Emirates’ new first class cabin has been highly anticipated since its expected announcement way back in 2015. Aviation enthusiasts waited through 2015 and 2016 with no announcements being made about the new first class cabin, aside from being told that it would be like sitting in a rail car or private cabin. Then in early 2017, Emirates announced the newly designed onboard bar, which made many believe that the new first class cabin would be announced at ITB Berlin, but that didn’t happen either.
Well, after a couple of years of waiting, we’ve finally gotten confirmation that the Emirates first class cabin will be announced at the Dubai Airshow in November 2017.
Emirates announced this via Instagram stating:
First gets better! We will be revealing a new First Class product at the Dubai Airshow in November 2017. Making its debut on the Emirates @Boeing 777-300ER, our new First Class cabin will feature 6 private suites laid out in a spacious 1-1-1 layout. Our Business Class and Economy Class cabins will also sport a totally new look. Watch this space! #NewEmirates777
This confirms that the seat map that we saw earlier this month for the 777 was the actual seat map for the new first class cabin.
I think everyone’s excited for what Emirates might be able to do with the a 1-1-1 configuration. I’m also very excited to see an evolution in Emirates’ cabin that’s more in line with the new bar that hopefully isn’t as blingy as the old cabin and closer to what we see on Etihad or Singapore.
Looking at the seat map that was revealed, it’s still hard to see what this new layout will consist of. It looks like there might be some kind of L-shaped suites but it’s hard to make out how that would work given the seat map we have to look at.
It’s also interesting to me that business class and economy are both also receiving a face lift. Many were not happy with the business class on the 777 (which is configured with 2-3-2 seating), so it’s good to see that Emirates seems to be re-working the design and hopefully layout with those seats.
It’s an exciting time for new premium cabins. Singapore Airlines should also be announcing its new first class cabin very soon too, which looks like it will also only feature 6 seats. And of course, Qatar is set to beginning flying its new Q Suites in business class next month on June 10th.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
