Emirates is expected to downgrade its flights to Houston by replacing the incumbent A380 with the B777-300ER from July 1, 2016, reports airlineroute.net.
This will be the first time the airline has permanently downgraded its flights to the US – a market which has seen significant growth in recent years by the “Big Three” Gulf carriers, much to the ire of the “Big Three” US airlines.
Emirates' A380
The aircraft change will lead to a downgrade of on board products for premium passengers.
Emirates’ A380 has been widely praised for its world-class amenities, which include first class shower suites and the signature bar, but neither of these are offered on the B777-300ER.
Shower suite on the A380
In addition, unlike the fully-flat bed business class seats available on the superjumbo, the equivalent product on the Boeing aircraft is an angle-flat seat. Business class seats on the A380 are also arranged in a comfortable 1-2-1 layout, while the B777-300ER sports a tighter 2-3-2 configuration instead.
In terms of capacity, the A380 currently offers 14 suites in first, 76 seats in business and 399 in economy. When deployed, the B777-300ER will feature only eight in first, 42 in business and 310 in economy. First class capacity will drop by 42 per cent, while business and economy will fall by 44 and 22 per cent respectively.
For more information, visit emirates.com
Clement Huang
