The current Emirates first class is all about the bling. Everything is gold accent and faux wood grains. It appealed to some but was too gaudy to the masses. The first class seat was large enough but the suite itself wasn’t particularly spacious, with the doors closed, it can feel a little claustrophobic for a first class cabin. The suites were also not fully enclosed, where an average height person can easily look in.
The new cabin appears to address some of the issues. The decor is now elegant and understated luxury, which is so much more classy than the liberal splashes of gold. The room is now much wider, but 2 suites are lost due to the size expansion. The doors are now floor to ceiling, which means that the suites are completely enclosed for privacy.
Some interesting things about this new suite include:
- Virtual windows for the middle suites, where are camera on the outside stream life like videos to fake windows.
- The windows don’t have shades anymore, it’s all done by drawing a curtain. How luxurious.
- The call button can be a video call, where you can speak directly to the flight attendant from your room.
- There is a little hatch which opens for food/drink/newspaper delivery, so you don’t even need to open your door for the attendant.
- All lights in the suite are changeable to colour and intensity
- There is now a wireless remote for the TV.
- You can finally choose the temperature for your suite, finally don’t need to be freezing during your flight anymore.
Emirates’ new first class suites will debut on December 1 2017 on the new Boeing 777.
