Fly In Style: Emirates Begins Posh A380 Service To LAX

Southern Californians headed to the Middle East now have the option of flying the posh Emirates A380 to Dubai. I am particularly intrigued by the business class lounges on the A380, shown above. The thing is, the business class seats are so great on these new airplanes that there’s no point in leaving them unless you really need to stretch. I get these press releases all of the time but thought I’d share this one because it’s Southern California specific, talks about what to expect onboard, and mentions how they fly DBX-LAX.

Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines, today announced A380 service to Los Angeles (LAX) starting on December 2nd, 2013; bringing Emirates award-winning service and the most fuel-efficient, quietest long-range aircraft to customers in the L.A. area.

“Demand for our award-winning onboard service has steadily grown since we commenced operation to L.A. in 2008 and customers have been requesting our flagship A380 for some time now,” said Orhan Abbas, Emirates Commercial Senior Vice-President of the Americas. “As Los Angeles is known for its luxury and the Hollywood lifestyle, bringing our A380 into the market was a natural fit as it allows every Emirates passenger a taste of the glamorous life at 35,000 feet.

The 489-seat Emirates A380 offers 14 Private First Class Suites, 76 lie-flat beds in Business Class and 399 spacious seats in Economy Class. First Class passengers have access to two Onboard Shower Spas, while all premium passengers on the upper deck can socialize at the Onboard Lounge with an array of beverages and bar snacks. Passengers in all classes of service experience Emirates renowned hospitality and receive complimentary food and beverage, a generous baggage allowance, inflight Wi-Fi and cell phone connectivity, as well as the industry-leading ice entertainment system which boasts more than 1,400 channels of films, TV programs, games and music. This aircraft replaces the Boeing 777-300 ER which has serviced the route.

The A380 service will operate daily as EK215 departing Dubai at 0820hrs (local time) and arriving at Los Angeles’ Tom Bradley International Terminal at 1250hrs (local). The return flight, EK216, departs Los Angeles at 1600hrs (local) and arrives in Dubai at 1950hrs (local) the following day. The arrival time of the A380 in Dubai will offer passengers from L.A. connections to an extensive range of destinations across Asia, India, Africa and the Middle East.

Emirates flies the North Pole route and accounts for the conditions of weather/winds. The easterly or westerly bound aircraft is able to reach the West Coast without taking passengers “out of the way.” Emirates is excited to make a home in Los Angeles as it becomes the 23rd A380 destination on the Emirates global route network.