesting days at #Dubai Airshow (more photos and videos to follow), time to…

Publicată de Aeronews pe Luni, 18 noiembrie 2019

RUSH HOUR earlier this morning, DXB airport. Due to aircraft change, we’re now flying at 34,000 feet with a Boeing 777-300ER (A6-EGJ) instead of the 777-200LR usually flying to Porto. ???????? Emirates #EK197

Publicată de Aeronews pe Luni, 18 noiembrie 2019

WING VIEWS this morning after departing DXB’s runway 12R to Porto: Downtown #Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, #BurjKhalifa and…

Publicată de Aeronews pe Marţi, 19 noiembrie 2019

FROM sunny Dubai to rainy Porto, a smooth 7h 50m flight. 25 years later, Boeing’s 777 remains an impressive (flying)…

Publicată de Aeronews pe Marţi, 19 noiembrie 2019

This is the second part of a recent trip review to Cyprus in which I was not only able to benefit from the wonders of the long-haul Emirates Business-Class services but also the delights of First Class. What’s more exciting is that both flights cost no more than an economy ticket! During this Emirates 777 Business Class review I’ll walk you through my various experiences of Emirates Business Class (both the good and the ugly) as well as providing a list of step-by-step instructions as to how you, too, could also fly either on Emirates Boeing 777-300er Business Class or even First Class for less than economy!

Booking – Emirates Business Class Flights

We all know that flying Business Class can be an expensive affair and with the Emirates Business Class flight price for a return journey between London and Dubai somewhere in the region of £2,400 it’s only available to a select few. That said – and as I mentioned earlier – it’s possible to use air miles earned through credit cards to significantly reduce the price of Emirates Business Class flights.

I was lucky enough to find myself in Cyprus through work and was aware that Emirates provided a daily flight from Dubai to Cyprus which then flew on to Malta. The opportunity to experience the Emirates Boeing 777-300er Business Class product and be able to provide this Emirates Business Class review was too good to miss! This review is for the return journey from Malta to Cyprus following my First-Class Flight (reviewed here) the day before.

Emirates Business Class Cost

Let’s start by looking at what this flight should have cost and what I was able to redeem it at.

The cheapest Emirates Business Class price I can find between Malta and Cyprus is in the region of £750 (825 euros). Now with the wonders of being able to earn miles through credits cards, you can reduce the cost significantly as seen below.

For those who are new to the world of air miles, if you sign up to the free American Express Gold Card (reviewed here) and spend £3,000 in the first 3 months you’ll receive a total of 10,000 air miles (12,000 if you use this link). You’ll also earn 1 point for every £1 spent on the card. Therefore with a little spending on the credit card coupled with the sign up bonus you could easily reduce the cost of this Emirates 777 Business Class flight from £750 to just £150.

Now I would highlight at this point that the flight between Malta and Larnaca is one of the best redemptions for Emirates. Emirates Business Class flights between say London and Dubai would require significantly more miles however this shouldn’t put you off! As you can see below an Emirates Airlines Business Class flight between London and Dubai would set you back a total of 45,000 air miles.

Whilst this may sound like quite a lot it’s possible for most people if you put your mind to it. Perhaps the easiest way to earn this number of points would by signing up to the American Express Gold Card initially for 12,000 point using this link and then the American Express Platinum Card (reviewed here). The card comes with a whopping £575 pa fee however, as you’ll read in my review, for most people this is offset by the benefits of the card. You’ll also receive an enhanced sign-up bonus of 30,000 points (35,000 if you use this link and scrolling down to the correct card). This is one of the cards I currently hold.

Emirates Business Class Seating Plan

So now we’ve seen that it’s possible to book and receive an Emirates Business Class Upgrade free of charge (actually it’s even better than an upgrade!) let’s get back to that Emirates Business Class Review 777-300er.

Emirates

The Emirates Business Class seats are arranged in a 2-3-2 format as seen below.

Emirates 777 Business Class Review Seattle

I was in seat 8G which is a window seat and a reasonable option. I’d note that the seat next to me 8F as well as 8B had fold-out TV screens which need to be stowed for take-off. This could be a bit of a pain if you want to watch films for the entire flight. I would also have had to climb over the person next to me if they’d had their seat all the way down, which is never great. Also try to avoid the seat in the middle if you’re travelling by yourself. The privacy is poor and you’ll always have to climb across someone if you need to get to the aisle.

I’d always recommend heading over to Seat Guru when booking a flight; there are various handy tips and possible issues you should look out for. An example of this would be the seats highlighted in red which do not have a window.

Emirates Business Class Chauffeur

One excellent benefit of flying with Emirates is that you’ll receive a completely free Emirates Business Class chauffeur who will both pick you up before your flight (within 50 miles) and drop you off at the other end (again within 50 miles). You need to book this at least 48 hours before your flight – although I had forgotten, and the customer services team at Emirates did an amazing job sorting out a car at 24 hours’ notice.

As I was just in Malta for the evening and travelling by myself, I’d booked myself into a local tourist hostel. I suspect I was one of the first to be picked up from that hostel in a chauffeur-driven car. What a great way to start the return flight back to Cyprus!

Check-In – Emirates Business Class 777-300er

Emirates 777 Business Class Seats

One thing you’ll notice about booking an Emirates Business Class chauffeur is that the minimum amount of time you can book a car is 3 hours 30 minutes before your flight. As I was staying just 15 minutes from Malta airport, I turned up in plenty of time! So much time in fact that the check-in desks hadn’t even opened. When they finally did, Emirates Business Class passengers benefit from a separate check-in lane, although not particularly useful when all check-in desks are empty!

In most airports you’ll also benefit from premium security with Emirates Business Class flights. This can save anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes, which meant I had even more time airside!

Emirates Business Class Lounge

Arriving early did have one benefit and that was the ability to experience the Emirates Business Class Lounge. Due to the size of Malta Airport and the limited number of Emirates flights, Emirates use a local, third-party provider La Valette Club Lounge. I usually find third-party lounges relatively unpleasant – overcrowded, very limited food and drink – however this was a real exception!

It benefited from the best outdoor area I’ve been to in some time, plenty of seating and even a reasonable food selection! Whilst this doesn’t compare to the likes of the flagship Emirates Business Class lounges in Dubai, the experience is a step up on most third-party lounges you’ll have access to when flying Business Class with Emirates.

Emirates 777 Business

Boarding – Emirates Boeing 777-300er Business Class

Once I’d made the most of the complimentary food and drink in the lounge, I headed to the gate where boarding was just about to commence. For the first time ever, I was the first onto the plane and shown to my Emirates Business Class Seat.

As I mentioned earlier I had decided to choose seat 8G which was a window seat and felt the most private. Now I’ve flown in Business with several airlines and in comparison to British Airways, the seat product was reasonable. That’s predominantly because the BA seat product is now rather dated. However, in comparison to say the Qatar QSuite, the Emirates Business Class product is miles behind the times.

The Emirates Business Class seats are beginning to feel tired and there was clear signs of wear and tear. What’s even worse for a night flight is that the seats don’t recline to a fully flat position and for anyone over 6 foot there’s a very annoying footrest that ended up driving me completely and utterly mad!

Now upon arrival you’re meant to be offered either a glass of Laurent-Perrier Brut, orange or water. This didn’t happen and in fact it took nearly 35 minutes for me to get my first drink! This was actually after my food had been served. For a Business Class product this is shambolic to say the least. I’ve submitted a complaint to Emirates (more as a test to see how they’ll handle it) and will update this post once I’ve heard back.

So having not been offered a drink upon arrival this Emirates Business Class flight didn’t get off to the best start and was definitely not the Emirates flight experience I’d imagined!

IFE System – Emirates 777 Business Class

Whether you’re travelling in Emirates Airlines Business Class or economy the in-flight entertainment system is exceptional. With over 2,500 channels there is definitely no shortage of good entertainment and with a set of noise-cancelling headphones you’re not going to be distracted.

Situated next to the seat is a tablet to control the TV screen which is mounted on either the seat or wall in front (if you’re seated in the front row).

For some reason the wall-mounted screens are slightly higher and glare can be bad during a day flight making it hard to see. I’d move to the seat behind if I was booking again! You can also gain free access to the Emirates Business Class Wi-Fi, which I didn’t use to surf the internet but did use to make an internet call (quite literally blew my mind!)

Amenities – Emirates Business Class Review

As I was only on a short flight with a flight time of 2 hours 30 minutes I wasn’t offered an amenity kit. If you’re flying on a long-haul night flight, you’ll be provided with a Bulgari-branded amenity kit which is one of the best in the skies and contains the usual necessities (albeit of a very high quality).

Food and Beverage – Does It Live Up to the Emirates Business Class Price?

The lack of an alcoholic drink before my meal was a massive downer. This, I believe, was due to the cabin crew wanting to rush out food. Whilst this was a relatively short flight, there were only a small number of people in Business, so this shouldn’t have caused such an issue.

On the Emirates First-Class menu was the following options:

  • Seasonal Fruit to Start
  • Main Course:
    • Grilled Beef Fillet
    • Seared Sea Bass Fillet
    • Grilled Chicken
  • Dessert Chocolate Walnut Brownie

This is a reduced menu due to the short nature of the flight and in my eyes provided a reasonable offering. The cabin crew took my order, at which point I’d highlighted that I was gasping for a drink and could they make this a priority which they did but it all seemed a little late.

I decided to go for the Beef Fillet as a main which, whilst it looked slightly unappetising, was very tasty. This was washed down with a nice glass of St Emilion. In all I thought the selection of Emirates Business Class meals was fine for a 2 hour 30 minute flight and not dissimilar to what I had received in First Class!

Emirates New Business Class – What Did I Miss?

Besides my welcome drink there were a couple of things which aren’t included in Emirates Boeing 777-300er Business Class in comparison to the Business Class product on the A380 (superjumbo!).

Emirates 777 Business Class Chicago To Dubai

One highlight of the A380 is the signature Emirates Business Class bar, which can be found on the upper deck and provides a space to stretch your legs and also relax away from your seat.

The Emirates Business Class seating plan on the A380 is also arranged differently in a 1-2-1 configuration compared to the 2-3-2 of the Boeing 777. Whilst the overall density is broadly the same seats tend to feel a lot more spacious due to the layout, see below:

Summary – Could I Justify the Full Business Class Emirates Price?

Justifying the Business Class Emirates price is always a tricky one and something that will vary for so many people. This was the first time I’d flown on the Emirates Boeing 777-300er Business Class product and perhaps it was slightly overshadowed by my First-Class Emirates flight (reviewed here) the day before. However, I was expecting just that little bit more.

The Emirates 777 Business Class chauffeur is a fabulous way to kick off any flight and really does have a cost benefit. I’d have likely spent £50 in taxis either side of the flight. There’s an argument to say this would be more if I was prepared to pay for a premium car (which I’m not).

Emirates 777 Business Class

The quality of service is generally outstanding; I think I was just unlucky with this particular flight. The Emirates Business Class lounge in Dubai is meant to be great, I’m hoping to review this shortly, and for a third-party lounge the La Valette Club Lounge hit the spot.

When booking I’d also recommend that you have a look at the Emirates Business Class seating plan using Seat Guru and possibly avoid the front row due to the height of the screen and problems with glare on a day flight!

We’ve seen how you can significantly reduce the Emirates Business Class cost using air miles and this is definitely something I’d recommend for most people. By signing up to the (free for the first year) American Express Gold Card (reviewed here) you can earn a sign-up bonus of 10,000 points (12,000 if you use this link). If you’re able to spend a further £8,000 on the card you’d earn 8,000 points. This significantly reduced the cost of a one-way ticket from £750 to £150! Worth bearing in mind if you’re considering flying Emirates Business class 777-300er.

As always, we hope you’ve enjoyed this Emirates Business Class review 777-300er. Please do share our post with anyone who you think may find it interesting!

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Emirates 777 Business Class Review

Ben @ Thrifty Points
Emirates Business Class
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