Emirates investing big in passenger experience
A few of the new menu selections that are debuting on Emirates this month
Emirates announced today it is investing more than US$2 billion to enhance its inflight customer experience, including a massive program to retrofit more than 120 aircraft with new interiors, plus an array of other service improvements across all cabins starting this year.
Some of Emirates’ latest initiatives include elevated meal choices, a new vegan menu, a ‘cinema in the sky’ experience, cabin interior upgrades and sustainable choices.
Starting this month, Emirates’ passengers can look forward to new menus will be served on select Emirates routes in First Class. Featured dishes in First Class include 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 September 1.
Emirates’ new vegan menu is carefully curated to cater to the growing numbers of passengers making the choice. Vegans can order handcrafted gourmet dishes such as pan-roasted king oyster mushrooms, ackfruit biryani and sliced kohlrabi garnished with burnt orange. Desserts are a choice of chocolate truffle cake with hazelnut, pistachio and gold leaf, or green grape tart adorned with candied rose petals, vanilla custard, and berry compote glistening with yuzu pearls. Vegan dishes are available to preorder in all cabin classes.
Emirates’ First Class passengers can now savor unlimited portions of Persian caviar as part of the ‘dine on demand’ service, with a pairing of Dom Perignon vintage champagne. Emirates is the only airline with an exclusive agreement to offer the luxury brand on-board.
The cinema snack collection available on demand in First Class
First Class passengers can create a memorable movie moment on-board by ordering cinema snacks as they enjoy the 5,000 channels on Emirates’ ice inflight entertainment system. The cinema snack menu includes more classics such as lobster rolls, juicy sliders, edamame, and salted popcorn, and can be ordered on demand. All passengers can also curate their own ice experience before their flight, simply by browsing and pre-selecting movies or TV shows on the Emirates app, which can then be synced to ice the moment they board, maximizing the seamless travel experience.
Emirates’ passengers departing on flights from Dubai can begin crunching on fresh greens harvested from Bustanica, the world’s largest vertical farm and newly opened US$40 million 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.
Emirates 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.
The most significant investment is an extensive refurbishment of the aircraft fleet interiors, where cabins will be retrofitted with new or reupholstered seats, new paneling, flooring and other cabin features. Benefitting all Emirates passengers, every cabin class will be refreshed and new Premium Economy cabins installed. After the retrofit, Emirates will have a total of 120 aircraft offering Premium Economy seats – the only airline in the region to offer this cabin class, and enhanced interiors and features across all other cabins. With its first aircraft scheduled to roll into the Emirates Engineering Centre for retrofitting in November, planning work and trials have begun in earnest.
