One of the leading airlines of the Middle East, Emirates, is known for its widebody-only operations, luxurious cabin offerings, and attention to detail in all classes of service. The airline is the largest operator of the Airbus A380, exclusively operating the European double-decker along with Boeing’s 777-300ERs. Whether taking a quick 90-minute hop within the Gulf region or a 16-hour long-haul flight to the Americas, you have no choice but to fly one of the largest airplanes in the world with Emirates.
The Dubai-based carrier is particularly famous for its business and first class offerings, notably on the A380s. Simple Flying explores the business class offerings onboard the airline’s A380s and 777s.
Emirates A380 Business Class
Emirates offers lie-flat seats in a modern 1-2-1 staggered configuration for its business class cabin. The two center seats have a divider in between, providing privacy to the customers. The seats have a width of 18.5 inches and a pitch of 48 inches.
The seat can be changed to a full flatbed using the touchscreen controller. It also comes with various amenities, including luxury Bvlgari fragrances and amenity kits, a personal minibar with water and beverages, reading lights, storage consoles, power outlets, and charging ports.
Business class passengers also get access to the A380’s onboard lounge, where a range of snacks, desserts, and beverages are available. The lounge has seating space for socializing with fellow passengers.
Emirates 777 Business Class
On widebodies manufactured on the other side of the pond, Emirates offers angled, lie-flat business class seats in a more dense 2-3-2 configuration. The soft, breathable leather fabric provides ultimate comfort for the carrier’s customers. The seats have a decent width of 20.5 inches and a pitch of 60 inches. While the seat width and pitch are greater than that on the A380s, the biggest downside, by far, is that each row has a middle seat.
Traveling in the middle seat, particularly on long flights, can be discomforting if the passenger wants to get up for any reason. Nonetheless, it still comes with comparable amenities, including a stocked personal minibar, a luxury Bvlgari amenity kit, a storage console, power outlets, and charging ports. Emirates offers unique amenity kits for men and women on long-haul flights. According to the airline,
In 2024, Emirates is introducing new loungewear onboard select long-haul flights. Some routes will also feature comfy slippers and an eye mask. All business class passengers can choose gourmet meals from the airline’s regionally inspired appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Business passengers can order main courses of their liking up to 24 hours before the flight.
Business passengers are also entitled to book a complimentary chauffeur-drive service to the airport and enjoy access to the airport lounge (where applicable), which will feature a variety of exclusive foods, snacks, and beverages.
