For years, privacy on planes was reserved for the wealthiest travelers. Now that’s changing.
Emirates unveiled a new premium-economy seat on Thursday, with a unique privacy screen.
As well as being more private, the new seat is easier to recline and raise the legrest with electric controls. Plus, it reclines in a cradle position, which avoids intruding on the passenger behind.
While Japan Airlines was the first to introduce electric controls in premium economy, Emirates’ new seat also uses them to control the privacy divider, which extends to the full height of the seat.
Wealthy travelers have grown more accustomed to privacy since Emirates first introduced a sliding door to its first-class suites in 2003. In the years since, they’ve become essentially de rigueur in business class. However, premium economy passengers have typically had little to separate them from their neighbors.
Many premium-economy cabins lack any privacy screens, instead using a small panel that extends from the headrest. United Airlines introduced a divider in its Premium Plus cabin last year, although it does not extend to the seat’s full height.
While electric controls can make life easier for passengers, they are at a higher risk of malfunctioning than manual controls, increasing maintenance costs.
Emirates’ new seat also includes the U-Dream headrest that it revealed for the economy cabin at July’s Farnborough Airshow. It features two side wings that fold down and inward.
“The U-Dream changes the game if the person wants to sleep — by supporting the neck in full,” Emirates President Tim Clark said in the press release. “No more neck pillows needed.”
Business Insider tried the new headrest at Farnborough and found it to be a genuine game changer.
Emirates’ new premium-economy seats also feature wireless charging, and a tray table with an integrated phone holder — if you need a second screen in addition to the 13.3-inch 4K one on the seatback.
Emirates did not say when the new seat will debut, other than it being “on board soon,” nor which routes would see it first. It will be available on newly delivered Airbus A350 airplanes.
They have 28 premium-economy seats in a 2-3-2 configuration. The seats are 20 inches wide and have a pitch of 39 inches — the distance between the same spot on one seat and that of the row behind.
Emirates was relatively late to the premium-economy trend, first adding the cabin to its flagship Airbus A380 aircraft in early 2021.
The cabin has become especially popular since the pandemic. With travelers willing to spend extra money for more luxury, premium economy bridges the gap to business class.
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