Emirates was late to the premium economy game. Until 2022, if you weren’t a first class traveller, your choice would be the standard economy or business. I’ve tried both, and enjoyed both, but in general the extra expense of upgrading to business is just not worth it for me.
However, could I be tempted to shell out the – relatively more modest – extra cost for premium economy?
Emirates launched the new class to offer a more luxurious experience to flyers on the airline’s fleet of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 (premium economy is also available on the Emirates A350 operating to Edinburgh, which launched in January 2025). At present, 72 planes have been outfitted with premium economy; the new seats are available on 38 routes from London and Manchester, including New York JFK, San Francisco, Singapore, Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne, Mumbai, Vienna and Tokyo Haneda (Cape Town, Mexico City, Barcelona and Hong Kong and are some of the destinations to be added later this year and in early 2026).
The airline enlisted the likes of Penelope Cruz to show off the plush white leather seats with up to 40 inches of legroom and gourmet meals in a slick ad. It all looks good, but let’s talk price.
For a flight to Dubai, a return in economy 12 weeks in advance is showing as £625. For premium economy it’s £1,573. This is quite a steep increase, so is it worth it? In spring, I tested this route – one that I had previously flown in both economy and business class (first class we’ll leave for another day).
As with any Emirates flight, booking premium economy is simple and pricing is transparent.
At the airport, you get a dedicated check-in desk on premium economy. Flying from London Heathrow Terminal 3, the process was smooth and stress-free with zero queue – although admittedly this was also the case at the economy desks. As ever, Emirates staff were helpful and efficient – we had a connecting flight and they quickly sorted combining the tickets so we wouldn’t have to re-check bags.
With premium economy, you don’t get access to the Emirates Lounge (at Heathrow this is just for business and first), but you can upgrade for somewhere between £100-£150. Emirates lounges aren’t particularly glitzy or showy but they are comfortable and spacious. The food is great, and the wine even better.
On the plane itself, the configuration in premium economy (2-4-2 rather than 3-3-3) means that at 19.5 inches the seats are significantly wider (about 2 inches) than in economy, and you do notice the difference. The interior is a classic luxe style, with comfortable cream quilted leather seats, soft head rests and cushioned calf leg rest, which allows a very pleasant recline of 8 inches. This makes a real difference if you plan to sleep on your flight.
There is an impressive 40 inches pitch, which allowed plenty of legroom for both me and my 6ft 2in travel companion. At my height (5ft 4in – the same as Penelope Cruz as it happens), this level of space is enough to fully stretch out – it almost feels like there would be little point paying out a few hundred more for business class.
Specs aside, it just feels luxurious. The cabin is spacious; the seats are leather; there’s wood panelling similar to that in business class; drinks are served in glassware (and the wine list is pretty good; examples included Chablis 2022 from Albert Bichot, the Woodcutters Shiraz 2021 from Torbreck in Barossa, and Domaine Chandon 2017 – a sparkling wine that is an in-flight exclusive to Emirates Premium Economy); and cutlery is stainless steel and wrapped in linen napkins.
A longstanding complaint I have with Emirates (which stands in all classes) is this is not an airline that accommodates vegetarians well. On a previous business class flight, the staff struggled to find anything vegetarian for me to eat and I was left with hummus and crackers for a seven-hour stretch to Dubai. This time around in premium economy, the dinner options consisted of braised beef cheeks or fisherman’s pie. As has happened previously, the staff questioned if and why I hadn’t pre-ordered a vegetarian meal. Admittedly, this was my own lack of planning, but it seems surprising that a non-meat option isn’t readily available.
I was brought a vegetarian meal that was described as ‘rice and vegetables’ but was actually a simple, but very pleasant curry. Served alongside the main was fresh bread with butter, crackers and cheese, and a pecan and cookie dessert.
I later checked with Emirates about vegan, gluten-free and other diets and then reassured me that these can easily be arranged. It’s also worth noting that when I did try to change my preferences online, it turns out there is no vegetarian option available, although there is an ‘Indian vegetarian'. I have no problem with Indian dining, but it all seemed quite challenging to be served a simple vegetarian meal on an airline where cuisine is a top selling point.
That being said, service is flawless – slick, efficient and friendly. It’s what I expect of Emirates in every class and I wasn’t let down. It probably comes down to individual staff, but I was actually more impressed with the service on my premium economy flight than on business class flights.
Ultimately, the most valuable part of premium economy is the space. And yes, on a seven-hour flight this does make a real difference. Emirates has an excellent economy class so many would baulk at the prospect of paying an extra £900 for a flight – but you do get value.
With the level of comfort provided in premium economy, even if I could (and I can’t) afford to constantly upgrade to business, I’m not sure I would.
