Emirates Cut First Class Flights

Emirates is cutting first class on flights between Dubai and London Gatwick in a bid to cut costs

Emirates will reduce the amount of flights with First Class seating during November and December of this year.

The changes will only be in effect over the two months of peak travel between London Gatwick and Dubai.
Travellers who wish to choose First Class seating will still be able to do so, as Emirates will continue to offer First Class on their flights from London Heathrow, which sees the majority of First Class flights during the year.

The airline are currently operating six flights per day to and from Gatwick using the super jumbo Airbus A380 jets, one of the largest capacity planes in the world, potentially seating over 800 passengers.

Emirates is the largest operator of the Airbus A380 in the world, and the airline usually configure the jets to seat 489 passengers when they offer the First Class option.

However, the new configuration without First Class seating will increase capacity to 615 passengers, increasing their daily capacity from 2934 to 3690.

The changes come as other airlines, such as Qantas, launch their new Perth to London flight next year, which will not offer First Class seating at all.

The decline in Airlines offering First Class seating, even for short periods, raises the question whether First Class service will become obsolete.