Emirates brings new Business Class cabins on its Boeing 777 with a 1-2-1 layout to Australia

• Emirates is replacing its route between Melbourne, Singapore and Dubai with a direct night flight to the Gulf.
• Travelers on the tapered end can expect a more spacious 1-2-1 design.
• Premium economy is also seeing a resurgence, while first class remains the ultimate private haven.

Emirates has increased its Melbourne-Dubai route to three daily flights, replacing the Melbourne-Singapore-Dubai flight with a direct night flight from Tullamarine to the Gulf. Sadly, this came with the discontinuation of the short flight between Melbourne and Singapore – a tragic outcome for all places – but in its place has been a dedicated route to Dubai that sets you up perfectly for the morning flurry of flights out of Dubai and on to Europe, the UK or Africa.

If you’re lucky enough to fly to the pointy end – and with these new cabins, you really are a lucky pup – or if you hold Skywards Gold or Qantas Gold, you can have an early morning glass of fizzybrew on the plane. Emirates Dubai Lounge Champagne straight after landing… because who doesn’t love a lively flute of bubbles with breakfast?

Emirates Business Class gets a late upgrade

The real star in all of this is… Emirates Airlines redesigns the Boeing 777which finally ditched the cramped 2-2-2 layout – or, worse, the 2-3-2 layout that the airline had held for so shamefully long – in favor of a more civilized 1-2-1 layout. Everyone has direct aisle access, and the seat itself is raised from the Emirates A380 Business Class layout. Here’s what you can expect:

• Seat width is 20.7 inches
• Fully flat bed
• 23 inch HD screen
• AC power, USB-A, and USB-C
• Personal minibar (not refrigerated…).

There’s also a ‘mini-bar’ in the cabin, so you’ll never be a few steps away from grabbing a hard-earned snack or drink between gourmet meals. Critics might say this is it both of them Late and disappointing, considering competitors like Singapore Airlines have been offering this level of business class cabin to customers for several years now. Although this isn’t technically a bug, these haters can’t deny that this new design is still leaps and bounds ahead of the old 777 setup.

First class and premium economy

If you can’t afford or save on business points, fear not, there’s something for you too: Premium Economy has received a major overhaul, offering a 2-4-2 layout with 24 seats, featuring a spacious 38 inches of pitch and 8 inches of recline. If you are on the other end of the spectrum and have more money than is reasonable, there are first class private suites available for these people.

The other two daily flights from Melbourne to Dubai will be served on the A380 superjumbo, which for many is the aircraft of choice due to its on-board bar and showers in first class. Over time, Emirates plans to refurbish 81 Boeing 777 aircraft, which in itself is a tactic to buy time as it repeatedly postpones other Boeing 777-9 purchases.

Emirates also has ambitions to bring some great products Airbus A350 aircraft in its fleetfeaturing a business class “S Lounge” seat with wireless charging, advanced in-seat lighting and 4K displays as well as complimentary Wi-Fi from ViaSat’s Global Xpress. Sadly, there are no confirmed plans for these trips Down Under, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed…