Emirates has announced plans to revamp the business and first class lounge on board its A380 superjumbo aircraft.
The new design will be officially unveiled at ITB Berlin, the world’s largest tourism trade fair, which takes place from March 8-12.
Emirates’ president Sir Tim Clark said that “In our latest revamp, we have taken inspiration from private yacht cabins, and amongst other thoughtful touches, we have increased the seating space, and also made it more intimate and conducive for our passengers to socialise or enjoy our lounge service”.
The bar’s horseshoe shape will remain, but more seating will be added along the windows of both sides of the bar, with each seating area having a table and window view. The carrier says that the revamped lounge “can comfortably accommodate up to 26 passengers at a time, including eight seated”.
Other features of the revamped lounge include:
- “an airier look and feel”, with the use of lighter champagne colours and a glossy dark wood trim
- soundproof curtains to partition the lounge area from the other cabins
- additional soft ambient lighting options
- new window blinds with integrated LED mood lighting
- subwoofers for surround sound
- a 55-inch LCD screen on which customers can view the latest flight information, or enjoy live TV broadcasts of the latest news or sports updates
The new lounge is currently being installed on the first A380 aircraft, and will debut in July.
Note that it will only be installed on the carrier’s new superjumbos, rather than being retrofitted onto the near-100 A380s currently in service.
“The A380 onboard lounge is hugely popular with our customers, and has become an iconic feature of Emirates’ A380 offering,” said Clark.
“Particularly on long-haul flights, our customers tell us they appreciate the opportunity to stretch their legs and mingle in the relaxed, yet classy lounge area”.
Emirates says it will launch “a series of new cabin products and enhancements in 2017 for both its A380 and Boeing 777 fleet”.
The carrier recently introduced eco-friendly blankets made from recycled plastic bottles, as well as what it says are the world’s first in-flight moisturising pyjamas in first class.
