Emirates announces the first Boeing 777 routes with its new business class
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Back in May, I was onboard one of Emirates’ newly refurbished A380s to review their new premium economy cabins and refurbished business class seat.
Something more exciting is on the horizon, however: the launch of a brand-new next generation business class seat.
Whilst business class on its flagship A380s is very comfortable, it’s a different story on its older fleet of Boeing 777s. Most of these planes have angled-flat seats in a 2-3-2 configuration without direct aisle access. As a consequence, it’s one of the least competitive business class products out there.

The good news is that plans to change this have been in the works for some time. The first of the airline’s 81 Boeing 777s to be retrofitted went into the hangar this month, and Emirates has now announced that the refurbished plane will start flying by mid August to and from Geneva.
Emirates expects each plane refurbishment to take approximately two weeks, and from September you’ll find two more routes getting the new cabins:
- EK312 and EK313 to and from Tokyo Haneda from 1st September 2024
- EK183 and EK184 to and from Brussels from 11th September 2024
It’s not yet clear what exactly the new business class cabins will look like. Here’s what we know so far:
- It will feature a 1-2-1 layout
- Based on the seat map, it appears to be a staggered layout
- There will be 38 seats in business class
- Seat pitch (legroom) is 44″ (111cm) – this is the measurement of the back of the seat in front to the back of your seat. Seats are longer in bed mode.
- Seat are 20.7″ (53cm) wide
- The seat will feature a 23″ touch screen
In another change, the refurbished aircraft will feature premium economy seating for the first time.
Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline said that the new cabins “borrow inspiration from our flagship A380”, echoing what Tim Clark told me when I interviewed him earlier this year.
It’s not clear if this means it is based on the same platform as the A380 seat – but with newer tech – or the totally new seat which was planned for the Boeing 777Xs. It’s possible that Emirates has pulled forward the launch of that seat given the multi-year delays it is facing on 777X deliveries.
Fortunately, with first flights less than a month away, we don’t have long to wait.
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How to earn Emirates Skywards miles from UK credit cards (February 2025)
Emirates Skywards does not have a UK credit card. However, you can earn Emirates Skywards miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.
Cards earning Membership Rewards points include:
- American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 15,000 Emirates Skywards miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.
- The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 37,500 Emirates Skywards miles
- American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 7,500 Emirates Skywards miles. This card is FREE for life.
Membership Rewards points convert at 4:3 into Emirates Skywards miles which is an attractive rate. The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 0.75 Emirates Skywards miles
The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it, not just with Emirates but with any airline.
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