Emirates to invest over $2bn to enhance inflight customer experience

Emirates is investing over $2bn to enhance its inflight customer experience, including a massive programme to retrofit over 120 aircraft with the latest interiors, plus an array of other service improvements across all cabins starting in 2022.

Sir Tim Clark, president Emirates Airline said: “While others respond to industry pressures with cost cuts, Emirates is flying against the grain and investing to deliver ever better experiences to our customers.

“Through the pandemic, we’ve continued to launch new services and initiatives to ensure our customers travel with assurance and ease, including digital initiatives to improve customer experiences on the ground. Now we’re rolling out a series of intensive programmes to take Emirates’ signature inflight experiences to the next level.”

Some of Emirates’ latest initiatives include elevated meal choices, a brand new vegan menu, a ‘cinema in the sky’ experience, cabin interior upgrades and sustainable choices.

Starting from this month, passengers can avail:

New menus:  New menus will be served on select Emirates routes in First Class, featuring dishes such as pan-fried salmon trout with moqueca sauce and creole rice, roasted duck breast with orange thyme jus, steamed broccolini and fondant potatoes. New menus will also be introduced to business and economy class on September 1.

Vegan choices: Vegans, or anyone interested in a healthy plant-based meal, can enjoy handcrafted gourmet dishes such as pan-roasted king oyster mushrooms, and flavoursome jackfruit biryani and sliced kohlrabi garnished with burnt orange. More options of vegan dishes are available to pre-order in all cabin classes.

‘Cinema in the Sky’: First Class customers can order cinema snacks as they enjoy the 5,000 channels on Emirates’ ice inflight entertainment system. The cinema snack menu includes lobster rolls, juicy sliders, edamame, and salted popcorn, and can be ordered on demand.

We’re ensuring all our passengers continue to ‘Fly Better,’ with the introduction of an elevated dining experience across all classes, followed by a massive programme to retrofit over 120 aircraft. https://t.co/yMM7mX4KAI pic.twitter.com/SoOPzLMGog

— Emirates Airline (@emirates) August 10, 2022

Farm to fork: Customers departing on flights from Dubai can begin crunching on fresh greens harvested from Bustanica, the world’s largest vertical farm and newly-opened US$40m joint venture investment through Emirates Flight Catering. Emirates is continuing to invest in sustainable operations and supply chains, seeking local food suppliers and farms wherever possible to serve the freshest produce on board.

Specialised hospitality training for cabin crew: The airline has partnered with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, one of the world’s top hospitality management schools, to craft the Emirates Hospitality strategy and encourage inspiring customer experiences.

Upgraded cabin interiors in all classes: The most significant investment is an extensive and record-breaking refurbishment of the aircraft fleet interiors, where cabins will be retrofitted with new or reupholstered seats, new panelling, flooring and other cabin features. Every cabin class will be refreshed and new ‘Premium Economy’ cabins installed.

With its first aircraft scheduled to roll into the Emirates Engineering Centre for retrofitting in November, planning work and trials have begun.

In recent news, the airline launched its third daily flight to Mauritius.

Read: Emirates announces third daily flight to Mauritius