Emirates Plans First Class Suites With Private Bathrooms

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark reports that they’re “working on ensuite bathrooms in first class suites.” That means first class suites that have their own private bathrooms.

Ensuite refers to a private bathroom directly connected to a bedroom, exclusive to its occupants. Clark did not offer a timeline for when that product would be available, or mention what planes might offer it.

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Emirates president Tim Clark has suggested the airline is exploring en-suite bathrooms in first class suites, as part of efforts to refine its premium offering.

♬ original sound – The National News

Emirates put its standard first class with two shower spas at the front of the cabin into service in 2008. That suite is still good and the shower makes the product far more special (plus, Emirates does an incredible job with food and beverage). But it’s an 18-year old product.

Then in 2017 they launched the ‘game changer’ new first class onboard the Boeing 777-300ER. However, only 9 planes have that suite today as far as I am aware (aircraft: A6-EQH, A6-EQI, A6-EQJ, A6-EQK, A6-EQL, A6-EQM, A6-EQN, A6-EQO, A6-EQP.).

There’s no announced retrofit plan. Instead, it’s been planned to go in new-delivery Boeing 777X aircraft but Boeing delays have meant we haven’t seen more planes with the product.

The Etihad Residence on the Airbus A380 has had its own bathroom including a private shower since that product was introduced in 2014. It’s been the only private bathroom in a commercial airline cabin.

Air India this month announced that they would use a customized Airbus A350-1000 first class concept starting around 2030 that would be based on the Airbus “First Class Master Suite” which includes a two-passenger center suite with a dedicated lavatory, changing area, bar, and double bed. However, they have not necessarily committed to the full master suite implementation of this product.

Emirates gains a huge halo effect from its top of the line first class. It represents relatively few seats in its fleet but drives a reputation for quality that is not matched throughout the rest of its cabins. Emirates business class, for instance, has historically lagged the industry – where much of the fleet has not even had lie flat direct aisle access seats, let alone suites.

So investing in first class can make sense, doubly so because of a local market that supports it and a route network that includes a significant amount of ultra-long haul flying. there’s actually a bigger market for first class than there used to be even as business class has gotten better.

• there are more millionaires than ever before

• centimillionaires may fly private for short haul but more frequently trade down for long haul. Private gets far more expensive for ultra-long haul.

• and there’s still a market for senior executive business travelers flying long haul doing major deals where the airfare is a rounding error and the risk and cost of being at anything other than truly top of game is far greater than the incremental cost of a first class ticket.

Creating a true lifestyle brand experience creates a moat against competition – the opposite of the commodity mindset that most airlines have adopted. Rather than being unprofitable, first class therefore carries the potential to be the most profitable since it’s the most de-commoditized. And it’s a space that very few airlines compete in. Emirates has done it well and consistently made money.

(HT: Skift)