Emirates to bring the Airbus A380 to both Houston and San Francisco starting in December

Emirates (Dubai) is adding passenger and cargo capacity in San Francisco and Houston on December 1 and 3, 2014 respectively when it switches from operating the routes with a Boeing 777-300 ER to its double-decker Airbus A380.

The A380 will offer an additional 135 seats to San Francisco and 137 to Houston, representing a 38 percent increase in overall passenger capacity, and 80 percent more seats across the premium cabins. In addition to offering a choice of 14 First Class Private Suites and 76 lie-flat Business Class seats, the aircraft offers 399 spacious Economy Class seats to San Francisco and 401 to Houston.

The Emirates service from San Francisco operates daily as flight EK 226, departing San Francisco at 3:30 PM (1530) and arriving in Dubai the following day at 7:25 PM (1925). Flight EK 225 departs Dubai at 8:50 AM (0850) and arrives at San Francisco International Airport at 12:50 PM (1250) the same day.

Emirates’ daily flight EK 211 to Houston departs Dubai at 9:30 AM (0930) and arrives at 4:05 PM (1605). The return flight, EK 212, takes off from George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 6:25 PM (1825) and lands in Dubai at 7:05 PM (1905) the next day.

San Francisco and Houston will be Emirates’ 4th and 5th U.S. gateways serviced by an A380, joining New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas/Fort Worth which is due to commence on October 1. This latest announcement means that by December, Emirates will be serving both its Texan destinations with an A380 service.

Emirates: