Emirates Airline Introduces Premium Economy to Haneda, Holds Press Conference

Emirates Airline has held a press conference in Tokyo to commemorate the start of deploying its refurbished Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to Haneda Airport.

Since September 1, the introduced refurbished Boeing 777-300ER aircraft feature 24 Premium Economy seats arranged in a “2-4-2” configuration, revamping the Business Class seats in a “1-2-1” layout similar to the Airbus A380, with 38 seats and offering a small bar for refreshments. The configuration also includes 6 First Class and 256 Economy Class seats.

The Premium Economy class offers seats with up to a 40-inch pitch and 19.5-inch width, designed with stain-resistant cream leather and similar wood paneling as found in Business Class. Features include a 13.3-inch monitor, an adjustable headrest, footrest, and leg rest in six directions, along with welcome drinks, meals served in ceramics, premium wines and sparkling wines, as well as liquors and chocolates after meals. Passengers are also provided with blankets made from recycled PET bottles, spacious pillows, and amenity kits for a more comfortable experience.

Business Class seats offer up to 44 inches of pitch and a width of 20.7 inches, fully reclining into flat beds. Meals are served on Royal Doulton ceramics and Robert Welch cutlery, accompanied by choice champagnes like Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot. The Bulgari collaboration amenity kits come in four varieties, provided on certain long-haul night flights or those lasting over 10 hours. Chauffeur service is available for flights operated from selected airports, including Haneda.

The Japan routes feature the refurbished Airbus A380 aircraft on the Tokyo/Narita and Osaka/Kansai to Dubai routes, offering Premium Economy and staggered Business Class seats.

Satish Sethi, the Japan branch president, mentioned that Premium Economy’s appeal lies in its comfort exceeding Economy and its price being lower than Business Class, saying, “38% [of passengers] are couples, 28% are solo travelers, and 11-12% are families,” which is almost as anticipated. However, the demand for the Tokyo/Haneda to Dubai route was higher than expected, with around 1,100 passengers using the service in just over a month, 48% of whom were solo travelers and 18% were families. The introduction of the refurbished Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to Tokyo/Haneda as the second city underscores the importance of the Japanese market for Emirates. Concerning the possibility of increasing the number of flights on Japanese routes, he stated, “It would be wonderful if we could grow, but we are satisfied with one flight each, considering the size of the Japanese market.”

Demand from Japan includes not only European destinations like Paris, Barcelona, and Rome but also Sao Paulo in Brazil where many Japanese reside. Usage by school groups is also noted due to the higher number of seats available per flight on the Airbus A380 aircraft.

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