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Emirates currently operates a daily flight between Dubai and Osaka using its 777-300ER aircraft but travelers on this route can expect a significant upgrade from October 2018.
Emirates operates a fleet that is solely made up of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft but the differences in the onboard experience offered on the two can be very different.
The 777 that Emirates currently employs on the Osaka route offers very similar First Class suites to the one’s you’ll find on the Airbus A380 but that’s just about where the similarities end.
Emirates A380 vs Emirates 777
The first and most obvious difference is the number of passengers the two aircraft can carry – here’s how they match up on this route (other routes may offer different cabin configurations):
First Class:
- 777 – 8 suites
- A380 – 14 suites
A 75% increase in capacity
Business Class:
- 777 – 42 seats
- A380 – 76 seats
An 81% increase in capacity
Economy Class
- 777 – 304 seats
- A380 – 399 seats
A 31% increase in capacity
That’s a lot more seats that Emirates is adding on this route and it should be good news for those looking to book premium cabin awards.
However, the numbers alone don’t tell the whole story – the most important differences between the two aircraft are to be found in the nature of the cabins and the amenities.
The one big difference between the First Class cabins (other than size) is that the A380 offers onboard showers while the 777 does not. This may seem like a trivial difference to mention but, when you’re paying a huge premium to sit in First Class and when you know just how good the showers can be, it can be important.
The biggest cabin difference lies with the Business Class cabins.
The Business Class cabin on the Emirates 777 offers old-fashioned angled-flat seats in a dense 2-3-2 layout…
…while the Business Class cabin in the A380 offers true lie-flat seats which all offer direct access to the aisles in a cabin that feels a lot more spacious:
The difference between the two cabins cannot be overstated. The A380 cabin is a pleasant place to pass a long-haul flight while the 777 cabin is a throwback to 20 years ago.
As it that wasn’t enough to prove the A380’s superiority it’s worth noting that the whale-jet also offers an onboard bar for First and Business lass passengers while the 77 offers nothing at all.
In Economy Class the news is good too.
The outgoing 777 aircraft may offer 32″ of seat pitch (leg room) just like the incoming A380 but it only offers seats that are 17″ wide while the A380 offers seats 18″ in width.
That may not sound like a big difference but on an long-haul flight it will definitely be noticeable.
The Route
The Airbus A380 will be taking over from the 777 on 28 October 2018 and, from that point on, the schedule looks like this:
EK316 DXB 03:05 – 16:55 KIX
EK317 KIX 23:35 – 05:45+1 day DXB
The Airbus A380 is set to remain on the route through to the end of the current bookable period.
Thoughts
I can’t see a downside here. The A380 that’s taking over the route in October is better than the 777 is every way – it offers more seats, it’s more spacious, it has better onboard facilities and it has a vastly superior Business Class cabin. What’s not to like?
