Emirates premium economy review – A380 from London to Dubai

This is our review of Emirates premium economy seat and service on an A380 flight from London Heathrow to Dubai International.

Emirates’ premium economy has been on my bucket list ever since it launched in 2021 as part of a big A380 refurbishment program.

It was the first of the three large Middle Eastern airlines to introduce the cabin and I was interested to see how it would work. The private jet-style cream leather seats are so different from any other airline cabin that it is immediately recognisable.

Emirates is 29 years late to the party: premium economy was first introduced by Virgin Atlantic and EVA Air in 1992. For a long time, the airline took the view that what other airlines did with premium cabin “was basically the same as our economy.”

You can read more about how Emirates came to introduce premium economy in our interview with CEO Sir Tim Clark. The bottom line is that they could no longer ignore the crowing from other airline CEOs on how successful (and profitable) premium economy was – often the most profitable cabin per square foot.

So far, the airline has refurbished 22 of its A380s with premium economy. 169 aircraft remain – an almost even split between A380s and Boeing 777s, with the first refurbished Boeing 777 arriving this year.

For now, premium economy is being offered on Emirates’ most popular routes including London, Paris, Sydney and Christchurch.

Emirates provided my return flight to Dubai for review purposes. It did not pay for my accommodation or incidental expenses.

Emirates seat selection & app

Before I get into the nitty gritty of the review, I want to give a quick shout out to the Emirates app and website which offers a huge amount of information for you flight in advance. This includes the in-flight dining menu for your exact flight as well as all the films and TV shows loaded on board.

My favourite feature, however, is the seat selection tool. This features a fully interactive 3D render of the cabin so that you know exactly what you’re getting and can choose precisely the seat you’d like. Seat selection is free for all Emirates premium economy customers.

Emirates Premium Economy check-in at Heathrow

Check-in for all Emirates classes is in Zone F of Heathrow Terminal 3.

Signage for premium economy could be better. When I first arrived, it was unclear whether there were dedicated premium economy check-in desks: economy passengers were directed to self-check-in screens whilst First Class and Business Class was clearly signed.

I initially assumed that premium economy was lumped in with economy, only to realise that there were in fact two dedicated counters tucked away at the back of Zone F.

It’s great that Emirates has this but they clearly need to do a better job of pointing passengers in the right direction!

Unfortunately, Emirates premium economy does not come with fast track security at Heathrow. Nor is access to The Emirates Lounge at Heathrow (review here), although you can pay to access it as I did.

Onboard Emirates A380 premium economy

Emirates has installed its premium economy cabin at the front of the main deck of the A380, ahead of the economy cabin. First and Business are on the upper deck.

It is a relatively large cabin by premium economy standards. There are 56 seats across eight rows in a 2-4-2 configuration:

The main deck of the A380 is truly cavernous, with the sidewalls continuing to curve outwards way above eye level – you really do get a sense of space.

The forward stairs between the main and upper deck sit in the middle of the cabin at the front. This creates some very private seat pairs on either side in rows 33 and 34.

I chose seat 37A, a window seat, and with the cabin only half full I had an empty seat next to me which was pleasant.

In terms of design, the style is very much a continuation of its First Class and Business Class cabins with walnut veneer and bright cream leather seats. It’s instantly recognisable and reminiscent of private jets – totally different to any other premium economy cabin I’ve seen.

My particular aircraft was refurbished with the new cabins in March so had been flying for about two months at this point. Despite this, the cabin was absolutely immaculate and looked brand new. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cleaner cabin: the cream leather seating showed no signs of staining or wear whilst the carpets and little nooks and crannies around the seat were also spotless. There was nary a crumb or speck of dust in sight.

If the seats look familiar that’s because they’re based on Recaro’s popular PL3530 seat, which is also used by British Airways and other airlines. Emirates has installed them with 40″ of pitch which is on the upper end for premium economy (38″-39″ is typical). There is more than enough leg room:

The 8″ recline is decent:

You also get a fold down foot rest and fold-up calf rest:

The headrest slides up and down and features folding wings, which help.

One thing I did notice in the massive main deck cabin is that the seat is actually very far away from the side walls – about a foot at head level. This means that you cannot lean against the side if you’re sitting in a window seat. In fact, there is so much space that Emirates could have installed more storage.

In between the seats in the footwell you’ll find an open storage unit which Emirates has used to store your headphones. I found it was a good spot to put the slippers which I had brought.

There’s also a clever storage shelf underneath the TV screen where you can place a phone whilst it’s charging or even a pair of glasses.

One super-premium feature I didn’t expect to find in premium economy was electric window shades, which you can adjust at the push of a button. This features two options – a blackout blind and a white option that blocks direct sun but lets light through. Most airlines don’t even offer this in Business Class, so having it in premium economy is a real bonus.

A small cocktail table was at the armrest whilst the tray table folded out from inside the armrest:

You’ll be pleased to know that dedicated overheard air vents have been retained:

Emirates premium economy amenities

Waiting for me at my seat was a pillow and plastic-wrapped brown fleece blanket. Emirates seems to be behind the curve on removing plastics in general, if I’m honest. There was also a water bottle tucked into the back of the seat pocket.

Emirates did not offer amenity kits on my flight. On longer flights, you get the economy amenity kit with eye mask, socks, dental kit and bookmark.

There are three lavatories for the premium economy cabin, which was great. These are all at the front of the cabin behind the flight deck. They featured The White Company Noir toiletries.

Inflight entertainment and connectivity

Let’s talk about the tech in the seat. There are ample charging points: each passenger gets a dedicated USB-A and 60W USB-C port under the in-flight entertainment screen. A single mains socket, located between you and your neighbour’s legs, is shared between two.

Emirates premium economy features a 13.3″ in-flight entertainment screen with a lovely matte coating. There were multiple physical buttons underneath the screen to pause/play, adjust the volume, call an attendant or turn on the overhead light. I found these useful, particularly for pausing when cabin crew came over.

Emirates is famous for its extensive entertainment library, touting up to 5,000 different films, TV shows, albums, channels and more. It is vast – so big that you have a hard time deciding what to watch. It felt like it had every cinema release from the past 5+ years.

There are also extensive catalogues of foreign-language content, including Arabic, Bollywood and more.

Unfortunately, the supplied headphones were pretty rubbish – very cheap and flimsy – by far the worst part of the Emirates premium economy experience. Bring your own.

Despite being a brand-new seat, Bluetooth pairing for headphones was not possible which was a shame. I’m not sure if Emirates simply haven’t turned this feature on yet or whether the hardware doesn’t support it, but it’s a missed opportunity.

Emirates onboard wifi

Emirates has recently introduced free wifi on board. If you’re a Skywards member – regardless of status – you’ll get free in-flight messaging regardless of cabin. This worked well for me for Whatsapp, but less well for Instagram messaging.

Multiple packages were available to upgrade, including a 30-minute package for $9.99 (poor value) or a full flight package for $16.99 (better value). Streaming is blocked for both.

I tested the full flight package on my return and found it worked very well for light browsing, sending emails and social media.

Emirates premium economy dining and service

The premium economy service started with pre-departure drinks served in real glassware. Some airlines don’t even serve their business class passengers pre-departure drinks in glass so this was a welcome upgrade. The choice consisted of water, orange juice or lemon-mint juice.

After take-off, the crew handed out one-page menus:

…. and offered another round of drinks served with a bag of nuts. In premium economy, Emirates serves 2016 vintage Australian Chandon sparkling wine:

Lunch was a broad bean salad, choice of roasted chicken or fisherman’s pie and a passion fruit and mango delice for dessert.

Although the cabin was half empty, they had run out of hot roasted chickens by the time they got to my row. However, the cabin crew offered to let me try the fisherman’s pie and then come back with the roast chicken as soon as extra were ready in the oven, which I took them up on.

It was quicker than expected and about five minutes later I was able to try the roast chicken, which was definitely the better of the two!

The meal is delivered as a one-tray service with crockery and business class cutlery. A bread roll is also offered.

After lunch, a tea and coffee service is available. This comes in a takeaway paper cup with lid. This is the only single-use / disposable cup used on the entire flight, with all other drinks served in glass. I’m on the fence as to whether this is smart – to prevent spillages during turbulence – or just a cost saving.

Although this was a day flight we were flying into the night and as the sun set the cabin lights were dimmed to allow customers to get some sleep. It was at this point that the starry sky in the ceiling panels became apparent, which was very cool!

Shortly before landing a light meal service was offered in the form of finger sandwiches, a mini bag of pretzels and some sweet treats:

Service from all the crew, but especially Mohamed who was in charge of our cabin, was fantastic. Always friendly, attentive and generally knowledgeable

Conclusion

My first time on Emirates didn’t fail to impress. I can see why people genuinely go out of their way to fly them.

There are some surprising omissions, such as the lack of amenity kit or Bluetooth pairing, whilst the provided headphones were shocking. And yet …. I stepped off the flight feeling like I had just enjoyed six hours with the best premium economy experience out there.

The crew and service was fantastic – much better, frankly, than I expected – not just with me but with everyone in the cabin. They dealt with the minor hiccough of running out of pre-heated roast chicken mains deftly.

What really impressed me were the cabin finishes. I didn’t think I was going to love the private jet aesthetic, but it looks incredibly smart in person and is so impeccably clean you’d think it had just come back from refurbishment.

Being on board an A380 is always a pleasure too. It is so quiet and comfortable, both in terms of space and the ride (you barely notice takeoff). It’s a shame they’re a dying breed.

Whilst not perfect it is very, very good. With a few small changes, Emirates could be wiping the floor with competition.

You can find out more on the Emirates website here.

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How to earn Emirates Skywards miles from UK credit cards (April 2025)

Emirates Skywards does not have a UK credit card.  However, you can earn Emirates Skywards miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.

Cards earning Membership Rewards points include:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 15,000 Emirates Skywards miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with four free airport lounge passes.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 50,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 37,500 Emirates Skywards miles

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 7,500 Emirates Skywards miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 4:3 into Emirates Skywards miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 0.75 Emirates Skywards miles

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it, not just with Emirates but with any airline.