Emirates (Dubai) has announced an upgrade of service from Dubai to Los Angeles with the introduction of the flagship Airbus A380 starting on December 2, 2013.

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 socialise at the Onboard Lounge with an array of beverages and snacks. Passengers in all classes of service experience Emirates renowned hospitality, receive a generous baggage allowance, have inflight Wi-Fi and mobile phone connectivity, as well as access to 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 previously.

The A380 service will operate daily as flight EK 215 departing Dubai at 0820 (local time) and arriving at Los Angeles’ Tom Bradley International Terminal at 1250 (local). The return flight, EK 216, departs Los Angeles at 1600 and arrives in Dubai at 1950 on the following day. The arrival time of the A380 in L.A. will offer passengers easy connections to desirable destinations in the U.S. such as Phoenix, Las Vegas, San Diego and Honolulu.

Previously Emirates announced it will boost its services to Switzerland with the start of a daily Airbus A380 service to Zurich.

From January 1, 2014, flight EK 087 from Dubai to Zurich and its return sector EK 088 will be operated by an A380, offering an increased capacity of more than 1,100 additional seats every week in each direction. The service is currently operated by a Boeing 777-300 ER. Emirates will continue to serve Zurich with a double daily operation, which will equate to more than 870 seats on offer per day.

Emirates is the largest A380 operator in the world, with 34 A380s in its fleet and 56 on order, and has carried almost 17 million passengers since the double decker was introduced five years ago. Since January of this year, Emirates’ A380 passengers have been able to experience the world’s first purpose built A380 concourse in Dubai (below), reflecting further investment in the airline’s global hub, which is set to grow to a capacity of 90 million passengers by 2018.

From January 1, 2014, the new A380-supported EK 087 flight will depart Dubai at 0825 and arrive in Zurich International Airport at 1220. The return flight, EK 088, will leave Zurich at 1435 and arrive in Dubai at 2340 (all times local).

Top Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by Emirates). A380-861 A6-EDQ (msn 080) taxies at Amsterdam. Click on the photo for the full-size view.

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