Emirates is launching the two longest flights in the world.

The two routes are:

• Dubai – Panama City‘s launch was delayed until next month. The flight is 10 miles longer than incumbent champ Dallas – Sydney on Qantas.

• Dubai – Auckland launches later this month. It becomes the longest flight in the world by a margin of ~ 250 miles.

These flights won’t be bad at all in first class of course.

However, the Chairman of Emirates says he flew (a test flight) Dubai – Auckland in economy and liked it.

He says he doesn’t mind economy, since he “likes to be close to the people”.

Emirates 777 Economy by Andrei Dimofte from Stuttgart, Germany., used under CC 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

I bet he got great service from the crew! And he probably didn’t have anyone in the middle seat next to him.

Sheikh Ahmed said: “We did not plan these flights to get more publicity – it was to make money. We want to service these hubs and our [geographical] location means we can.”

The chairman and CEO also revealed that Emirates is planning an exciting new in-flight innovation expected to launch either by the end of this year or beginning of next. He declined to comment further.

I once heard the late Guy Vander Jagt, a 26-year Republican congressman, say that he never understood how people could be so inconsistent.

1. When he went home to his district everyone wanted less government.
   
2. But people kept coming to his Congressional office for more pet spending projects.

He didn’t seem to understand that these were different people. I wonder if something like that influences the Sheikh’s impression of coach. Or if it’s just belt-tightening with falling oil prices…