Emirates Airlines has introduced a cut-down version of business class on some of its routes. It does not include a number of the usual privileges, but costs less than other business class fares, Travel.ru's own correspondent reports.
The recently introduced minimum business class fare is called Special. It does not include Business Class lounge access (except for Emirates Elite members) or complimentary airport transfers in a luxury car. In addition, complimentary seat selection will only be available during check-in (48 hours in advance), when seat selection is likely to be very limited, as all other Business Class passengers can make their selection at any time after purchasing their ticket. Upgrades using miles are also not permitted.
There are no changes to in-flight service, the 40kg baggage allowance and priority boarding are also retained. The price difference between the new Special fare and the next Saver can be around 10-30%, with some passengers stating that the Saver fare has increased.
Emirates' new fare is not yet available for flights from Russia, and it is unknown whether the company plans to use it there in the future. It is currently only available for flights departing from Dubai, including Russian destinations. At the same time, even the reduced Special fare from Dubai to Moscow and back (9,495 UAE dirhams or 2,290 euros) is usually more expensive than the full Saver fare from Moscow to Dubai and back (140,806 rubles or 1,929 euros). The situation is the opposite on the route to St. Petersburg (2,295 euros versus 2,955 euros).
Emirates has long been moving towards splitting its fares into those that include a full range of services and those that are limited to only a part of them. Until now, this concerned economy class, where passengers with tickets at lower fare levels were consistently deprived of advance seat selection and a large baggage allowance. Now the innovations have affected business class. Recall that the carrier recently reduced the number of flights on the Moscow route and temporarily removed its largest aircraft, the Airbus A380, from it.
Source: travel.ru
