Emirates have upgraded their Boeing 777/300ER First Class Suites in spectacular fashion to raise the uber-luxe seat stakes yet again.
Welcome to the new airline seats that most of us will probably never fly in. Sigh.
Emirates new ‘multi-million dollar’ First Class Suites are the latest game changer for aviation, with floor to ceiling sliding doors and design features inspired by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class to take in-flight luxury and privacy to the next level.
With a whopping 40 square feet of personal space each, the six fully enclosed private suites are laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration and also feature wireless remote control of the ICE entertainment system.
Basically, they’re like an apartment in the sky that you’d be happy to cocoon yourself in for quite some time. Possibly weeks in fact.
First-Class dining
What to do first? Settle into your sports car quality, padded leather seat, pop on your Bowers & Wilkin noise-cancelling headphones to enjoy with your gigantic 32 inch LED-backlit HD video screen, or have a look through your Steiner safari binoculars to explore the sky outside your windows.
The windows even have actual curtains rather than blinds to give off that ‘Rail carriage’ feel. Though it’s unlikely you’ll ever see a rail carriage quite like this.
Life is good
Feeling a tad hungry or ready for a champers top up? There’s no need to press a call button, or even open your suite door for that matter. Just have a quick video chat with your cabin crew, place your order and then have your goodies delivered to you via a hatch in the wall for that truly ‘private jet’ experience.
Each Suite also has its own climate and mood lighting control so you can change the temperature and ambience to your heart’s content throughout the journey.
Even the middle aisle cabins have been configured to ensure all First Class customers have a window view, with the industry’s first virtual windows that project the view from outside the aircraft using real-time camera technology.
“Over the years we have continually improved on our private suites, adding thoughtful refinements and features. We are very excited about our new fully enclosed suite which is a real game-changer in terms of privacy, comfort, and thoughtful luxury.”
Tim Clark, President, Emirates
With many other carriers ditching First-Class altogether in favour of Business Class cabins and Premium Economy products, the ultimate luxury seats on Emirates remains a firm focus.
“There is a view that many carriers are pursuing a response to the demise of first class by coming up with some better business class product. I have to tell you that demand for first class on Emirates remains very strong.”
Tim Clark, President, Emirates
Emirates and Mercedes-Benz have also extended their partnership to provide a fleet of the Mercedes S-Class cars as part of their complimentary Chauffeur-drive service.
Home James…
Emirates First Class passengers arriving or departing in the UAE can cruise in style to and from the airport in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz S-Class car. They’ve even recruited Ex Top Gear journalist Jeremy Clarkson to front the partnership, who appears in a new ad.
So who’s going to be king of the First Class skies now?
The Residence by Etihad Airways
It was Singapore Airlines who first launched individual First ‘suites’ on the A380 ten years ago, with Etihad Airways then gazumping them with the famous Residence and apartment in the sky complete with private butler. More recently Qatar Airways Business Class Q Suites have muscled in on the suite scene and just last week, Singapore Airlines again raised the stakes with their upgraded A380 First Class Suites product.
The new Emirates 777/300ER aircraft will initially fly the cash-laden Premium traveller Brussels and Geneva routes from December, with other cities such as Chicago or Perth rumoured to follow.