Emirates will offer enclosed suites of up to 40 square feet
in the first-class cabin of reconfigured Boeing 777 aircraft.
The suites, unveiled by the company during the Dubai Air
Show on Sunday, will first take to the sky on Dec. 1 on flights from Dubai to
Geneva and Brussels.
Emirates will offer just six of the suites in the remodeled
aircraft, laid out three across. In lieu of actual windows, the middle suites
will have virtual windows, in which the outdoor view will be projected via
camera in real time.
Other features will include a bed with a "zero gravity"
position to provide a feeling of weightlessness, floor-to-ceiling sliding
doors, a video call function for communication with flight attendants, and a
service window so that customers can be served drinks and hors d'oeuvres
undisturbed.
The Emirates unveiling comes on the heels of fellow high-end
carrier Singapore Airlines' unveiling of new first-class Airbus A380 suites.
Those suites will measure 50 square feet.
Emirates is also making upgrades to its business and economy
classes a part of its 777 retrofit.