Stansted gets the new Emirates Boeing 777 cabins from May, including Premium Economy

Emirates has been surprisingly successful with its long haul services from London Stansted, tapping into demand from the life sciences sector and Cambridge overseas students.

The airline now has two departures per day from the airport, and late last year opened a dedicated Emirates Lounge.

Emirates has now announced the launch date for an upgraded 777 on the route – 7th May.

What do upgraded Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft feature?

Emirates is refitting 81 of its Boeing 777 fleet, and the changes are substantial. You can see the details online here.

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.

This is going away. Here is the new Boeing 777 business class cabin:

This is what you get:

• There are 38 seats in business class
• It features a 1-2-1 staggered layout
• 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.
• Seats are 20.7″ (53cm) wide
• The seat feature a 23″ touch screen

Premium Economy arrives at Stansted

In another change, the refurbished aircraft will feature premium economy seating for the first time.

Emirates was late to the game with a premium economy cabin. The company has admitted that it would have done it a lot sooner if it knew how well it would be received.

I reviewed Emirates A380 premium economy seat here if you want to get a feel for it.

You can also fly the amazing First Class Suite

The Boeing 777 aircraft flown out of Stansted also feature the astonishing Emirates First Class Suite, which is arguably the finest First Class product out there.

Rob reviewed Emirates Boeing 777 First Class on a flight from Stansted in 2019 – see here. With £250 bottles of wine and £790 bottles of cognac on offer, it’s certainly an experience.

Booking the new aircraft

Initially, only one of the two daily flights from Stansted will feature a refurbished Boeing 777.

To avoid the terrible 2-3-2 angled business class layout, you want to book on EK66. This is the 14.05 departure from Stansted which lands in Dubai at 01.00 the following day.

The return flight with the new seating will be EK65. It leaves Dubai at 08.15, landing in Stansted at 12.05.

7th May appears to be the backstop date – Emirates says that it will launch earlier if it gets the aircraft back earlier than planned.

Emirates has a dedicated page for the ‘new’ Boeing 777 on its website – click here.

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How to earn Emirates Skywards miles from UK credit cards (March 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• 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

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• 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.