Emirates Faces Lawsuit Over ‘Disgusting’ Business Class Seats
An Emirates business class passenger is pursuing a legal battle against the carrier after the product did not meet his expectations. Brodie Chapman, 20, flew from Oslo Airport (OSL) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) in April 2023 on a $3,240 business-class ticket. Chapman, who claims to travel with Emirates up to 20 times a year, that his business class seat was “absolutely disgusting” and a “misrepresentation of the brand.”
“They advertise this fancy product – the 777 or the A380 – and this plane I got on was absolutely disgusting,” Chapman said. “It’s a plane they don’t advertise – it was around 23 years old. None of the services they advertise or offer were available. The seats were grubby, there were socks stuck down the side of my chair, it didn’t recline properly, one of the screens didn’t work, and there were stains on the seat,” he added.
Chapman claimed Emirates only features its flagship aircraft, the Airbus A380, or the newer Boeing B777 aircraft in its ads, so he was misled to purchase a product that he believed would deliver the same level of luxury. “I pay more money to fly with Emirates than other carriers because they are meant to offer more luxury and comfort. But if the product they are advertising bears no relation to what you are actually receiving – I don’t think it’s really fair,” Chapman said. It is believed that Chapman flew on the airline’s older B777-300 aircraft.
Emirates initially offered Chapman 20,000 Skyward Miles, which Chapman refused. He is hoping to win almost $5,000 from the lawsuit. Chapman’s case comes just after Emirates lost a lawsuit in March 2013 and was ordered to pay $8,440 to a passenger who flew business class from New Zealand to the UK. Just like Chapman, the passenger was enticed by photographs of lie-flat seats, personal mini-bars and the latest entertainment technology.
The passenger instead flew on the B777-300ER which featured Emirates’ oldest business class product which bore little resemblance to the ads. Many other Emirates business class passengers have shared their “expectations vs reality” experience on social media. One passenger shared their experience on TikTok, saying that the airline’s business class was “meh”.
