Why Emirates Waited So Long to Add Premium Economy
Photo Credit: Emirates for a long time declined to add a premium economy section, calculating its economy cabin was luxurious enough. But that will change in 2020. Emirates
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No matter what Emirates President Tim Clark says, the airline probably wishes it had moved faster to add premium economy. Most airlines say it has been selling well, as customers are flush with more disposable income. Of course, if and when a recession hits, passengers will stop spending on these perks.
Emirates expects to introduce its "exclusive" premium economy on newly delivered Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s in 2020 and then will retrofit much of its fleet, but will not put the product on aircraft it doesn't expect to keep long-term, Emirates President Tim Clark told me last week in London.
If it happens on schedule, that'll make Emirates as much as a decade behind an important trend. Most large airlines have premium economy, a product airline executives say has been selling well in a booming economy as cost-conscious travelers trade up. But Clark said the airline wanted to wait to make sure the investment was worth its cost.
"I don't think we waited too long, because the yields we have been getting out of our [existing] premium cabins have been growing very significantly," he said at the Aviation Festival, an industry conference. "There was always a concern we would end up diluting that, and people would star
